Electric toothbrush?

I've been following comments in the toothpaste thread and thought this merited a separate heading. I've never had an electric and have always considered them to be a novelty. My dentist has a little Sonicare display by the sink, but has never recommended them or even mentioned them.
Obviously, some of you guys like these and I'm wondering why? What is the difference between a Sonicare and other electrics? What about a WaterPick?

I have bad gums. Years ago I kept getting ANUG (Acute Necrotizing Ulcerating Gingivitis). It looked like I had large canker sores all over my gums. My dentist told me the best way to prevent that from happening again is to make sure that my gums get massaged a lot when I was brushing. He said that brushing by hand doesn't do as good of a job as a good electric toothbrush. I have been using one for about 20 years and haven't had ANUG again.

My wife and I use sonic care because they have an office about 5 miles from us. Every often they do tests where they try out new models. My wife or I sign up for a test. As payment they give us a new unit. My wife, my two daughters and I each have our own.

I have used the Braun Oral B for many years, the most recent model being the one with the smartguide.

I find brushing my teeth a chore, and that chore is made easier with an electric toothbrush that even tells me when to move to another part of my mouth. It makes sure that I brush long enough and leaves my teeth feeling really clean.

If you get your teeth cleaned 2x a year and you start using a toothbrush like this one, you'll find that the cleanings go a lot faster and are less savage.

The bottom line is everyone's different. If you were a statistic, you could pick the one that wins the clinical studies safe in the knowledge that it's best for you. But you're no statistic, so you have a little more to do.

The sonic ones vibrate fast enough to feel the vibrations through your bones. It takes a little getting used to. Otherwise, they're the same as any electric.

In my experience, the sonic is better than a plain electric, but the manual is most effective. I switch between the manual and electric because I can't brush certain areas at all with the manual because it creates too much foam.

The studies I've seen conclude that a sonic is better than a plain electric, and the plain electric is better than a manual. The number were something like 65%-80% of plaque removed. Mouthwash bumped these number up by 5-10%. There are other studes that suggest that these numbers might only be valid for people who have less than great skills with the manual.

The numbers are only true for total plaque removal. They don't address the question of removal at different parts of the teeth. Some are better at the gum barrier, others on the smooth surfaces, and others between the teeth. I haven't been able to understand any studies that go into that much depth. There are also studies about the differences between rotary and linear movement in the electrics. Others suggest this is a personal matter.

Wikipedia sums this up nicely

Independent research finds that most electric toothbrushes are no more effective than the manual variety. The exception is the "rotation-oscillation"-models, including many of the electrical brushes in Braun's Oral B-series, but even this brush performs only marginally better than a regular manual brush. The research done indicates that the way the brushing is performed is of a higher importance than the choice of brush. For certain patients with limited manual dexterity or where difficulty exists in reaching rear teeth, however, dentists strongly feel that electric toothbrushes can be especially beneficial. Of course, built into any conclusion in this area is the assumption that persons using a manual toothbrush will, in fact, brush their teeth in an approved manner and for a suitably long period

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From personal experience, the manual does a way better job overall in getting at all areas of the teeth. This is a matter of technique, so YMMV. The electrics are good at reducing bleeding at the gum line. Judging by my longer term results at least, switching between a manual and electric seem to be more effective than either alone.

Perhaps as a result of my personal problems, the electrics leave me feeling like there's a layer of plaque on the large outside surfaces of the teeth, compared to a manual. They may be moving it around more. This may be because I don't use enough toothpaste. The smallest hint of foam is enough to make me gag. From that perspective, the best thing about electrics is they create a lot less foam. I use about half as much toothpaste on a manual, and invariably gag badly. Oddly, the smaller amount of toothpaste with the manual makes the larger surfaces feel cleaner. Probably, the foam is what helps rinse it away.

A waterpick shoots a jet of water (and whatever else you put in there). They're supposed to be good at removing debris under dental work and between teeth. The caution to use a gentle stream is quite serious. I got a waterpick as a gift, and started using it daily at the highest setting. It felt great. Unfortunately, within a year I developed eight cavities on the surface of my teeth where the pressurized water dug out calcium spots. Considering I was 35 years old at the time, and the calcium spots survived for over 25, it's probably a good idea to heed the caution about using too powerful a stream.

I have a sonicare, I do not know the model though, its about 4 years old. I think my teeth feel cleaner using it. But who knows really. In reality I think its more of a PITA to use it than a manual one. You have to charge it, clean them, replace expensive heads and they are harder to store / display... And to think a manual one costs $2 - $5 to replace... I guess I am conflicted.

I have never been able to get past the big cost of the Sonicare. I get a new brush every couple months and do just fine. It just never seemed like rocket science: a brush + cleaner (toothpaste) + time and technique are the requirements.

My wife and I swear by our sonicare elite, and have experienced better reports at the dentist as a result. We've been using the same unit for over 6 years now with no problems. We swap out the heads every 6 months or so.

I use a Crest Spinbrush - and those are older models so they are a bit cheaper than the new stuff. I see it as getting a far better scrub than any person with a normal arm dexterity can do, so I favour them over the traditional ones.

Oral B 3D electric for 4 or 5 years now. Serves me well enough and it appears that the head moves about the same way as the Soniccare. What I think makes the difference is that you are told to brush for 2 minutes with the electric and doing a regular toothbrush, I probably only brushed half as much.

Sam said:

Oral B 3D electric for 4 or 5 years now. Serves me well enough and it appears that the head moves about the same way as the Soniccare. What I think makes the difference is that you are told to brush for 2 minutes with the electric and doing a regular toothbrush, I probably only brushed half as much.

