I’m sure you’ve seen television commercials and online advertising for electric toothbrushes that promise a superior clean and a fresh-from-the-dentist feeling in your mouth after using them.
Is an electric toothbrush really that amazing? From my personal experience, absolutely!
My husband is a dentist. I am extremely conscious of my teeth and I feel as though I take pretty great care of them. I have used an older model OralB electric toothbrush for years. I keep it on my bathroom counter, charge it faithfully, keep it clean and replace the brush head regularly. I have a routine of brushing my teeth, gums and tongue in a certain order. The routine doesn’t change; it’s simply habit and muscle memory.
When I travel, though, I leave my electric toothbrush at home. When packing for a family vacation for 5 people, every ounce up to that dreaded 50# weight limit matters. I don’t want to sacrifice any more real estate in our suitcases than absolutely necessary, so I opt for a lightweight and easily packable standard issue toothbrush from the dental office. It never fails – by the third day of a week-long trip, my teeth just don’t feel quite as clean. Is it my overly dentally-aware mind playing tricks on me? Possibly.
When I use a regular, manual toothbrush, I find myself scrubbing my teeth harder, with more vigor, than I do with my electric toothbrush. My gums hurt and bleed because I seem to attack them with my toothbrush. Is that really helping me? The answer is no. It’s not the muscle you put into your tooth brushing that gives you the maximum benefit. It is both the time and the motion you put into your toothbrushing that truly gives you the maximum benefit. You can get a fantastic clean with a traditional toothbrush if you take your time and actually focus on each area, brushing gently and consistently for the dentist recommended 2 minutes.
With an electric toothbrush, the back and forth brushing motion is not necessary and not recommended by experts. Instead, I let the toothbrush do the work. I let it pulsate and clean each area and surface of my teeth and tongue, simply guiding the toothbrush bristles to each area I want to clean. There’s no scrubbing. Instead, I keep the pressure consistent throughout my mouth and the result is truly a just-from-the-dentist clean feeling. I equate the difference between a traditional and electric toothbrush to the difference between sweeping and vacuuming the floors. It’s much more work to sweep than it is to simply push the vacuum around, isn’t it? Brushing with an electric toothbrush is very similar.
If you’re in the market for an electric toothbrush, Pike Lake Dental Center does sell an incredible electric toothbrush package. The kit includes the rechargeable electric toothbrush, multiple brush heads, a carrying case, charging port, toothpaste, mouthwash, and more. This toothbrush is so smart it can connect to your smartphone via bluetooth to help ensure you
are brushing for enough time and in the right spots. The toothbrush can even detect if you are pressing too hard or using too much force while brushing your teeth. I’m amazed at how smart this system is! The true praises for this toothbrush will have to be saved for a different blog, though. Stay tuned!
In conclusion, YES, I truly believe electric toothbrushes are amazing. I will not say a person can’t clean their teeth well using a regular, traditional toothbrush. You absolutely can. I can tell you that I personally prefer letting my electric toothbrush do the work of keeping my teeth clean between my biannual visits with my hygienist. A healthy, clean mouth is a wonderful thing!
Written and submitted by Stephanie Jugovich, staff member at Pike Lake Dental Center