One more idea for a great Christmas gift – an electric toothbrush.

Although the quality of your oral hygiene habits is mostly down to how you brush, not what you use to brush, it seems that electric brushes offer more benefits. Recent study published by the International Journal of Dental Hygiene found that power toothbrushes, especially those with oscillating – rotating powered toothbrush head, remove more plaque than manual toothbrushes. Patients who used a powered brush experienced a 21 % more reduction in plaque after 3 months, compered with the ones that continue to use a manual brush.

Benefits of using electric toothbrush:

1. For people with limited dexterity they offer an easier access to hard reach areas as well as better brushing motion.

2. For those who have the tendency to brush too hard – they offer a pressure sensor warning to alert you of too much pressure

3. For most of us who don’t brush long enough – an electric toothbrush offers a timer and quadpacer to make sure you’re brushing for the appropriate amount of time in each area of your mouth.

4. Most of electric toothbrushes these days offer an app to track your progress and motivate you

5. A smart toothbrush with bluetooth technology can show you exactly the areas that you’re missing while brushing

6. Finally, they have various brush heads to clean sensitive teeth, stimulate your gums or brush around braces etc.
    

When you start to research rechargeable electric toothbrushes, you will notice the variety of heads available.

Here is a quick explanation of some different terms you might come across:

• Rotating – the bristles turn, either as one whole circle or in individual clusters. Brush heads are usually quite small and are design to clean one tooth at a time

• Rotating-oscillating – rather than spinning round and round in one direction, oscillating brushes rotate one way then back again very quickly – maybe 8,000 times a minute

• Pulsing– the head moves back and forth against teeth to help dislodge the plaque even between the teeth where bristles can’t reach

• Side-to-side– rather than rotating, the head moves from side to side very quickly to vibrate against teeth with an ultra fast
   

brushing motion. The heads are shaped like a manual toothbrush.

• Sonic – the brush moves at such a speed that the movements are inaudible, producing anywhere from 10,000 to 60,000 movements per minute. This can also push fluid between teeth to achieve interdental cleaning.
   

 With the electric toothbrush you will use the same amount of toothpaste as a manual.  You will also have to change the head approximately every 3 months. And in addition to brushing, you still have to floss to achieve the ultimate healthy mouth.

Remember you don’t need to spend a fortune to get cleaner teeth and even with the manual toothbrush and good brushing techniques you can keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy. However, for people who want that bit more motivation to brush well – there are many affordable electric brushes that will make a great Christmas gift for elderly, kids, friends and family.