Good oral health is good for your health, period. Apart from the obvious—having a better smile, less tooth sensitivity, and fresher breath—studies suggest that the state of our mouths can affect our whole bodies. In fact, oral bacteria has been found in blood clots, suggesting that the microorganisms in our mouths may be related to the incidence of strokes. There may also be a link between gum disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Proper oral care can be achieved by visiting your dentist at least once a year and at home by establishing proper brushing habits. According to Dr. MattMessina, spokesperson of the American Dental Association (ADA), it all comes down to the Healthy Four:
“Brush twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste, clean between your teeth once a day with floss or an interdental cleaner, eat a healthy diet, and see your dentist on a regular basis,” he said. “It's not glamorous but it works.”
Dentists recommend that you brush for two whole minutes, and while you may think you’re doing that already, but research suggests that people overestimate their brushing time for as long as 70 seconds. That means that when you think you’re brushing for two whole minutes, you’ve likely only been at it for 40 seconds.
Try it next time you brush: set a timer for two minutes and brush until it goes off. You’ll be surprised by how long the two minutes actually feel. It’s no wonder most people don’t brush for the recommended amount of time.
This is where electric toothbrushes come in.
Dr. Messina said, “It's important to stress that you can do a wonderful job of oral hygiene manually. You don't need an electric toothbrush to be effective… But there are some reasons why an electric toothbrush can be beneficial for people.”
Most electric toothbrushes come with a built-in timer that vibrates or beeps when the two minutes are up, and this goes a long way towards encouraging people to brush for the proper amount of time.
When compared to manual toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes have also been shown to be especially effective at removing plaque and improving gum health simply because they use more cleaning strokes than a person can achieve with just their hands.
Powered toothbrushes are also ideal for people with conditions that affect their ability to grip objects or their dexterity. According to Dr. Messina, they’re also great for children and people with orthodontic treatments, since the smaller brush heads are better at getting into the nooks and crannies of braces and other devices.
Types of Electric Toothbrushes
There are two basic types of electric toothbrushes, oscillating and vibrating.
Oscillating Oral-B toothbrushes. Mayra París/ConsumersAdvocate.
The rotating or oscillating brushes have a round brush head that spins while the brush handle is turned on. These types of brushes are good because they replicate the circular motion you are supposed to use on the surfaces of your teeth when you use a manual brush. The round brush head means each tooth is covered by the bristles all the way down to the gum line, removing plaque in a more targeted manner.
Vibrating Philips toothbrushes. Mayra París/ConsumersAdvocate.
Vibrating brushes are also called sonic toothbrushes. They are closer in appearance to regular manual toothbrushes, with the brush head vibrating at a high frequency. A sonic toothbrush makes more cleaning strokes per second than you could with a manual toothbrush. Since they’re oval-shaped, sonic toothbrushes are able to cover a larger surface area than an oscillating brush, allowing you to clean more teeth at once.
The type of brush you should use comes down to your personal preference and the size of your mouth. A 2005 study from the Netherlands published in the Journal of Dentistry found that oscillating electric toothbrushes were more effective at removing plaque than high-frequency (or sonic) toothbrushes. However, Dr. Vera Tang, vice-chair of the NYU College of Dentistry's Department of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, said it depends more on the patient’s personal preference for a certain type of brush and the bells and whistles it may include.
“As a practicing periodontist, sometimes I'm just happy that they're taking the leap and getting an electric toothbrush because it means they're committed to brushing their teeth and they're committed to their oral health.”
For her part, Danielle Furgeson, director of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry’s Graduate Dental Hygiene Program, said she recommends that her patients focus more on the size of the toothbrush rather than the shape. “If you get a really big toothbrush head and you have a tiny mouth, it might be harder for you to get all the way to your back teeth,” she said. For this reason, she frequently recommends sonic toothbrushes for people with smaller mouths.
Proper Tooth-Brushing Technique
Beyond finding the right-sized toothbrush for your mouth, Dr. Messina highlighted the importance of using the electric toothbrush properly: “No matter what we're doing, the mechanical toothbrush only works when the bristles of the head of the toothbrush are in contact with all the places around the teeth and along the gumline... The toothbrushes are great but the human still has to guide the buzzing end of the toothbrush every place you want to be cleaned up.”
