Today I Learned

Are they equally more effective at removing gums?

I floss and electric toothbrush every night. My dentist routinely complements my hygiene. Every cavity I’ve had filled in the past 8 years started from before I had an e-brush.

At a recent visit after remarking on how little plaque I had, my dentist asked if I brush twice a day. I told him no, only once a day.

He immediately changed his tune and told me that I should brush twice a day for better results.

I think he’s in the pocket of Big Paste.

I feel like it’s more than that…

When I switched to electric 7 or 8 years ago, I really didn’t like it. It was super uncomfortable and tickled my mouth.

I just powered through it because I was told that I would get used to it.

Indeed I did get used to it and quickly began to feel that I had never actually properly brushed my teeth before going electric.

Part of what helps is the little extra pulse every 30 seconds and auto shut off after two minutes. Really keeps you on track with 30 seconds in each quadrant of your mouth.

Two minutes is a long time so having the timer built into the toothbrush is super helpful.

Only concern to note is that applying too much pressure and/or using the maximum vibration setting can be bad for your gums and cause recession.

Be very gentle with the electric toothbrush so that you do not cause any excessive gum recession.

Once you get used to electric, a conventional toothbrush will seem archaic.

After going with a sonic toothbrush, I felt my teeth were actually clean. Much cleaner than before.

I trust approximately zero science about dental care, given the industry's track record.

An electric toothbrush and more importantly a water flosser have saved me thousands in dental treatment costs.

I mean, as they kind of point out in the article, this doesn't actually say terribly much. I've always had the impression that electric toothbrushes are great for scrubbing off the plaque on the big surfaces of your teeth, while they're probably worse at reaching all the weird little angles of your teeth. This could result in 20% less plaque in total, while not removing it from where it lingers around and causes cavities. At the same time, if you also floss regularly, maybe you've got your weird little angles covered differently already. It depends on quite a few factors, for which a meta study like this can hardly do justice...

I was surprise it was this low. The wording of the study result is a bit different, it's not % of effectiveness, it's a % reduction in plaque.

The evidence produced shows benefits in using a powered toothbrush when compared with a manual toothbrush. There was an 11% reduction in plaque at one to three months of use, and a 21% reduction in plaque when assessed after three months of use. For gingivitis, there was a 6% reduction at one to three months of use and an 11% reduction when assessed after three months of use. The benefits of this for long-term dental health are unclear.

I will add that a waterpik is a really nice tool to add to your dental hygiene routine.

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 also sprinkle a little baking soda on my toothpaste to further remove plaque

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.