Is an Electric Toothbrush Right for You?

You have surely seen commercials for them, walked by their glistening packages in the store, and have maybe even used one before. But how do you know if an electric toothbrush would benefit you?

In an article on WebMD, author Sharon Liao breaks down who benefits the most from using an electric toothbrush. According to Kimberly Harms, DDS of the American Dental Association, using a manual toothbrush can be very effective. But users need to brush for the full two prescribed minutes, and they need to make sure they brush every tooth from all angles. Since this is not easy to do and definitely doesn’t happen by accident, electric toothbrushes help out quite a bit. The article shares that, “When you brush by hand, you make about 300 strokes per minute. Compare that with the thousands – in some cases tens of thousands – of strokes per minute a power one makes.”

Who Benefits Most from Electric Toothbrushes?

Although it is still recommended to brush for two minutes with an electric toothbrush, you can cover more ground more quickly. WebMD especially recommends them for children who find it more entertaining to brush with an electric toothbrush, people with braces because they are hard to clean around, and people who have a hard time using their hands like the elderly or people with certain disabilities.

Disadvantages of Electric Toothbrushes

Liao also warns, however, that there are disadvantages to using an electric toothbrush. The biggest one for most people is the cost. Prices range from less than $10 to over $100. And they often need replacing just as frequently as a manual toothbrush. Also, there a number of different types of electric toothbrushes and there isn’t enough research to say which kind is best. Spending a lot of money on an expensive electric toothbrush can lead to a false sense of accomplishment if you still aren’t making sure to get each surface of each tooth and brushing for two minutes.

If you have questions about whether or not an electric toothbrush is right for you, contact Dr. Weida or Dr. Sitaram today at Dental Solutions of Avon today.