Power toothbrush or regular for your best smile??
When it comes to choosing a toothbrush, there are many options on the market today. So many, in fact, that the choices can be confusing instead of helpful. I’d like to clear it up a little by offering a suggestion from a dentists point of view: Choose the power toothbrush. You may ask “Why a power toothbrush when my good ole’ fashioned toothbrush works just fine?”. The answer is the same as using any other appliance and may surprise you: it’s the right tool for the job! In general, a power toothbrush helps you be more efficient and effective when brushing your teeth, and with less effort. You are able to reach difficult areas of your mouth easier and you can clean the food and plaque off of your teeth better. And that can make your checkups more fun!
There are two types of power toothbrushes currently on the market, each with multiple variations. First, is the disposable battery powered toothbrushes. Second, is the rechargeable power toothbrush. An example of a disposable battery power toothbrush is the spin brushes. These are typically inexpensive, small and lightweight devices that can be purchased at nearly every drugstore. Many come in colorful patterns and some even play music!! Most seemed to be geared more toward children than adults. These can be useful to motivate small children to learn to brush. An advantage to these types of brushes is the cost. They are typically very inexpensive to purchase and easy to find. They are also simple to use as they only have an “on” and “off” button with no custom settings or speeds. The biggest disadvantage to these brushes is durability. They are very cheaply made (so they can be cheaply sold!) and do not hold up very well at all. I typically don’t recommend these types of brushes unless someone just wants to try out a power brush. Another disadvantage is that they have only an on or off and no settings to adjust speed. They also do not have the ability to warn a patient if they are brushing with too much pressure. Therefore these are not recommended for people who tend to brush hard.
The best power toothbrush is the type with rechargeable batteries, of which the Sonicare by Braun and the Powersweep or Deep Sweep from Oral B are the best. Both of these brushes are outstanding products and will serve you well over a long period of time. Plus, years of research have proven them to be effective. These brushes offer many features that can really be a benefit to a patient. They have interchangeable heads, so that when one head wears out, the entire brush can still be used just by putting on a new head and disposing of the old one. Both brands also have multiple speed settings, including a slow massage setting for cleaning your tongue! Another added benefit is both of these power brushes have a safety feature built in to prevent you from brushing too hard. They will at first, change the sound it makes, then if you still don’t lighten up, they will actually deactivate. Very cool! And not too many others can make this claim, if any at all can. Both of these power brushes are very durable and tend to last many years.
A power toothbrush is very useful to those who have limited dexterity. For anyone that has difficulty manipulating smaller objects, whether with arthritis or injury, a power toothbrush can sometimes be the only successful means of cleaning your teeth. By using a power brush instead of a traditional toothbrush, you only have to hold the handle and move the brush around the mouth. The motion of the brush itself will do the job that your hand would otherwise do. The ability of the power toothbrush to remove plaque and debris from the teeth and gums can be the difference between good dental health and poor dental health.
Power brushes are also great for the kids. It can get them motivated to brush. It also gives parents the confidence that the job is getting done well. Sonic Care for Kids comes with a larger than average, soft handle with a rubber coated head. It has colored inserts so your child can customize his/her toothbrush. Most importantly it has a timer! Now parents can have confidence that your child is brushing for the correct length of time. Is also tough, durable and nearly child resistant in it’s construction.
Using a power toothbrush will definitely improve your oral hygiene but, buying a power toothbrush can be difficult, especially with what seems like an endless supply of choices with equally varying price points. My professional advice is to stick with a proven product from a proven manufacturer. Sometimes the extra cost is worth getting a high quality, research proven product that will actually work. Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions, I’d be glad to help out. Thanks for your time!
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1024 Florida A1A, Suite #108, Satellite Beach, FL
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