Perhaps the most common questions asked when it comes to oral hygiene surround the use and benefits of electric toothbrushes. The ultimate goal of brushing your teeth, apart from keeping your mouth clean, is to prevent problems like gum disease and tooth decay. To determine whether you need an electric toothbrush or not depends on how well you can look after your teeth with a manual brush.
Here, we find out how an electric toothbrush might be better than a manual variant.
Gum injury or even gum recession may happen if we brush too hard.
Cleans more thoroughly
Even though we've been taught to brush our teeth meticulously, there are still areas in the mouth where the bristles of a manual toothbrush can't reach.
An electric toothbrush cleans more than just the surface of your teeth, which means the chances of removing hard-to-reach plaque and tartar are higher compared to a manual brush. Cochrane conducted a review of over 56 medical studies and found that electric brushes could reduce plaque by up to 21 per cent after just three months. Though the authors believed more long-term studies would provide clearer information, these initial results are highly positive.
In addition, one of the main causes of bad breath is bacteria, which can remain in areas where manual toothbrushes can't reach. This can lead to bad breath if not removed. Since an electric toothbrush can reach and clean between the molars and under the gum line, the amount of bacteria and plaque is lowered. As such, your breath will be cleaner and fresher.
Brushes with the right pressure
It's common for people to use too much pressure when cleaning their teeth with a manual toothbrush; many believe that brushing harder makes for a cleaner mouth.
However, gum injury or even gum recession may happen if we brush too hard, WebMD states. High amounts of pressure can result in the loss of enamel from the tooth surface, causing sensitivity to heat, cold and other stimuli.
Since, when using an electric toothbrush, you are not really doing the brushing apart from repositioning, it's unlikely that you will be brushing too hard.
A drawback to electric brushes
The immediate drawback of an electric toothbrush is the cost – the cheapest start from $45 and other models can go over $300, a search on Briscoes indicates. However, looking at the benefits and convenience, it appears that an electric toothbrush is better in the long run for those who aren't very good at maintaining pressure or cleaning thoroughly.
Now that you've decided which brushes are suitable, you'll still need to visit your dentist for regular checkups. Book an appointment with City Dentists online today.