Truthfully, this is a question that is more common than you think! Picking the right toothbrush for you can be difficult especially when there are so many different types of brushes out there on the market today. In fact, some questions you may be asking yourself are as follows:
· Do I need a soft bristled brush?
· Is a medium bristled brush okay?
· Do I need an electric brush?
· Can I use a manual brush?
The fact of the matter is that a toothbrush isn’t a “one size fits all” kind of deal. While some brushes are better suited than others, many components go into finding the right toothbrush for you with cost being a big one! Additionally, it should be said that an electric toothbrush can achieve cleanliness with half of the work from you. With an electric toothbrush, the toothbrush does all the work making it much more effective at removing bacteria and biofilm as opposed to the use of a manual toothbrush. However, the trade off is the cost and not all electric toothbrushes are cost effective, but with that being said some are on the market today that are in the price range of $20-$50 like some of the old Sonicare models. On the other hand, some may ask themselves: Sonicare or Oral-B? To best answer this, it is whichever brand works best for you and will get you to brush at least 2-minutes a day twice a day! A Sonicare vibrates in a way, while the Oral-B head vibrates and oscillates with rotations, whichever you prefer they both work great. Our Richmond, VA dentist friends at River Run Dental Spa encourages their patients to use an electric toothbrush that requires two (2) minutes of brushing.
Although, if an electric brush is something that doesn’t seem to be within budget, a manual brush can be sufficient. You just need to be mindful of the type of brush, in which a soft bristled brush is recommended! With a soft bristled brush, it can be gentle enough so that it doesn’t abrade or harm the gum tissue by being too rough. A medium bristled brush is too rough on the gums and isn’t something you should plan on buying for home care practices.
Now, no matter what type of toothbrush you choose to use, an effective brush is one that you use daily twice a day for two minutes so you’re removing plaque daily in order to prevent any cavities or gum disease.
Questions?
If you are unsure of what toothbrush may be best for you, we have excellent dental hygienists at our office that would love to educate you on your decision! At Moore Smiles we have appointments available for professional dental cleanings where our hygienists would be thrilled to help you. Please contact us for an appointment.
