Is your current tooth brush effective enough?
Brushing your teeth correctly is one of the most effective ways to prevent decay, cavities and gum disease. So, are you sure your tooth brush is doing good enough job at cleaning your teeth properly and in the long run saving you money you’d spent on unnecessary dentist visits that could have been prevented?
Manual tooth brushes are simply not effective enough. Many studies have demonstrated that electric toothbrushes are up to 11 times more effective at plaque removal than manual toothbrushes and people were more likely to brush too hard if they used a manual toothbrush versus an electric one. Brushing too hard can damage your gums and teeth, wearing away the enamel on your teeth which in the long run could cause your gums to recede exposing the fragile part of the tooth called dentin, which again can cause more complex dental problems.
Using a manual toothbrush may also make it more difficult to know if you’re brushing long enough for every session since there’s no built-in timer that indicates when to switch from one area of your mouth to the other.
The electric toothbrushes most recommended by dental practitioners and hygienists are Sonicare and Oral-B. Oral-B uses a rapid back and forwards motion so each tooth neds to be cleaned individually as well as the gums. Phillips sonic care uses patented sonic wave movement to achieve a deeper clean, it is gentle enough for patients suffering with periodontal disease to clean comfortably as it was in fact created by a dentist specialising in periodontal therapy. With Phillips Sonicare you can go from their most affordable Easy Clean option or their fancy Diamond Clean toothbrush with multiple options. The easy clean does an incredible job at gently cleaning your teeth and massaging your gums, whilst the Diamond clean is designed to suit your needs from whitening polish to regular brush to gentle massage of the gums, timing you as you go. Amongst its multiple options, it can achieve an at home interdental clean and polish, which makes us all dental practitioners most excited!
Knowing your needs and expectations is one of the most important steps in choosing the right toothbrush for you. At your next dentist appointment, you should ask your oral health provider about more specific information on which toothbrush is most suitable for you. Just remember that brushing once a day is simply not enough, however fancy your toothbrush may be 😊
Apart from exciting adults, Sonicare line makes children equally as excited. They’ve created a line of toothbrushes specially designed for our little ones, you can personalise them with stickers and fun little gadgets that makes brushing appear less of a chore and more like fun. Phillips knows how difficult it is to make children brush their gnashers long enough, so they have created a rather visually pleasant piece of software/game where kids can feed their fluffy monster, play with them and most importantly brush their teeth together with them. After each brushing session that has been long enough they win little knick-knacks. It sounds trivial, but it really does make a difference in the way children approach their oral hygiene.
If you have any further questions about selecting the best toothbrush for yourself please do not hesitate to contact us via email at reception@cherrytreedentistry.co.uk, we will be more than happy to help you pick an option most suited for your needs 😊
