Are electric toothbrushes better than regular toothbrushes?
Like many other things in life, the tools we use can be less important than how we use them. The American Dental Association gets this question often. They have released several studies on the efficiency of electric toothbrushes. And while a regular toothbrush will work about as well as an electric toothbrush most of the time, there are some benefits to using electric. So which is better for you?
Grip
Keeping a good hold on a brush allowing it to reach the crevices within a mouth is important. This pertains to those with grip problems, such as someone with arthritis. An electric toothbrush can make it easier to clean hard to reach parts of the mouth. Especially if a person has difficulties maneuvering the brush in and around their teeth. Electric toothbrushes have the ability to get into deeper spaces. This can also cause an uncomfortable sensation. Electronic brushes rotate thousands of times each minute causing a tingling feeling. This might make someone prefer the old-fashioned regular handheld model.
This is also a reason that electric toothbrushes are especially helpful for kids. Studies show that children’s still-developing dexterity means that when using a manual toothbrush, the average 5 year old can only reach around 25% of tooth surface area in their mouths with that number improving to 50% by 11 years old. Electric toothbrushes may be helpful for children in reaching more surface area.
Time
One of the advantages that an electric toothbrush has over a regular toothbrush is a set amount of time. A regular toothbrush starts and stops whenever you feel like it. While many electric brushes have a pre-set time limit for brushing. Brushing longer can be just as valuable as brushing more. Dentists recommend brushing for several minutes per day. An electric toothbrush is less likely to leave you shortchanged.
With many adults not brushing for long enough, you can imagine what a huge problem this is for many kids. This is another reason electric toothbrushes may be particularly helpful for children, though there are other tactics such as timers that can be used to address it as well.
Customer Preference
While some people love their electronic toothbrushes, others will always prefer a manual one instead. And since it’s recommended that you brush at least twice a day, your comfort should be a foremost concern. Whether you dislike the vibrations of the electric toothbrush and want to stick to your regular toothbrush or love the way your mouth feels after using an electric toothbrush, you’re fine either way.
Some kids will enjoy the novelty of the elctric toothbrush, making it easier to get them to cooperate in this part of their daily routine while others will dislike the “tickling” sensation.
Find what works for you and stick with it. The most important part is keeping up good brushing habits overall.
Which type of toothbrush do you think is better a modern electric or manual toothbrush?