Today I got asked by a patient, “Dr.Chand, if you really want us to use an electric toothbrushes then how come you hand out manual toothbrushes at our cleanings?”
Great question. I would LOVE to hand out electric toothbrushes to all of my patients, but unfortunately, they are far too expensive for me to do that. But ideally, yes, I would hope that all of my patients start using an electric toothbrush after they leave my office.
I also get asked pretty frequently, “Does an electric toothbrush really make a difference?”.
Here’s my advice. Buy one. Yes, they are pricey. (Average cost is approximately $150). Use it for six months twice daily. Not only will your mouth feel cleaner, it will actually be cleaner. I can promise you your dentist and hygienist will notice a huge difference from when you were using a manual toothbrush.
So what is it about an manual toothbrush that makes it so much better than a handheld toothbrush you can buy for a couple of bucks at the store? Here are my top 3 reasons:
1) Studies have consistently shown that electric toothbrushes remove more plaque and tartar than manual toothbrushes. That equals less scraping of your teeth at your next dental visit. Now who doesn’t want that?
2) It’s easy. All you have to do is turn the toothbrush on and let the toothbrush do it’s job. It times your brushing and even pauses when you are supposed to switch areas of the mouth.
3) They are technologically savvy. New electric toothbrushes now have bluetooth technology installed in them. No you can’t make phone calls from your toothbrush. What you can do is see if your brushing habits have improved over time. Some electric toothbrushes also have a sensor which will tell if you are brushing too hard.
I’ve personally had the same electric toothbrush for seven years. I just change the heads every 3 months or so. Now, that’s an investment that’s completely worth it in my opinion.
Happy Brushing!
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