Can electric toothbrushes save your dental appointments?

Written by Dr. Apurva Chavan

Medically reviewed by  Dr. Vidhi Bhanushali Kabade BDS, TCC

Last updated May 4, 2024

Written by Dr. Apurva Chavan

Medically reviewed by  Dr. Vidhi Bhanushali Kabade BDS, TCC

Last updated May 4, 2024

Electric toothbrushes have been around for over 50 years, and they have not only become more attractive, smart, and comfortable with time, but their prices have also become more affordable.  

Plaque and calculus deposits, bleeding gums, and cavities due to food lodgement are the most common complaints with which people go to their dentists. But did you know that electric toothbrushes can help reduce these problems and save your dental appointments?

Electric brushes provide better cleaning

Electric brushes come now with such cleaning abilities, that manual toothbrushes can never catch up with them. They keep your teeth plaque-free, your gums fraying-free, and your interdental area food-lodgement-free. Even stains are effectively removed.

Electric brushes clean your teeth in more ways than one!

Not all electric toothbrushes are the same. The most common type of electric brushes oscillate and rotate to effectively clean your teeth. E.g. Oral B Vitality- 100. Sweeping motion brushes are great to keep your teeth clean and massage your gums gently. E.g. Oral B deep sweep Tri-action – 1000

The cleaning capabilities of Sonic and Ultrasonic toothbrushes come very close to getting a professional cleaning. They clean your teeth by vibrating rapidly and dislodging food, plaque, and even calculus. E.g. Colgate proclinical / Philips Sonicare. Ionic brushes are the latest type of brushes which combine both oscillation and vibration to provide the best at-home oral cleaning. E.g. Oral–B iO.

Electric toothbrushes come with timers and pressure sensors

The main two problems with electric toothbrushes were that people brushed for too long or pressed too hard while brushing. Now electric brushes come with 2-minute timers that tell you to stop brushing and 30-second beepers to tell you to move to the next area of your mouth to be cleaned. 

They also come with pressure sensors to make sure you are not using too much pressure while brushing as aggressive brushing could cause damaging effects to your teeth.

Electric toothbrushes can reduce your dental appointments

Electric toothbrushes with their effective and smart cleaning not only reduce your plaque and calculus deposits but also reduce your food-lodgement between your teeth. This will reduce your chances of developing cavities and bad breath. It will also preserve the health of your gums with long term usage. But remember to get professional teeth cleaning done by your dentist at least once a year.

Electric toothbrushes usually are useful for people with mobility issues. People with paralysis, stroke, older age, fine motor skill issues or even fractures can all benefit from an electric brush. 

So embrace technology and pick the best electric toothbrush that suits your need. The longer you use an electric brush, the lesser you’ll need to see your dentist. So two sessions with your electric brush a day could keep your dentist away.

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scanO (formerly DentalDost)

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Author Bio: Dr. Apurva Chavan is a dentist by the day and a voracious reader and writer by the night. She loves to fix smiles and tries to keep all her procedures as pain free as possible. Equipped with over 5 years of experience she loves to not just treat her patients but also educate them about dental hygiene and appropriate maintanence routines. After a long day of preserving smiles she loves to curl up with a good book or pen down some of life’s musings. She strongly belives that learning never stops and likes to keep her self updates with all the latest dental news and research.

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