Sonic Toothbrush Effects

Sonic toothbrushes have many positive effects, including reducing receding gum issues, tooth abrasion and tooth sensitivity, all of which can appear with age. They also penetrate taste buds, eliminating the bacteria that causes bad breath. A sonic toothbrush has the ability to loosen plaque beyond the tips of its brush, getting into crevices that a normal toothbrush might not be able to reach. Despite evidence of the positive effects of using a sonic toothbrush, there are no formal studies declaring that it works better than a manual or other electric toothbrush.

How They Operate

• Sonic toothbrushes operate at a rate of more than 30,000 vibrations per minute. A regular electronic toothbrush emits between 2,500 and 7,500 brushstrokes per minute and a manual brush produces about 300 strokes per minutes. The high amount of vibrations a sonic brush produces is able to energize the saliva surrounding the teeth. This creates waves of pressure in the saliva that can dislodge dental plaque up to 4mm beyond the ends of where the brush tips actually touch the teeth. Only sonic toothbrushes have this capability.

Positive Effects

• Sonic toothbrushes are very gentle on teeth, helping with many common tooth problems. Tooth abrasion is the disintegration of the protective outer layer of the tooth, or the enamel. This disintegration exposes the under layers of the tooth to the air, cold and hot surfaces, all of which can cause tooth sensitivity. Because a sonic toothbrush does not require a lot of pressure to operate properly, it does not agitate teeth more than necessary, keeping abrasion and sensitivity levels lower. Receding gums benefit from the fact that a sonic brush can stimulate waves of saliva to dislodge dental plaque under the gum, decreasing the need for the brush itself to aggravate receding gums.

Eliminates Bacteria

• The primary function of a sonic toothbrush is the scrubbing action of its bristles against the teeth. However, it also loosens and removes bacteria from the mouth, particularly from the tongue, by penetrating taste buds more effectively than slower electric or manual toothbrushes. Bacteria collected on the tongue are what causes bad breath. A faster toothbrush can do a more effective job of removing this bacteria.

Fluid Wave Action

• The energized wave action created by a Sonicare brand sonic toothbrush showed different degrees of plaque removal when the toothbrush was not even in contact with teeth, according to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health. The results reveal that when the toothbrush operated at a distance of 3mm away from a tooth, 58 percent of dental plaque was removed by the action of the energized fluids. Operating at a distance of 2mm from the surface of a tooth for at least 5 seconds, the brush removed 65 percent of the dental plaque. When the brush came in contact with the tooth, there was a 95 percent reduction in dental plaque in 5 seconds and a virtual complete removal of dental plaque when the brush was in contact with the tooth for 10 seconds.