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+1, I have the same Oral B/Braun 3D. I really like that it tells me when to stop. I never short-change my teeth on brush time now. I kind of wish it would die so that I could go and get one of those super smart brushes that are out now.

I know it works because I went to the dentist a couple of years ago and the hygienist said, "You must have an electric toothbrush." When I asked how she knew, she said she can usually tell the folks who use electrics as their teeth tend to be in better (or cleaner, I can't remember exactly what she said) shape.

I think the research has been done and it is pretty much conclusive that a quality electric toothbrush is the best possible way to brush your teeth.

It doesn't take a ton of pressure to remove plaque, and the kind of low pressure, high frequency motions of the electric toothbrush work so much better than slowly scrubbing back and forth across your teeth as you grind the enamal away pushing real hard.

I have an Oral B one, not sure the model name, I think it's the most popular and kind of standard one, and I find it works very well.

It's definitely a worthwhile investment, dental care has become so stupidly expensive these days that unless you have some cadillac 100% dental plan from your job, a single cavity will probably cost you the price of three or four decent electric toothbrushes.

I've pasted my comments on Sonicare and Oral B electrics below, copied from the aforementioned toothpaste thread. As for a Waterpik, I use one of those, too. I wouldn't consider it essential, but I like it. I started using one in my teens when I had braces, and I liked it so much, I just kept using it. I've replaced it multiple times over the ensuing two decades, but I find the one I currently use to be the best of them all. A Waterpik is not a substitute for good flossing - nor is anything else, for that matter - but I do find it helps get out debris prior to flossing, as well as provides a good general mouth cleanup. If the choice were to come down to getting a good electric toothbrush versus sticking with a manual brush and getting a Waterpik, I would go with the electric brush. Of course, if you can get a good electric brush and a Waterpik, so much the better. For the record, in the twenty some-odd years I've been using a Waterpik, I've not developed a cavity related to its use.

Regarding Wikipedia's citation of studies saying the Oral B oscillation action is the only electric method that cleans plaque more effectively than a manual toothbrush, I too have seen similar studies. BUT, I have also read studies (which I cannot cite, unfortunately) that have said the vibrations of a Sonicare are effective at breaking up plaque and dental biofilm beyond the reach of the bristles themselves, making them very effective at general plaque removal, as well as in hard-to-reach places. As with studies related to healthy diet, there are a lot of conflicting findings out there. In the end, I think a choice may well have to be based on personal preference. Which leads me to explicating the factors for my preference....
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As for elecric toothbrushes, I also agree they are superior. Ironically, they too keep upgrading and cramming in more and more junky features. However, despite that, some of the most recent models really have improved on what were already good products to begin with. I have both a Sonicare Flexcare and an Oral B Triumph. (I decided against the Triumph that has a remote countertop LCD display; the brush itself is no better than the model without the display.) Both are excellent, although I prefer the Sonicare. The Oral B cleans extremely well. I did a comparison between a bristle-only head and the newer head with those yellow rubber thingies in them (they call it the "Floss Action" head), and the thingies actually did a better job of cleaning than the bristles alone, as far as I could tell. The downside is I feel the Oral B with either head is a bit tougher on my gums than the Sonicare. My ex g/f, who worked in the dental field, said she heard the same thing from a number of hygienists. They do make an extra-soft head for use with sensitive teeth, but if the standard bristles didn't work as well as the one with the thingies, I can only imagine the softer one would do an even poorer job.

The Sonicare also cleans extremely well, while being gentler than the Oral B, IMO. I already had a Sonicare Elite, which I liked quite a bit, but decided to upgrade to the FlexCare when the battery (which in the Elite is nickel cadmium, I think) started to crap out. I actually like the FlexCare better. I opted to get the one that comes with its own UV sanitizing unit. At first I was skeptical of it, thinking it was just another gimmick to get me to spend more. But I did some research and found, one, toothbrushes are indeed havens for nasty bacteria, and two, UV light can actually sterilize the bristles. So, I'll have to trust it's working. At any rate, the Sonicare is a great brush, and if I had to choose only one brand, it would be an easy choice. Compared to the Elite, the FlexCare models feature a slimmer handle, less expensive replacement heads (take a cue, Gillette), and a lithium ion battery that will not lose its effectiveness from daily charging. Thumbs up from me.

I have tried an Oral B electric toothbrush and still use it off and on. I started up again a few days ago.

For me there were two main reasons to go to the electric. The first was that with the manual I tend to push too hard when brushing, which causes some erosion of the gums. The second is that I tend to rush my brushing; i.e., I don't brush long enough.

Both problems are solved by the Oral B with the softest bristles. I can hold it very lightly against the teeth and gums, and it times my brushing session, forcing me to brush for a full two minutes. This is probably the principle benefit.

Todays Woot is a set of two Oral-B Vitality Sonic Rechargeable Toothbrushes and Replacement Heads for $24.99 w/ $5.00 shipping.

Sue

http://www.woot.com/

Sue said:

Todays Woot is a set of two Oral-B Vitality Sonic Rechargeable Toothbrushes and Replacement Heads for $24.99 w/ $5.00 shipping.

Sue

http://www.woot.com/

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Wow!

And, oh, boy! Did I get ripped off at Target`.

SiBurning said:

Wow!

And, oh, boy! Did I get ripped off at Target`.

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Lets nominate Target for a "Crock Award"
Sue