My dentist always says I brush too hard! Which toothbrush is right for me?

Toothbrushes 

Even after several million dollars in research from major companies from Oral B, GUM, and other tooth brush companies. The Toothbrush has not evolved that much since it was first found in China 1498. It is basically some hair/bristles stuck onto a handle which allows us to remove plaque from the tooth without harming it. However there are two main discoveries we have discovered that has caused a lot of problems for our patients over the years. 

1- A toothbrush must be soft or sometimes even ultra soft. When I tell my patients that their oral hygiene is not adequate, they go home and start scrubbing away sometimes for 5 minutes at a time with sufficient force to scrub clean a toilet. They also love the sensation of scrubbing the gums and teeth with a hard toothbrush. It actually should be illegal for toothbrush company to still sell anything other than soft toothbrushs. Many of my older patients against my recommendations still prefer to buy harder toothbrushes because they are used to the sensation of scrubbing which is detrimental to both dental and gum health. The only reason rough and hard toothbrush should exist are for brushing dentures, sinks, and shoes. Patients that brush too hard or use a hard toothbrush will cause irreparable damage to he gums and teeth.  We call this Dental Abrasion lesions as shown on the picture to the right and down below. 

2.  Toothbrush must be the right size. There is a full array of toothbrush sizes. The most important thing is to find a toothbrush that is small enough to reach the back of your mouth. If the head is too big to reach the back teeth you will never be able to brush completely.  You child needs a smaller toothbrush in order to brush adequately on all surface of their teeth. Patient with missing teeth may consider a second toothbrush that has very small head to brush all the way around the isolated tooth. 

The most common discussion at the office is whether to have electric or manual toothbrush?

This debate is complex.

The truth is in an ideal condition research they have shown that when used efficiently and effectively there is no difference between an electric toothbrush and a regular over the counter toothbrush.

What these researchers fail to acknowledge is that 95% of the population do not brush as well as conditioned dental students and dentists.

This is why I advocate Electric over Manual

Advantages of electric:

1) The major advantage of electric is the timer. Electric toothbrushes always have a two-minute timer. If you have ever timed yourself brushing for two whole minutes, it is a long time. Ninety percent of the population probably brushes for about one minute. The electric toothbrush forces you to go for two whole minutes which allows enough time for you to achieve adequate plaque removal. 

2) For kids and Geriatrics who lack hand dexterity, the electric toothbrush is able to compensate for that loss because all you have to do is move the brush. It can also track how often you brush and at what times for those that are forgetful or when you need to check your child. Companies have done a lot of research on how strong their electric toothbrush should be vibrating to clean but not harm. Most of my patients even with adequate hand dexterity lack the ability to clean effectively so it is a large benefit to have a machine that allows for adequate cleaning while requiring minimal dexterity. 

Most Common mistake of electric toothbrush users is that patients tend to still scrub the same way as a manual toothbrush instead of just slowly advancing the toothbrush. This way you are doubling the adequate force and it will again cause permanent damage to the teeth and gum. This is the one time any tells you to not overwork!

So people always ask me Oral B or Sonicare? The truth is they are both very adequate machines and I buy Sonicare only because it is a more aesthetically pleasing machine. Its like the Apple or the PC both will do what you want it to do. 

Important reminder: 

Toothbrushes should be changed every 3 months or whenever the bristles start to frill. A frilled toothbrush doesn’t have the adequate bristles to get into the junction between the gum and the teeth; therefore, it is not very effective at removing plaque. Even if you do everything correctly it will not do its job at removing plaque. 

What about the Quip? There is no research on it yet however like I said most toothbrushes are created equal if used correctly. I don't find it to vibrate strong enough to be a complete electric toothbrush so I find myself still scrubbing. I think I can get the same cleanliness but I can't control the strength very well. Again it just makes a very cool travel product.

Hope you guys find this helpful. However toothbrushes can't remove hardened calculus so even if you are the perfect toothbrusher you will still need to see the dentist every 6 months to remove what you can not remove to cleanse your teeth. Make an appointment today!