You only get one set of adult teeth so it makes obvious sense to commit to trying to keep them in the best possible condition throughout your life.
When it comes to brushing your teeth and keeping them as clean as possible, a regular topic for debate is whether you can achieve your aim of keeping your teeth as clean as possible with a regular toothbrush or whether having a smart electric toothbrush, such as one from Oclean, would be better.
Let’s take a look at the main points that need to be covered in order to settle the argument as to whether you will improve your odds of keeping your teeth clean and healthy with the help of an electric or traditional toothbrush.
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Dealing with staining
Your diet and lifestyle hugely influence how your teeth look and last.
Dentists classify the staining of teeth in two specific ways. When they look at your teeth and assess any discoloration they will decide whether you have either intrinsic or extrinsic staining.
It is essential to understand the distinction between the two and what you can do about the problem, with either a traditional or electric toothbrush in your hand.
Intrinsic staining describes the type of discoloration that occurs within your tooth, rather than on the surface enamel. You will need professional dental help with intrinsic staining as the common causes of this problem are things like diseases, trauma, or a result of medication that you have taken.
You will not be able to influence this problem with your toothbrushing routine. However, you can certainly do something about extrinsic staining, which is the most common form of staining and occurs on the outside of your tooth.
Extrinsic staining describes the sort of discoloration that impacts the enamel. It is typically caused by drinking tea, coffee, or red wine. These are some of the main culprits, along with smoking, that can cause extrinsic staining.
These products have a tendency to stick to your teeth as they are consumed. The staining builds up over time and is not always clear how much damage is being done to the surface of your teeth every day.
You can limit the damage caused by your diet and lifestyle and reduce the impact of extrinsic staining by sticking to an effective tooth brushing routine.
Toothbrushes may not be able to remove intrinsic staining but they definitely have the ability to help remove extrinsic staining.
The case for electric toothbrushes
To give your teeth the best possible chance of staying healthy and looking good you need to do your best to take care of them on a daily basis. Many argue that an electric toothbrush is the most efficient and effective way of achieving that aim.
Standard professional dental advice is to brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time. Most electric toothbrushes have a timer that makes it easier to keep brushing for the required amount of time to give your teeth a good clean. It is not so easy to keep track of time with a manual toothbrush and you are more likely to fall short of the required amount of time needed to give your teeth a good brush.
An electric toothbrush is designed to help remove more plaque from your teeth than a manual toothbrush can. The vibrations and specific micro-movements used by the electric toothbrush are designed to maximize your ability to remove as much plaque as possible with your brushing.
An electric toothbrush is also designed to provide the right movement for the most efficient brushing technique. You can’t easily replicate this sort of brushing efficiency and movement when you are brushing your teeth manually.
What’s wrong with using an ordinary toothbrush?
Although it has been shown that electric toothbrushes consistently remove more plaque it is fair to say that a normal toothbrush can still do a reasonable job, especially if you practice your technique and spend the recommended two minutes brushing your teeth each time.
An obvious advantage of using an ordinary toothbrush is the cost difference. You can buy a toothbrush for a fraction of the cost that a good electric toothbrush will set you back. However, what price should you put on looking after the only set of adult teeth you ever get?
The cost of replacing a manual toothbrush compared to replacing the head or batteries with an electric toothbrush is obviously cheaper. That will be small comfort if your teeth suffer from excessive staining and you have to spend more on dental hygiene and visits to the dentist because your teeth are not in the best shape they could be.
Will I damage my gums?
One of the typical issues raised when someone switches to an electric toothbrush is whether the more vigorous brushing technique will damage their gum line.
You can often find that you might experience a small amount of bleeding when you first start brushing your teeth with an electric toothbrush. This is perfectly normal and your gums soon adjust to the new routine and you will not be doing any damage. It could even be argued that this is a positive sign that your cleaning regime has become more effective.
It is also worth saying that you have potentially more chance of damaging your gums with a manual toothbrush. This is because it is hard to achieve a consistent level of pressure when brushing throughout your routine.
It goes without saying that your choice of toothbrush can be a very influential factor when it comes to the health and appearance of your teeth, both in the short term and over the years.
You need to keep your mouth healthy for any number of compelling reasons. It is not just the aesthetic aspect of keeping your teeth clean and healthy. Tooth decay and gum disease can lead to a number of other health issues, which is why oral health is such an important subject.
When you consider how important it is to keep your teeth and gums in the best possible shape it is clear that there are more positives to suggest that ditching your old toothbrush and buying an electric toothbrush would be a smart move.