Now there is more and more publicity about electric toothbrushes, Sales are very good. At the same time, traditional manual toothbrushes still occupy the main position of oral cleaning products in supermarkets, and most people still use manual toothbrushes. Some people expressed doubts: Is this overwhelming article saying that electric toothbrushes are good purely the marketing behavior of electric toothbrush manufacturers? There are also some people who suspect that the brush head of the electric toothbrush looks so small and has a small range of movement. Is it really clean inside and outside? Will it hurt teeth and gums?
This article will discuss this topic: From a professional point of view, is electric toothbrush really better than manual toothbrush for oral health?
No matter how to brush, the method is the most important and the most important thing is to stick to it.
The American Stomatological Association recommends that we brush our teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, and most people do the same.
However, the improved [Babbitt Brushing Method <-Point Me] recommended by dentists is still slightly complicated for ordinary people.
The manipulation requires [45], [bristles gently pressing teeth], [covering a little gum], [horizontal short distance movement], etc. According to research, after learning this method, only no more than 30% of adults can stick to it for more than one week, especially for a long time [1]. Moreover, manual brushing is often very casual, and some people finish brushing hastily soon. Dentists usually hope that people can brush for 2 minutes, so the brushing effect can be increased by about 30% compared with one minute brushing.
Unfortunately, for most people, even if you emphasize the importance of brushing time, he still only brushes for a little more than one minute [2].
Perhaps, under the condition of [brushing your teeth correctly], the effect of ordinary toothbrushes can be very good, but there are too many lazy people in this world, and it is very likely that you are one.
Fig. 1 Improved [Babbitt Brushing Method] recommended by dentists
Electric toothbrush, not only [manual toothbrush enhanced version]
At present, there are two basic types of mainstream electric toothbrushes on sale, one is rotary vibration type, also known as left-right rotation type; The other is acoustic.
The rotary vibration type is actually the high-speed clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the brush head repeatedly. Some models also add the high-frequency back and forth oscillation of the whole brush head. The acoustic wave type does not use acoustic waves to clean, but its movement frequency (more than 260 times per second) is within the audible range of human ears, hence the name.
In fact, from the working principle, the working mode of electric toothbrush is beyond the reach of manual toothbrush in any case. Rotating vibration type is like automatic car washing, which is equivalent to fast brushing around teeth in all directions. However, although the usage of acoustic toothbrush is similar to that of manual, its brushing amplitude and frequency are much larger than that of manual.
Fig. 2 Two common electric toothbrushes: rotary vibration type and acoustic wave type. The picture is provided by the author.
Standardized use, electric toothbrush has better effect.
No matter what the principle is, we mainly depend on the actual effect to evaluate which toothbrush is good.
The most important thing in brushing teeth is to remove dental plaque. Plaque can erode the tooth surface and cause tooth decay. Long-term attachment to teeth will also lead to gingivitis and other problems. From these two aspects, rotary vibrating toothbrushes have obvious advantages. In the past 20 years, 27 related studies have found that after three months of use, those who use rotary vibrating toothbrushes have 21% less plaque and 11% less gingivitis than those who use manual toothbrushes [3].
At present, there are relatively few researches, and the existing researches have not found that the effect of this electric toothbrush is better than that of the manual toothbrush [3].
Worries about the damage to teeth and gums caused by electric toothbrushes have also been proved unnecessary by studies: standardized use of electric toothbrushes will not cause any damage to teeth and soft tissues, and will cause less damage to gums than manual brushing [4].
There are more electric toothbrushes, not only [brushes]
Electric toothbrushes are not only better than manual toothbrushes under the condition of [ensuring specifications].
Due to its own design features, electric toothbrushes also have many advantages, such as:
Step 1 Save effort
Especially when you are bleary-eyed in the morning, brushing your teeth is easy and effortless. This is also very important for the disabled and the elderly who are not flexible in sports.
Step 2 Enhance your experience
Many electric toothbrushes offer designs that enhance the brushing experience. For example, it comes with a timer. Help users brush enough for 2 minutes. The high-end model even has Bluetooth function, connection to mobile phone App, three-dimensional oral model can be displayed on the mobile phone screen, real-time guidance on brushing teeth, recording brushing habits, reminding, etc. All these help to stick to the correct brushing method.
Step 3: Interesting
In addition to the above functions to bring adults a better experience, Children usually have a strong interest in electric toothbrushes. Many brands have produced electric toothbrushes specially designed for children. Because children find it interesting, they brush their teeth more actively and for longer time than children who use ordinary toothbrushes. This is also important for developing good oral hygiene habits. However, it is not recommended to use electric toothbrushes for children who are too young, please refer to the relevant instructions.
Pay attention to the method and replace the brush head regularly.
The usage of rotary vibrating electric toothbrush is quite special, which is mainly introduced here. You can search for videos on the Internet to help you understand:
- Gently hold the handle of the brush with your fingers, Put the brush head into the mouth first, Then turn on the switch to make the bristles angle, Place at the junction of teeth and gums, gently rotate in a fixed position, vibrate the brush head for a few seconds, change the position, pay attention to cover the previous position every time, guide the brush head to move along the gum line, and do not miss any part, including the inner surface of teeth, upper and lower surfaces, and the back of posterior teeth, when brushing teeth, do not press or rub hard.
In addition, electric toothbrushes need to replace new brush heads every 3 months.
If you think electric toothbrushes are too expensive, it is also possible to stick to manual brushing. Please search [Babbitt Brushing Method], learn to brush your teeth correctly and stick to it for a long time, choose a toothbrush with soft bristles that suits you, and replace it regularly. If you use manual toothbrushes correctly and regularly for a long time, you will also achieve good cleaning effect, depending on whether you can stick to it.
Responsible Editor: Fei Fei