BRUSHING TWICE A DAY is important to keeping your smile healthy, but what can switching from a manual to an electric toothbrush do for your oral health routine?

Electric Toothbrushes Provide Many Benefits

While a manual toothbrush can get the job done if used properly, an electric toothbrush provides benefits that go beyond simply scrubbing your teeth. They clean teeth more thoroughly. When we brush by hand, we average about 300 strokes per minute. Electric toothbrushes can average thousands or even tens of thousands of strokes per minute depending on what technology they employ. They’re easier for those with dexterity issues. Certain conditions–such as arthritis, limited mobility, or involuntary tremors–can make brushing with a manual toothbrush difficult. The larger handles of electric toothbrushes can be easier to hold, while the powered toothbrush head does all the cleaning for you.

They help ensure you’re brushing properly. Many electric toothbrushes feature built-in timers and pressure sensors. These features help ensure you’re not too brushing too hard and that you brush for a full two minutes.

They clean hard to reach spots around braces. Some electric toothbrushes even have special attachments made specifically for cleaning around brackets and orthodontic appliances.

Why We Recommend An Electric Toothbrush To Our Patients

The electronic toothbrush has major advantages over your manual, old-fashioned, toothbrush. Not surprisingly, some people are guilty of “sleeping through” their tooth brushing (or not paying much attention). The electrics work just as hard all the time. Some of the many features in addition to the type of motion that these brushes use are: a timer to make sure you brush long enough; a light to alert you to when you are pushing too hard; different modes for types of brushing; and, rounded heads to access more tooth surface. The superiority of the electric toothbrush has been demonstrated many times over. There is no question this is the superior method for teeth cleaning. It would be very difficult to go back to the old method of brushing after you try a quality electric toothbrush; we like either Sonicare or Oral B, and get the most elite model you can.

Check out the video below to see how to properly use an electric toothbrush.