Edit: Since it’s come up a couple times in the comment, I’ll add that there’s evidence use of a water flosser is more effective than dental floss.
After going with a sonic toothbrush, I felt my teeth were actually clean. Much cleaner than before.
This was my experience as soon as I went electric too, yes. If anything, the only thing that’s surprising about the article title to me is that it’s only 20% more plaque!
Maybe it’s because the authors gathered research papers on all types of electric toothbrushes?
In my experience, the difference between manual and electric toothbrushes is huge. I’m no longer nervous about visiting my dentist.
An electric toothbrush and more importantly a water flosser have saved me thousands in dental treatment costs.
Right now electric toothbrushes just need to become more repairable.
Having to buy new ones because the battery can no longer hold a charge seems so wasteful.
to be fair, it does need to be very waterproof, I’m not saying it can’t be done but it’s one of the very few limited uses where I’m ok with it
Making a piece of equipment totally waterproof isn’t that hard, but when planned obsolescence is the order of the day …🤷🏻♂️
I’ve got a waterpik and I just can’t get on with it at all. How on earth are you supposed to use it? You can’t use it sideways because there’s no pressure, so it has to be sort of vertical, which feels really weird to aim and you can’t see what you’re doing. The last time I tried, it was like I hosed down the bathroom, with water everywhere. It also managed to be so powerful that it cut my gums.
The right way to use one certainly doesn’t feel elegant. You just have to flip it around a lot while facing down at the sink and hope you don’t snipe a spider on the ceiling by accident.
Made me chuckle
Use the lower pressure settings to start and just get a feel for manipulating it around your mouth. I try to spray between my teeth and you can reach that gap from the sides as well as the bottom.
Agreed. Two things that worked for me: -open your mouth and let excess water run out as easily as possible. It feels dorky but the stream is way more effective if it doesn’t have to cut through water -just do a little bit and come back to it the next day, there’s no need to start with a deep clean
I will add that a waterpik is a really nice tool to add to your dental hygiene routine.
I would like to taint this info with the knowledge that pik means ‘penis’ in Dutch
oh wait till I tell you what taint means!
You would, but chode you?
(Excuse the elaborate manner of the pun)
well i never had a penis in my mouth but i dont mind penises on my partners…
I’m not judging, just spreading useless knowledge
nice.
I wish in countries like mine things like electric toothbruses weren’t like luxury items but things everyone could have. Got mine too late for my teeh but ever since I got it I no longer worry about dental plaque. Cavities and such things are hell on earth. Or, well, in your mouth.
I used to brush 3 times a day, but I’m not using the filthy office restroom for my dental hygiene, so dialed it down to two. I can’t fathom brushing only once a day. I should floss more though. Once every blue moon isn’t exactly dentist recommended.
I blame the moon for not being blue more often.
I also sprinkle a little baking soda on my toothpaste to further remove plaque
Serious?
I don’t think that this removes more plaque, but it does neutralize the acids that they produce which damages teeth.
This article suggests baking soda not only neutralizes the acids produced by plaque but is also a mild abrasive effective at removing plaque
Interesting, thanks for the information!
Baking soda can be used to brush teeth. There are brands of baking soda that have their own line of toothpastes that have baking soda as an ingredient.
What if we add baking soda on those toothpastes? Is it legal?
Baking powder only
But what if… 🤔
I were to purchase baking powder and disguise it as baking soda?
Hohoho, delightfully devilish
Dentists don’t want you to know about this one crazy trick!
As a heads up, maybe speak to both your dentist and doctor about reflux.
I have good teeth, and I recently found out about acid issues that have affected my stomach AND my gums. I’ve used a new “less acidic” mouthwash that had helped a lot, alongside antacids at night. Apparently if people find baking soda to be helpful, it’s often a sign of reflux that might not have been caught.
Shit, this makes so much sense. I knew I hadn’t stopped brushing my teeth as often but I definitely went through a spell of having heartburn and daily for months. My teeth I felt like were getting worse out of nowhere.
Thanks for mentioning this, really need to figure out what foods were giving me that reaction… now I only get heartburn about once a month, so something I changed helped. Likely need to cut out a lot of things
Maybe it’s time for a food journal. I used to keep one, but instead of logging everything, I’d log when I had symptoms and what I’d eaten most recently. I don’t know if that method would work super well for reflux but it’s an idea if logging absolutely everything becomes a chore.
Are they equally more effective at removing gums?
I used one for a bit due to this reason but I just don’t like them. I should try a water pick. I think if the electric would be setup to do both sides at once it would be useful.
Thetechnician is looking out for your health folks!
Not true. This is part of a scheme.
You need us all capable to act out the parts of your scheme.
I guess I went full circle since I returned back to classic ones. I used electric one for years but suddenly I started to feel with my tongue that it didn’t do good job. Changing the head didn’t help. My dentist was also surprised but she suggested to try to use also classic one when I finish with electric. And voila, it really did the job. To this day I’m not sure what happened …
Did the head look like it had a bad hair day by the time you were replacing it?
With sonic and oscillating toothbrushes, you have to use gentle pressure almost letting it float over the teeth in order to allow the motion to transfer the tips of the bristles. If you press too hard, you will only be wiping around the toothpaste with the (rounded) sides of the bristles. Ideally the brush head should look practically new (aside from the indicator bristles turning white) by the time you would replace it.
- Floss
- Mouthwash
- Rinse
- Brush with electric toothbrush 45 full seconds getting full coverage.
- One real good spit.
- Don’t rinse
Enjoy perfect teeth
45 seconds? That seems a lot shorter than what I grew up being told. Then again I’m not using an electric toothbrush and I should be. I’ve let my teeth go to shit
Electric toothbrush is 2 minutes; 30 seconds per quadrant
Okay, that matches more what I was told when I had one of those sonic care toothbrushes 20 years ago.
My electric toothbrush has a timer for 2 mins, but otherwise this is my routine for no cavities going on 10 years.
I think I get best results by alternating manual and electric. Like if I use only one or the other for a few days in a row, then my teeth feel cleaner after I switch.
I stopped using electric brush because I didn’t feel nearly as clean as manual.
I’ve been using an electric toothbrush for decades. My teeth were noticeably whiter and, as odd as it may sound, felt stronger within the first two weeks. If I have to brush without one, it’s only because I have no choice.
Can you recommend a brand? I’ve been thinking about switching over.
I’ve used Sonicare over the years. They work great and last for literally ever.
I have an Oral-b Braun that I’ve loved since I got it in 2016.
But since I switched back to manual brushing, my teeth problems went away. Using the electric ones, I had two appointments where my dental bridge across several teeth had to be taken out and things fixed under it. I had no issues with it before the electrical toothbrush, and have not have any more since I am back to manual brushing.
N=1, confounding lifestyle variables not disclosed. Causality denied.
You are technically correct, but for me, this counts.
Yeah, but that one time as a kid i had an electic toothbrush. Took it to a sleepover. Went off in bag. Others joking about it being a vibrator.
Manual toothbushes are cheaper, simpler, and not embarrasing at sleepovers
Gotta have better sleepovers then. Ones where vibrators are welcomed, not shamed
“Nah throwers don’t worry about bags that tick because modern bombs don’t tick. If it’s vibrating, though, we gotta check it out. 9 times out of 10 it’s just an electric toothbrush. But sometimes… Looks around sometimes… It’s a dildo.”
Of course it’s company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a dildo… always use the indefinite article a dildo, never your dildo
If you haven’t tried used your X vibrating device on your sex organs, you’re a fool
