Electric Toothbrushes vs. Manual Toothbrushes
May 28, 2009
Both
manual toothbrushes and
electric toothbrushes have their pros and cons, no doubt about that. For example, Manual Toothbrushes are incredibly cheap, easy to travel with, some have those nice rubber grips, and they come in cool colors! Some even come with
tongue scrapers or little rubber piks to get between your teeth, which is incredibly useful to have. However, it can be hard to stay motivated enough to brush for the whole 2 minutes, and they can be hard to hold for some people.
Electric toothbrushes have managed to somewhat solve both of those problems. First, electric toothbrushes have a handle that is a lot larger around, so it’s easier for people to grip. Also, many people like the thorough and massaging feeling the electric toothbrushes give, and thus feel more obliged to complete the whole 2 minutes of brushing. In fact, some electric toothbrushes have timers that tell you when you’ve completed the entire two minutes. The problem with electric toothbrushes though is that they can get expensive, some are over $100! Also, the replaceable brush heads can be pricy, and the batteries for the battery-operated brushes add even more. Another problem is that the rechargeable toothbrushes need to be charged in order for them to work, which can take a very long time, some up to 24 hours. Luckily once charged, it’s good for up to two weeks before it has to be charged again. A small inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless. So as you can see, it all comes down to preference.
Personally, I’m an electric toothbrush fan. The brush just gives you a feeling that it’s actually working, and that your teeth are actually clean when you finish. I used to have a
Crest Spinbrush Pro, which was great because it was very inexpensive. I’ve since moved up to the
Sonicare e5300, one of the best electric toothbrushes on the market today. It usually goes for around 90 bucks, but I was lucky enough to find it on Dentist.net for two-thirds of the price, and I quickly grabbed one.
But just remember that the Academy of General Dentistry says “the best toothbrush that you can buy is the one that you will actually use”, so make sure that no matter what brush you get, make sure to brush twice a day, and for the whole 2 minutes.
