TOOTHBRUSHES
December 22nd, 2011
Looking for dental products in the pharmacy or online can be a daunting task. The choices are overwhelming. Here are some simple guidelines to go by and some of my favorite products.
The American Dental Association evaluates tooth brushes and dental products for safety so look for the ADA’s seal of Acceptance on all products. Many patients ask me, which is better, a powered toothbrush or a manual toothbrush. The answer is which ever one gets you to brush effectively for two minutes at least two times a day and will be the right size for your mouth. The size of the head is important and you may need to experiment to see which shape and size works best for your mouth.
Oral B Advantage is a great brush because it has a groove in the center and a “power tip” at the end. This makes it a great brush for most patients and wonderful for patients wearing braces. The groove fits over the brackets and the power tip shape at the end is useful at removing plaque from between the brackets. This brush also comes in a “sensitive” bristle which is softer than “soft”. This is good for people with recession or those who tend to brush too aggressively. Butler Technique toothbrush is similar to the Advantage in its bristle and handle design.
Butler has a wonderful assortment of brushes for youths. Their toddler brush, Parent’s Brush, is wonderful because it has a long handle to help parents reach all of their toddler’s dental surfaces and it has a small cushioned head and soft bristles for optimum comfort. Their Crayola Timer Light Toothbrush has a 60 second LED light which flashes and motivates longer brushing periods. It has a narrow, soft, tapered head which is good for 4-11 year olds. It is appealing aesthetically to children and has a suction cup at the end so that it stands on the counter and can dry out easily. Butler also has a series of proxabrushes which are great for kids with braces. Their Traveler Interdental Brush is one of my favorites as well as their Softpicks.
Electric Toothbrushes
There are so many on the market but here are a few of my favorites.
Oral B SmartSeries 4000 is an expensive professional level brush. I like the gentle rotation of the head which has triple action technology. This simply means that it rotates, oscillates and pulses. More surface area is being reached in the same amount of time as other brushes therefore it is cleaning more effectively. It has other bells and whistles such as a built-in 2 minute timer and a pressure sensor. This is great since so many people over work their electric toothbrushes and push too hard, which ultimately causes abrasion to the roots of the teeth. The Triumph is the older model and also quite good.
Sonicare FlexCare is also a professional level brush. This is a great brush and is gentler than previous Sonicare models, however, with all electric brushes, it is important to guide the brush. Do not push too hard and do not use a scrubbing motion. You can cause root abrasion. The head on this brush is quite comfortable in the mouth with its back and forth vibration. If you need a compact head, it is available. This is ideal for people with wisdom teeth or small mouths. This model also has a built-in two minute timer.
There are also some great inexpensive electric/battery operated brush options. The Oral-B Vitality, moves in only one direction, oscillating, and therefore is not as powerful as the Smartseries, however, it can be more effective and motivating than a manual toothbrush and at a fraction of the cost of the Smartseries. It is rechargeable; however, the battery does wear out. The Arm and Hammer Spinbrush Pro Clean is an inexpensive brush which has dual action, spinning and side-to-side movements. It runs on two AA batteries and is quite affordable.