TIL that electric toothbrushes are 10–20% more effective than manual toothbrushes at removing dental plaque
Edit: Since it's come up a couple times in the comment, I'll add that there's evidence use of a water flosser is more effective than dental floss.
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.
Healthy teeth have a lot to do with genetics too. I’m a once/day brushed (with a powered brush) and never flush unless something’s stuck in my teeth and I don’t get cavities or have other teeth and mouth problems. My wife brushes twice a day, flosses, and uses mouth wash, and has had 12 root canals, and has cavities 25% of the time she gets her cleanings done.
There are two other main differences between us. She loves sugar and I’d prefer anything salty. I’m sure this isn’t helping her and is helping me since sugar is our mouths’ enemy.
I also only brush at night with an electric toothbrush and get the same compliments from my dentist. I also keep plackers at my desk (work from home) and use them regularly. Although I've never told my dentist I only brush at night.
I think one thing that helps is my toothbrush does a pattern at 30 second intervals so I brush for a total of 2 minutes every time hitting each quadrant relatively evenly.
The first time I used this toothbrush, I was floored by how much cleaner my teeth felt.
I brush with a regular brush in the morning (if I don't have to leave the house sometimes I don't), have perfect teeth and get compliments from my dentist.
Flossing is another story. She notices.
When's the last time you flossed?
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.
Hey replying to you because well its an empty threat so far
Basically you me and everybody else could have improved technique with an electric toothbrush
You have to plan not too much pressure and just kind of hold it and move back and forth
I still don't have perfect technique and I don't brush every night. So sad for me I know
In other words cool beans good luck brushing your teeth every night
After going with a sonic toothbrush, I felt my teeth were actually clean. Much cleaner than before.
This was my experience as soon as I went electric too, yes. If anything, the only thing that's surprising about the article title to me is that it's only 20% more plaque!
Maybe it's because the authors gathered research papers on all types of electric toothbrushes?
In my experience, the difference between manual and electric toothbrushes is huge. I'm no longer nervous about visiting my dentist.
I trust approximately zero science about dental care, given the industry's track record.
You mean the elusive 5th dentist?
You found the fifth? I keep having trouble with my #10s. Sneaky little buggers.
A systematic review by Cochrane is probably the most trustworthy source in medicine.
Ah okay
Yep, they (almost) literally wrote the book. I found their manual super useful when trying to deal with jerk articles that only post portions of their results. I don't care that it's "bad practice" to post raw data, it needs to become the standard.
Check the source before you make such statements
An electric toothbrush and more importantly a water flosser have saved me thousands in dental treatment costs.
Right now electric toothbrushes just need to become more repairable.
I've got a waterpik and I just can't get on with it at all. How on earth are you supposed to use it? You can't use it sideways because there's no pressure, so it has to be sort of vertical, which feels really weird to aim and you can't see what you're doing. The last time I tried, it was like I hosed down the bathroom, with water everywhere. It also managed to be so powerful that it cut my gums.
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 mean it also shows a 6–11% reduction in gingivitis, so it's at least getting some of those weird little angles better. Gingivitis most commonly occurs because plaque stays too long around the lining of the gums, and thus electric brushes should at least be more effectively getting this off the bases of the crown – which to me were always way more difficult and awkward to effectively treat with a manual brush.
Meanwhile, there's really no such thing as using your toothbrush as a substitute for proper interdental cleaning, and that's why your dentist really will notice if you haven't been flossing properly. A water flosser is best for something like that.
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 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.
That's what effectiveness means, since removing dental plaque isn't a binary thing. If you're trying to remove plaque, then a percentage reduction is a corresponding increase in effectiveness. If a vaccine has a 20% reduction in disease compared to another vaccine, it's 20% more effective at preventing the incidence of disease. I'm pretty sure this comment isn't just splitting hairs; it's actually wrong in its pedantry.
I also sprinkle a little baking soda on my toothpaste to further remove plaque
As a heads up, maybe speak to both your dentist and doctor about reflux.
I have good teeth, and I recently found out about acid issues that have affected my stomach AND my gums. I've used a new "less acidic" mouthwash that had helped a lot, alongside antacids at night. Apparently if people find baking soda to be helpful, it's often a sign of reflux that might not have been caught.
Shit, this makes so much sense. I knew I hadn't stopped brushing my teeth as often but I definitely went through a spell of having heartburn and daily for months. My teeth I felt like were getting worse out of nowhere.
Thanks for mentioning this, really need to figure out what foods were giving me that reaction.. now I only get heartburn about once a month, so something I changed helped. Likely need to cut out a lot of things
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.
I blame the moon for not being blue more often.
I guess I went full circle since I returned back to classic ones. I used electric one for years but suddenly I started to feel with my tongue that it didn't do good job. Changing the head didn't help. My dentist was also surprised but she suggested to try to use also classic one when I finish with electric. And voila, it really did the job. To this day I'm not sure what happened ...
Did the head look like it had a bad hair day by the time you were replacing it?
With sonic and oscillating toothbrushes, you have to use gentle pressure almost letting it float over the teeth in order to allow the motion to transfer the tips of the bristles. If you press too hard, you will only be wiping around the toothpaste with the (rounded) sides of the bristles. Ideally the brush head should look practically new (aside from the indicator bristles turning white) by the time you would replace it.
I used one for a bit due to this reason but I just don't like them. I should try a water pick. I think if the electric would be setup to do both sides at once it would be useful.
Are they equally more effective at removing gums?
Thetechnician is looking out for your health folks!
Not true. This is part of a scheme.
You need us all capable to act out the parts of your scheme.
Enjoy perfect teeth
My electric toothbrush has a timer for 2 mins, but otherwise this is my routine for no cavities going on 10 years.
I think I get best results by alternating manual and electric. Like if I use only one or the other for a few days in a row, then my teeth feel cleaner after I switch.
But since I switched back to manual brushing, my teeth problems went away. Using the electric ones, I had two appointments where my dental bridge across several teeth had to be taken out and things fixed under it. I had no issues with it before the electrical toothbrush, and have not have any more since I am back to manual brushing.
N=1, confounding lifestyle variables not disclosed. Causality denied.
You are technically correct, but for me, this counts.
Yeah, but that one time as a kid i had an electic toothbrush. Took it to a sleepover. Went off in bag. Others joking about it being a vibrator.
Manual toothbushes are cheaper, simpler, and not embarrasing at sleepovers
Gotta have better sleepovers then. Ones where vibrators are welcomed, not shamed
"Nah throwers don't worry about bags that tick because modern bombs don't tick. If it's vibrating, though, we gotta check it out. 9 times out of 10 it's just an electric toothbrush. But sometimes... Looks around sometimes... It's a dildo."
Of course it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a dildo... always use the indefinite article a dildo, never your dildo
If you haven't tried used your X vibrating device on your sex organs, you're a fool
I stopped using electric brush because I didn't feel nearly as clean as manual.