Electric or manual, cross-wound, rolled up, flexible or rigid, orthodontic, small or large head, with or without indicator band to see wear, flexible, ergonomic, straight or curved handle, with or without tongue brush , for dentures, for sensitive or regular teeth, pulse or oscillation, connected Bluetooth (yes! and without bad pun!) …
Companies that sell oral hygiene products are accompanied by marketing teams to offer a huge choice.
But for the consumer, what should we stick to when making a choice for our toothbrush? After all, we simply want to brush our teeth, to have a good result in order to preserve our health.
- Here are the most important things to remember. Then, it is the choice and the budget of each:
- Opt for a compact, round-headed toothbrush to easily reach all tooth surfaces;
- Choose a brush with soft bristles or extra soft to preserve tooth enamel and protect the gums. A stiff bristle brush that gives you the impression of “brushing hard” is contraindicated;
- Check if the handle allows a comfortable grip. It’s unique to everyone so do not be afraid to try several;
- Replace the toothbrush or tip of your electric toothbrush when the bristles bend or when a whitish layer builds up at the base of the bristles (usually every three months).
MANUAL OR ELECTRIC BRUSH?
The electric toothbrush, with its impressive performance of 30,000 brush strokes per minute, easily outperforms the manual toothbrush (admit that it takes a lot of wrist to achieve this kind of results!). Its effectiveness for the health of your teeth is unquestionably superior and the additional cost is worth it. If you opt for an electric brush, it is better to choose a replaceable head model operating by oscillating and pulsating movements.
And again here, prices vary enormously from one model to another, as do the features. Take the time to inform yourself and ask your dentist for advice on your next visit. We are in the best position to direct you in your purchase.
However, if your budget does not permit, brushing time and the use of good technique are more important than the type of toothbrush used. For the rest, brushing every day and at least 2 to 3 times a day will be the norm, no matter what you choose.
AND FOR CHILDREN?
Choosing a toothbrush for young children is sometimes a big challenge. Again, the selection is huge and companies are struggling to make the choice of your child is their brand.
For babies, a small rubber tip and placed at the tip of your finger will do just fine. Afterwards, when the child begins to learn to brush their own teeth, the choice is immense.
On one hand, we like to make sure that the brushing of the teeth is playful in the children so that it does not become a chore or a big session of “NO”. Hence the range of brushes with the effigy of characters known to children. Again, do not be fooled by the little princess or the little superhero. We choose a toothbrush with a very compact head and we make sure that the child can brush all his teeth with the chosen model. Be careful when it comes time to brush the teeth that are at the back of the mouth. Check this aspect before purchase.
On the other hand, teaching the right brushing movement is not obvious in young children. Many may be tempted to opt for an electric toothbrush. This is not necessarily a bad thing, although the quality of the battery-powered toothbrushes can sometimes leave something to be desired, not to mention the high consumption of batteries. But it is not bad either to show the manual brushing technique to your child.
Again, the important thing is to get a good brushing result and instill this good habit in our children so that it becomes natural. You will gain long-term treatment at the dentist.
Last small note for children. We often hear that our children’s baby teeth do not require as much care as adult teeth, since the baby teeth will eventually fall out. This is of course a false belief!
On the one hand, instilling the good habit of oral hygiene in infants helps to maintain this good behavior once adult teeth are pushed. On the other hand, oral hygiene is not just about teeth, as its name suggests. It’s also about the health of our mouth and our gums.