This kind of head to head comparison is one that crosses every subject and every industry and will never stop. We love them as they spark debate, split opinion and get people talking about oral health and their choice of toothbrush. Anything that encourages that kind of discussion is fine by us!
So, which is best, a manual toothbrush or an electric one? As your friendly holistic dentist, we thought we would throw our own opinion into the mix to see how it matches with yours.
Most dentists will agree that electric toothbrushes are better than manual toothbrushes. Not only do they make the process easier, they also do a better job than the average manual brush.
The main point we want to get across is that choosing an electric toothbrush only makes sense if you use it correctly. The same goes for a manual toothbrush. The main influence over the effectiveness of any oral health program is you, the user.
Electric Toothbrushes For the Win
Dentists naturally love toothbrushes because they are intended to make our lives easier. The invention of the electric toothbrush is no different. So why is it better?
An electric toothbrush uses rotating brushes to remove debris from your mouth, remove plaque and kill bacteria in conjunction with your toothpaste. That rotating brush removes around 10 -15 percent more plaque per brush than a manual toothbrush.
Many electric toothbrushes also have a timer set to 2 minutes, which is the minimum time you should brush each session. That’s hard to gauge manually, so many fall short. The timer ensures you get the minimum clean every time.
The shape and bristle formation on that rotating brush is designed to hug the tooth to maximize the cleaning area. The small size of the head allows that brush to get places a manual toothbrush rarely goes and still maintain a good cleaning action. So not only can an electric toothbrush get to places a standard brush can’t go, it can also do a good job while it’s there.
A lot of a dentist’s job is to clean the areas that don’t get brushed. That can be between teeth, in awkward spaces, at the back of the mouth and around any gaps where teeth have been removed. An electric toothbrush can get into all those places, improving your oral health and making our job that little bit easier.
It’s important to note though, that as your dentist, we’re not after an easy day and that’s not why we like electric toothbrushes. If we don’t have to clean your teeth as much, we can spend our time together doing more important things with your health!
