Cosmetic Dentistry

Many experts will admit that an electric toothbrush may do a better job of maintaining your oral health.  Electric versus manual has several advantages.  An electric toothbrush reaches more areas of your mouth and covers more surface area than a manual toothbrush.  Making sure you get a thorough and consistent cleaning every time you brush helps keep your teeth clean, but you have to do all the work with a manual toothbrush.

Teeth brushing needs to be done at a 45 degree angle, reaching the gumline and outer, inner and tops of your teeth, and you need to do this for 2 minutes for maximum clean.  This is hard to get just right with a manual toothbrush.

Let’s look at a few different brands of electric toothbrushes to see if one of them might be useful for you. Prevention Magazine has done comparisons and described some of the best features.

Philips Sonicare Protective Clean 4100 Plaque Control – This model carries the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of acceptance.  It’s known for excellent plaque removal and reduction of tartar along the gum line. This powerful toothbrush allows you to make 31,000 strokes per minute.

Quip – A great choice for travelers, this compact toothbrush runs on replaceable batteries and has a two-minute timer to let you know when your teeth are completely clean.  The company even sends you a new brush head every three months (at a small cost) so you don’t have to keep track of it.  This one also ADA approved.

PRO-SYS VarioSonic Electric Toothbrush – This ADA approved brush has five precision heads and five levels of cleaning.  The brush heads range from normal all the way down to feather soft for people with sensitive teeth.

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart Electric 9300 Series – This rechargeable toothbrush contains smart sensors that give you feedback about your brushing techniques.  It also has four different intensities.

Oral-B Genius Pro 8000 – For the high-tech buyer, this toothbrush syncs with your smartphone and tracks which areas you’ve brushed and which you’ve missed.  It also has a 2-minute timer and an over-brushing sensor.