How to Get Pressure Out of a Vibrating Toothbrush

A vibrating, or electrical toothbrush, takes the work out of brushing your teeth. With regular use, electric toothbrushes help you remove plaque from your teeth effectively, reducing your likelihood of developing periodontal disease. The primary way electric toothbrushes help you is by delivering a steady stream of pressure to your teeth for a defined period of time. If you have an electric toothbrush and feel like you're not getting the pressure you should, review the basics of brushing to make sure you're using your toothbrush properly.

Things You'll Need

• Electric toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Water

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Instructions

• 1

  Make sure the electric toothbrush has new batteries or, if it is a rechargeable unit, plug it into the wall and let it charge overnight before using it to ensure a full charge capable of delivering the amount of pressure you need to properly clean your teeth.

• 2

  Squeeze fluoride toothpaste onto the tip of your electric toothbrush. Run water over the toothbrush to wet the tip.

• 3

  Observe the front of your toothbrush and familiarize yourself with its controls. Examine the different brushing programs it offers and review their descriptions in your user manual. Choose the "clean and whiten" option, if your toothbrush has one, to deliver a longer, more intense brushing routine. Watch a clock while you brush to ensure that the program you have chosen lasts at least two minutes.

• 4

  Feel for pauses in the vibration at 30-second intervals to prompt you to move the toothbrush to a different quadrant of your mouth, ensuring you brush your entire mouth during the two-minute session.

• 5

  Don't press the brush hard against your teeth or scrub your teeth with the brush. Hold the brush head gently against your teeth and let the brush do the work for you. Understand that more pressure is delivered by the brush's vibration than by your own hand strength and movement.

• 6

  Divide your jaw into quadrants and spend 30 seconds on each one, including 15 on the outside surface of the teeth in that quadrant and 15 seconds on the inside. Guide your toothbrush slowly along the outside of the teeth on the bottom right side of your jaw. Move to the inside after 15 seconds, then to the bottom left side of your jaw after 30 seconds. Finish a quadrant by directing the toothbrush over your gum line in that area of your mouth.