Reasons to Change to Electric Toothbrushes

There are a wide range of electric toothbrushes on the market now, but many people still don't understand the benefits of an electric toothbrush and why they should make the switch from a traditional one. Considering that a quality electric toothbrush generally costs much more than a non-electric toothbrush, it's easy to see why most haven't bothered to learn the benefits. You may be surprised by how much better an electric toothbrush can really be.

Better Overall Brushing

• One of the things that makes an electric toothbrush so great is that it gives you a drastic improvement in the number of brush strokes in a much shorter period of time. Most people are only able to brush their teeth twice a day and need to make it count. If you're going to brush your teeth for only 30 seconds, you'll have better oral hygiene if you brush your teeth for 30 seconds with an electric toothbrush than with a manual toothbrush.

  Poor brushing can lead to gingivitis and periodontal disease. An electric toothbrush has very fast rotating bristles that can give you the feeling that you've just been to the dentist for a professional teeth cleaning.

Better Reach

• The smaller round head of the average electric toothbrush ensures that you'll reach the most difficult spaces while brushing your teeth. Many people buy manual toothbrushes that are too large for their mouths, causing them to miss the same areas every time they brush.

  Larger toothbrushes enable you to take less time brushing your teeth because you clean more teeth at a time, but you do it less effectively. Because most electric toothbrushes tend to have the same sized head (small), you know you'll reach every part of every tooth.

Pressure Sensors

• Many people brush too hard. When you press the toothbrush too hard against your teeth and gums the end result is less efficient cleaning as well as potential damage to your gums. If you take a dry toothbrush and press it against your hand while mimicking brushing, you can see the problem in action. Try it while lightly touching your hand and then again while pressing down as hard as you normally brush.

  When you press down too hard the bristles can't clean. Many electric toothbrushes have pressure sensors in them so the toothbrush beeps at you if you press too hard.

Built-in Timer

• For truly effective brushing, it's best to spend two to three minutes brushing your teeth, but most people spend less than half of that. Many electric toothbrushes are set up with a timer to let you know when you've brushed long enough. This feature will keep you from cheating on time and thinking your brushing efforts were "good enough."

Fun

• Another reason to switch to an electric toothbrush is that they are just fun. There is a novelty factor involved with any type of convenience appliance or gadget. People who like gadgets may be more likely to brush their teeth better and with more regularity just so they can use their gadget.

  Hopefully, even after the novelty of a new toy dies down, those who change to electric toothbrushes will have developed better dental hygiene practices and will have the teeth and gums to prove it.