Ever struggled to find the best toothbrush? Electric versus manual? The perfect match for your teeth when you’re debating soft vs hard bristles?
There is a method to choosing the right toothbrush for the right reasons. Whenever you use a toothbrush no matter if it’s electric or manual you want to make sure you have the one that’s the best fit for your teeth.
We’ve done the finding the perfect toothbrush research so you don’t have to!
The Right Toothbrush Can Mean Everything
Whether you want a routine cleaning or you’re facing some advanced restorative procedure you want a quality experience delivered with the highest level of care. Your mouth can be a challenging area to keep clean. That’s why it’s important to always have the best possible hygiene and care.
You may already realize your teeth need a lot of attention. But it’s still easy to overlook the toothbrush because it doesn’t get as much press. The toothbrush almost never gets as much attention as other aspects of oral hygiene.
Oral Hygiene Starts With a Toothbrush
Over the years you have tried many types of toothbrushes. You were pretty confident that you selected what you felt was the best one for your dental health. There’s no doubt you thought you were taking care of your teeth and their overall well-being.
But if you chose the wrong bristles or toothbrush you can do more damage than good. The damage occurs when you brush your teeth in a careless manner or select the wrong type of toothbrush. Toothbrushes with harder bristles can cause damage to the structure of the tooth and hurt the gums.
Softer bristles can bend, allowing the bristles to get under the gumline where bacteria can hide.
Teeth Need a Well-Matched Toothbrush
While everyone’s teeth need a well-matched toothbrush all teeth need a toothbrush head that allows for easy access to all the surfaces of your teeth. On average adults need at least a 1/2 inch wide and one-inch tall bristle on their toothbrushes. Toothbrushes also need to have a long enough handle you can hold in your hand.
Many people prefer soft bristles over hard but both have specific criteria and issues you need to be aware of. You want your toothbrush to have gone through quality control tests in how effective its cleaning and safety capacity is. You always want a toothbrush that has earned the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Approval.
Your Mouth Needs a Perfect-Matched Toothbrush
Mouths are often forgotten when it comes to toothbrushes but they are as important as teeth in some cases. Most of the time you’re less likely to do damage to your mouth, gums, or teeth when you use a softer bristle toothbrush. When bristles are soft and rounded they are gentle on teeth and mouths including the inside of your cheek and gums.
Your mouth’s gums or even the inside of your cheek can be negatively impacted by rough toothbrush bristles. When toothbrush bristles stress your gums it can lead to gum recession. That’s why you want to select a toothbrush head that matches your mouth.
A smaller mouth requires a smaller head on your toothbrush.
Powered Toothbrush
Whether you have a powered or manual toothbrush you want to replace the head at least every two or three months. If the head of your toothbrush has splayed or curled bristles you need to replace the toothbrush or the head of the toothbrush. The ADA feels that both powered or manual toothbrushes are equally effective.
They both can remove oral plaque which causes tooth decay and disease. But there are cases where powered toothbrushes decrease plaque and gingivitis more than manual toothbrushes. Some research found that 21 percent of plaque decreased with oscillating electric toothbrushes.
Oftentimes the difference is due to the electric toothbrushes doing most of the work for you. Powered toothbrushes are especially beneficial to anyone with limited mobility due to carpal tunnel, arthritis, or a host of other developmental or physical disabilities.
Dental Benefits with Electric vs Manual Toothbrushes
Electric toothbrushes can be quite pricey. Some go for upwards of $400. So if you have to replace the brush heads every three months you need to consider if this is a good toothbrush match for you. Also, electric toothbrushes do break more often.
That means you need to understand if you break the toothbrush or it starts aging every time you have to buy a new one you face serious costs. If that’s not enough to get you thinking you also need to understand most electric toothbrushes take up some serious space on a bathroom cabinet.
If your toothbrush is bumping up next to your shaving creme you may be at cross-purposes in keeping your teeth healthy and clean.
Your Next Toothbrush
Now that you know the ins and outs of an electric toothbrush vs a manual toothbrush you can make a better decision for yourself. When you’re ready to be excited about your smile you want to reach out to Webster Family Dental. Webster Family Dental wants to give you the highest level of care with the latest dental technology.
Every action you take with your teeth has a reaction. That’s why keeping up with your dental needs and teeth cleanings are essential. Webster Family Dental will prioritize what you want and give you the confident feeling you’ve always wanted but never had when leaving a dentist’s office.
Every smile you give is reflective of the dental care you receive and provide yourself. Why do anything less than the best? Reach out to Webster Family Dental today!