Both manual and electric toothbrushes can be used to effectively clean your teeth. Here, our South Calgary dentists discuss the benefits that electric toothbrushes may offer, depending on your needs.
A regular manual toothbrush is a great tool for cleaning your teeth, provided that you are thorough, and use proper brushing technique.
- Place the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums.
- Gently move the brush in a circular motion across the teeth.
- Remember to brush the outer surfaces, the inner surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of the teeth.
If you brush properly, as outlined above, and both you and your dentist are satisfied with the state of your oral health, then you’re doing great! There’s no need for any additional tools (other than floss, of course).
However, if you struggle to brush all of your teeth sufficiently with a manual toothbrush, or if you or your dentist feel your oral hygiene routine could use a boost, you may find an electric toothbrush to be a helpful tool.
How can an electric toothbrush help?
Dentist-recommended electric toothbrushes have small, round, rotating heads. These types of electric toothbrushes mimic the ideal brushing motion.
Electric toothbrushes can make brushing easier because you hardly have to do any work! Simply apply your toothpaste to your electric toothbrush, place it up against your teeth, and turn it on. Then all you have to do is guide it gently around your mouth, over all the surfaces of your teeth.
You don’t need to perform the brushing motion yourself, and this makes it much easier to clean the backs of your front teeth (which can be awkward with a manual toothbrush), and the small round head makes cleaning your back molars and other tight or hard-to-reach areas a snap.
And because the head spins so quickly, electric toothbrushes do a great job of removing surface stains from your teeth.
Overall, an electric toothbrush can help you brush more thoroughly, and may even make brushing feel like less of a chore.
Concerns about brushing too hard?
Some people hesitate to try an electric toothbrush because they are concerned it would not be gentle on the enamel of their teeth, or their gums.
However, many electric toothbrush users find that it actually helps them brush more gently, because they don’t have to make the scrubbing motion themselves. Scrubbing tends to make you want to apply pressure, and this is a non-issue with an electric toothbrush, as it performs the motion for you.