Here’s the real deal about electric toothbrushes - they’re pretty much the present and future of toothbrushing. Studies in India show that the cavity rates are at an all time high and oral health is an all time low. It’s also not unknown that your overall health is interlinked to your oral health. So, when we are aware of all of this and we know that a good oral hygiene routine is the answer - what is it that still makes us land up on the dentist’s chair in pain?
While neglect is definitely one of the key reasons, there are many who are using a manual toothbrush and still not getting optimal results. Here’s why:
- Lazy/Forget to brush twice a day- Don’t brush for the necessary 2 minutes per brush
- Over or underbrushing because of manual dexterity
- Incorrect technique
- Don’t replace their brush in time (ideally every 3 months)
And here’s where the electric brush comes in as a savior for many. But let’s discuss some basics first. What really is an electric toothbrush? An electric toothbrush is a battery powered or rechargeable toothbrush in which the bristles rotate, vibrate or oscillate to clean the teeth.The strokes per minute range from a few thousands to almost tens of thousands which lead to far superior plaque removal with minimal effort. It makes up for most aspects that we lack to brush well and keep that plaque and cavities away.
Just a few of the advantages of using an electric toothbrush are:
- Electric toothbrushes have scientifically been proven to eliminate 5x the plaque as compared to manual toothbrushing.- Most electric brushes come in with an inbuilt timer of 2 minutes so you brush for the time that is dentist recommended
- You cannot over or underbrush with an electric toothbrush, because it does the brushing for you. This helps protect your teeth from the perils of overbrushing like wearing off your enamel, gum recession and tooth sensitivity. It also prevents underbrushing which leads to increased plaque, gum inflammation, inefficient cleaning leading to more cavities.
- Electric brushes are not as technique sensitive as manual brushes
- Many electric toothbrushes have a brush head replacement reminder so you don’t miss out on replacing your brush head
- Electric toothbrushes are great for physically challenged patients like stroke patients, geriatric patients with limited motor skills and even for kids.
- Electric toothbrushes are also more environmentally friendly because the brush body lasts for 2 years on an average and only the toothbrush heads need to be replaced. This results in less usage of plastic and a lower overall carbon footprint.
- Electric brushes also reach the harder to access tooth surfaces, protecting them from cavities.
- On a lazy day, it’s proven that a person is more likely to not miss a brush with an electric toothbrush vs a manual one.
- The best electric toothbrushes will have different modes of brushing to suit various types of teeth like sensitive teeth, yellow teeth and cavity prone teeth.
We would definitely recommend that you try an electric superbrush at least once in your life, or you’ll never know what you’re missing out on!
