What Is the Best Electric Toothbrush and Why Do You Want It?

Dentists will recommend that you use an electric toothbrush over a manual or battery-powered toothbrush because they are healthier for your teeth. What does an electric toothbrush do that a regular one doesn’t? An electric toothbrush creates fast, automatic bristle motions as either back-and-forth oscillation or rotation-oscillation to clean teeth. Movement at sonic speeds or below are done through a motorized base. When you use ultrasonic toothbrushes, the ultrasonic movements are produced by a piezoelectric crystal. Unlike battery-powered brushes, electric toothbrushes use a rechargeable battery that reloads when it sits on the base between toothbrush uses and is plugged into an outlet.

Electric toothbrushes are categorized by the frequency (speed) of their motions. You can get power, sonic or ultrasonic toothbrushes. A brush is put into a category on whether its motions are below, at, or above the audible range 20–20,000 Hz or 2,400–2.4 million movements per minute, respectively.

Toothbrush Companies

While most companies offer a battery-powered toothbrush, only two main companies sell true electric toothbrushes: Oral B and Phillips. Both companies have a range of products on the market that fit any price and consideration to patients. Below, you will get some information about the quality brushes offered today.

Oral B Deep Sweep 1000

Experts and owners have listed the Oral-B Deep Sweep 1000 as the best electric toothbrush because of its great cleaning, long-term durability, and versatile, affordable, line of brush heads. When you use Deep Sweep after a manual brush, you notice a remarkable difference. The brush lists the most important features you need in an electric toothbrush. It also is not on the high-end of the price spectrum.

Philips Sonicare for Kids

Children often do not like the electric toothbrushes because they feel strange on the teeth. However, the Philips Sonicare for Kids is designed for children ages 4 and older, which makes it more palpable for children to use. The brush comes with a smaller and softer toothbrush head. Your children will move toward the two-minute brushing routine gradually over a 90-day period. You get 10 different stickers to put on the handle and an interactive application that keeps kids on track to good oral health. However, the app isn’t well-liked and is not available for Android phones.

These are the best in their category, but you might want to try these depending on your budget:

Philips Diamond Clean Sonicare

This is the top of the line for electric toothbrushes, costing about $220. The brush features a way to clean up to seven times more plaque than other brushes, five modes of operation, charging travel case and a charging glass, and the diamond head for best whitening prowess.

Philips FlexCare Platinum Sonicare

You get 10 times the plaque removal and healthier gums in two weeks. It has three modes of operation and three intensity settings. Alerts to tell you that you are brushing too hard. Different brushes can give you a deep clean. The price is around $180.

Philips Two Series Plaque Control Sonicare

You will see six times more plaque removal than other brushes. It offers one mode of operation and is priced around $70.

Oral B Products

Oral B has four lines of electric toothbrushes that range from $25 to $150 depending on the features you seek. They all remove plaque and help protect your gums from gum disease. Some connect to Bluetooth technology. They are competitive with Philips for cleanliness.

Why does the toothbrush matter?

Most people say that Americans are not as disciplined when brushing as they could be. A number of reports found that people brush for only 30 to 60 seconds, which is half the time recommended by dentists. It’s not enough time to enable the fluoride in toothpaste to do its job.

Electric toothbrushes have built-in timers that make people brush longer. They use either rotating brush heads that spin 360 degrees or rotating-oscillating heads that move from side to side, not making a full circle. Sonic toothbrushes vibrate from side to side at a very rapid speed. All types of electric toothbrushes are effective at improving oral health. You should use the one that is most comfortable to you and your budget. The main goal is to keep brushing regularly.

Featured photo credit: Toothbrush via lifehack.org

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