Electric toothbrush - yes or no?

Is an electric toothbrush really more effective than a manual one? The concise and quick answer is simple: every traditional cleaning process (and more) can be completed with an electric toothbrush, but a manual toothbrush has its limit compared to an electric one. Both power and manual models can bring great results, provided that you use them properly, and none of them can serve as a perfect replacement of professional cleaning methods. By the way, thoughtful and throughout at home oral health care is a good start to prevent serious problems.

Electric toothbrush

Electric toothbrush is not a new product on the market: the first model was introduced in the ‘50’s. Nevertheless, many people think that its effectiveness is only a myth produced by medical advertisements, while others disagree with this opinion.
An electric toothbrush is a toothbrush with a head that makes rapid, automatic motions, either vibration or rotation-oscillation, in order to clean teeth. Some experts think that effectiveness of an electric toothbrush are higher than a manual one, because it is less dependent on the personal technique of brushing. In addition to the advantages, an electric toothbrush is able to reduce plaque build-up and gingival inflammation. In 2005, a Cochrane report stipulated that only electric toothbrushes with oscillating and rotating movements performed better than regular toothbrushes. According to experts, children do not need expensive cleaning devices, is a better investment to teach them how to use a regular toothbrush properly.

Different models

The market is flooded with different models of electric toothbrushes, but their structure and the method of using are basically very similar. An electric toothbrush is made of two parts: head and handle. The heads are interchangeable, small and easy to manoeuvre. Since the appliance is doing the brushing for you, you can focus on getting it into hard-to reach areas. The handle contains a motor. Any electric toothbrush is technically a power toothbrush.
Electric toothbrushes can be classified based on their shape (circular or rectangular) and speed of their movement (standard, sonic or ultrasonic). All types of electric toothbrushes clean your teeth more efficiently and faster than a traditional manual one thanks to the high speed movement of the bristle. The head of the toothbrush has to be changed in every 3 month of use in order to avoid bacterial infections and attrition of the bristle.

Dental irrigators

Dental water jets – or dental irrigators – are home care devices that use a stream of pulsating water to clean the gums and teeth removing plaque and food debris, and to improve gingival health this way. Think of them as mini pressure washers for your mouth, only without the harshness. Irrigators with innovative modern micro-bubble technology mix air and water, and vaporize it to millions of micro-bubbles designed to clean the teeth perfectly and attack plaque bacteria. Dental irrigators are particularly beneficial for those with dental prostheses. Combinations of dental irrigators and power toothbrushes are available on the market.