Good evening all! I hope you had a fantastic day today!
Tonight I thought I’d talk about the most basic of dental home care tools…THE TOOTHBRUSH. I am often asked, “which toothbrush should I use?” Well, I am kind of toothbrush snob! When it comes to a MANUAL toothbrush, I prefer one that does not have a giant brush head. When the head is too large, it is impossible to reach your furthest back molars on the cheek side. By the way, there is a trick to reaching that particular hard-to-reach area; you close down slightly and shift your lower jaw toward the side you are brushing. You should feel that you have a lot more room to reach your second molar, or even your 3rd molar if you have one.
Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked, sorry. So when you are shopping for toothbrushes, choose the one that has these components:
smaller head,
doesn’t have a bunch of plastic “thingies” sticking out of them,
And please, please, please, buy a soft or extra soft bristle brush,
If you like your gums being where they are, you need to avoid medium and hard bristle brushes.
About Electric Toothbrushes
Now, if we are talking about ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSHES, my very favorite is the Sonicare by Phillips. All of the bristles on the brush move, which I feel is a far more superior way to clean the teeth than a circular spinning brush. It times you for 2 minutes (30 seconds per quadrant or section of your mouth) which keeps your brushing even (no brushing your favorite area too long). Some models have a UV cleaner attached so you can disinfect the brush heads between cleanings. I also find that the brush heads last a bit longer than the manual brushes. So if you have the UV cleaner, you are able to reduce the bacteria if you are able to use the head longer. And, with any toothbrush, if your bristles are bending BACKWARDS, you need a new toothbrush!!!
A very key thing to remember if you use an electric toothbrush is not to press too hard and particularly with the Sonicare, you just have to guide it along; you do not have to move your hand around in circles or” back and forth” like you would if you were using a regular toothbrush. If you do that, you could do more harm than good. I know firsthand what can happen.
When he was 19 years old, my son needed 3 tissue grafts because he would not listen to his mother, the dentist, and he was improperly using his Sonicare. Let me tell you, he learned his lesson the hard way!!
Any electric or mechanical toothbrush typically will do a better job brushing than a manual toothbrush. But it is my opinion that the Sonicare is the best. And no, I get nothing from the Sonicare people to say that. For the kiddos, the Crest spin brushes are fine. Sonicare does make one for kids, and I got one for my daughter, but she couldn’t tolerate the vibration until she was in her teens. Maybe it was just her, but it could be that it is too much for little ones. She is older now and uses an adult Sonicare and is fine with it.