Are Electric Toothbrushes Better?
Electric toothbrushes have gain massive popularity in the past years, and are seen by many as alternatives to traditional toothbrushes for better “scientifically” protecting the teeth. Ironically, some people don’t charge the electric toothbrushes often and would just use them to manually brush their teeth after the battery drains out. Do electric toothbrushes actually offer better cleaning results?
In fact, both electric – weather ultrasonic or ones with rorating motorheads – and traditional toothbrushes share the same physical operating principles: to mechanically erase food residue and dental plague on the surface ot the teeth. Ultrasonic toothbrushes don’t actually use ultrasonic waves, but the motor rather vibrates at similar frequencies. Rotating motorhead brushes, on the other hand, moves the brush attached to the rotating motorhead. Most of both types offer replacable brush heads, and a solid brush base can last for years.
Technically, electric toothbrushes should offer better cleaning results and high efficiency, as they operate constantly at a desired strength to effectively clean the teeth. It is rather difficult to ensure sufficient force all the time while manually brushing the teeth, especially at places hard to reach.
However, this doesn’t always mean electric toothbrushes equal to clean teeth. It is crucial to ensure sufficient brushing time, and people should brush their teeth for at least 2 minutes regardless of the brush type. Some electric brushes offer timer funcionality to inform you when to go to the next area.
Prices of electric toothbrushes can vary significantly, and while cheap ones seem to “work”, they might bring more harm than help to the teeth. The vibrating motors of low quality can lead to abrasion of the teeth over time or damage to the gum, or even bleeding. It is recommended to choose soft brushes to minimize the abrasion and to pick brushes with high quality from trusted brands.