ADA recommendations for electric toothbrushes don’t vary that much from those for manual toothbrushes. First of all, you should brush for a minimum of two minutes, about 30 seconds for each quadrant of your mouth. Place the brush at a 45-degree angle to your gums, then turn on the electric toothbrush.
If you are using an oscillating brush, move the brush head from tooth to tooth. If, on the other hand, you’re using a sonic toothbrush, you should guide the brush along your gum line gently. Avoid harsh scrubbing motions that could damage your enamel or gum tissue. Do this for the outside, inside, and chewing surfaces of your teeth to remove all plaque.
Those of you who are using manual toothbrushes should follow these guidelines as well: use gentle strokes to clean all surfaces of your teeth, brushing for at least 30 seconds per quadrant or two minutes in total. Avoid using brushes with medium or hard bristles, since the stiffness can damage your teeth’s enamel and your gum lines, which can cause bleeding and receding gums.
The Only Electric Toothbrush Features You Need
There’s a very wide range of electric toothbrushes in the market right now. Besides differences in the type of brush head available, manufacturers now offer more features than ever. We’ll go over the most commonly seen features below:
Timer
Noting the importance of brushing for the minimum amount of time recommended by dentists, most electric toothbrushes now come with a two-minute timer. Depending on your model, the brush pulses, beeps, or simply switches off once the two-minute period has elapsed. Many other brushes have interval timers, which break down the two-minute period into four segments, allotting 30 seconds for each quadrant of the mouth. Also known as the “quad pacer” feature on Philips brushes, the timer pulses every 30 seconds to indicate that you should move on to a different part of the mouth. Using an interval timer ensures you dedicate the same amount of time to each part of your mouth.
Many experts say this is the most important feature consumers should look for when shopping for an electric toothbrush. “Sometimes with these two-minute timers, it makes you almost guilty to turn them off prematurely because two minutes is actually a very long time,” said Dr. Tang. For this reason, she encourages her patients to buy a brush with a timer.
Multiple cleaning modes
Though not as important as the interval timer, having a model with multiple cleaning modes and intensities can go a long way in ensuring your comfort when you first start using an electric toothbrush. If you suffer from gum bleeding or gingival disease, brushing with an electric toothbrush could cause gum bleeding during the first two weeks. Switching to a sensitive mode or a lower intensity cleaning can help reduce the discomfort or pain caused by the bristles in combination with the fast vibration or spinning motions.
Caring for your Electric Toothbrush
Like all toothbrushes, your electric toothbrush needs to be cleaned. Some devices are waterproof, so it’s easy to dip them under a running faucet and rinse off the toothpaste. Others are not waterproof and require more care. Check the user’s manual before use to see how you should clean your brush. In many cases, it’s enough to remove the brush head, run this piece separately under the water, and wipe the handle clean. Even if your toothbrush is waterproof, you should remove the brush head and clean under the joint periodically to remove any dried toothpaste that may have collected there.
Many electric toothbrushes include a protective cap, which protects your brush against fecal spores that may be flying around your bathroom. If your brush didn’t include one, you may be able to find a very inexpensive one at the store, or you could keep your brush inside the medicine cabinet.
The brush head should be changed every three months under normal use, because the bristles are less effective as they become worn and frayed. If you get a cold, change it as soon as you’re better to avoid reinfecting yourself. The ADA says that there is some evidence that soaking the brush in antibacterial mouthwash could reduce the bacteria in the bristles, but discarding the brush head and getting a new one is safest.
Given proper care, your toothbrush should last two or three years, or more. Once you notice that the device isn’t holding its charge, even after fully charging it according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, then it may be time to get a new electric toothbrush.
What to Watch Out For With Electric Toothbrushes
Interference with Pacemakers
The most important thing to watch out for when using an electric toothbrush is the possibility of interference with electronic medical devices, such as pacemakers. Before you use an electric toothbrush, speak with your physician and understand the risks. If you get the green light, follow your doctor and the manufacturer’s suggestions. Some suggest that you should keep the electric toothbrush at least six inches away from your pacemaker. User manuals for some electric toothbrush models provide instructions for deactivating the radio transmitter in the brush, which can help with interference, but if you feel like the brush may be interfering with your electronic medical device—a sign may be an irregular heartbeat—, turn off the electric toothbrush immediately and consult with your physician.
