Regularly brushing your teeth is the foundation to good oral health and prevention of various oral and dental diseases. According to research done by the ADA (American Dental Association), both manual toothbrushes and electric ones are effective at removing plaque, which causes tooth decay and various diseases.
Both electric and manual toothbrushes are good for you, and both benefit you in their own way. But what’s key to understand is that the ADA has approved both kinds, and they have proved that both are effective at what they do.
Benefits of Using an Electric Toothbrush
Electric toothbrushes, which are battery powered, uses vibrations and rotations to remove plaque buildup from your gums and teeth. Electric toothbrushes have their own benefits, and they are:
1. More Effective at Removing Plaque
Various studies have shown that during a course of two months, electric toothbrushes were found to be more effective at removing plaque from your teeth, and gingivitis. The studies confirmed that after two months of using an electric toothbrush, levels of plaque were removed by 21% and gingivitis by 12%. What’s more is that oscillating toothbrushes were found more effective that vibrating ones.
2. Easier for Certain Demographics
By using simple logic, we can say that electric toothbrushes work for you better than you work for them. Because they do all of the work, the only work you need to do is to hold the toothbrush in the places where you need to clean, they are recommended for people with limited mobility, such cases are people with carpal tunnel, arthritis, and developmental disabilities.
3. Electric Toothbrushes have built-in timers
The best electric toothbrush will have a built-in timer that can be used to remove plaque more successfully from your teeth and gums.
4. They Cause Less Waste
When it’s time to replace the old toothbrush, we throw it and buy a new one. Well, when using an electric toothbrush, all you need to do is buy a new head. This doesn’t apply to single-use electric toothbrushes, where a completely new toothbrush is needed to replace it.
5. May Improve Oral Health for People With Braces
A few studies have found that electric toothbrushes were better for people who wear braces. It also made brushing easier because of the inconvenience of the braces on their teeth. The study consisted of two things. The first one debunked the myth that in the case of good oral health, electric toothbrushes work just as good as a normal toothbrush for people with braces. The second, however, found that electric toothbrushes are better for people with braces who have bad oral health.
6. Fun for Kids and Safe for Your Gums
As a kid, I always wanted an electric toothbrush, but I never got one because no one believed they worked. Well, I can safely say that not all kids want to brush their teeth, and using an electric toothbrush will be more fun for your kids because it will engage them more. Using an electric toothbrush will establish good oral health hygiene to your kids because it’s fun to use. What’s more is that electric toothbrushes don’t harm your gums in any way, they are designed to promote and improve your oral health.
Cons of Using an Electric Toothbrush
The only con is that electric toothbrushes are more expensive than normal toothbrushes. Namely, electric toothbrushes can cost anything from $15, which is a fair price considering what you’re getting, but they can also be extremely budget unfriendly, with high tier electric toothbrushes costing up to $250 per brush!
