The Benefits of Electric Toothbrushes

In the past, the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Clinic in Austin, Texas blog touched briefly on electric toothbrushes while describing toothbrush choice in general. We thought now would be a good time to describe electric toothbrushes more extensively.

Toothbrush manufacturers such as Oral B and Kolibree are constantly coming up with new digital features. Many of these incorporate smartphone apps. You can now set a program to tell you whether you’ve been brushing your teeth for long enough, whether you’ve reached every part of your mouth, and whether you need to adjust your settings to brush harder or softer. Parents can also set children’s brushes to provide them with rewards or play a game on their phones while they’re brushing.

The point of most of these features is to correct poor technique. While studies show that electric and handheld toothbrushes are only slightly more effective than handheld toothbrushes when both are used properly, proper brushing technique with a handheld toothbrush is to use it vigorously for two minutes twice a day. In reality, very few people do this. Many patients find that the instant feedback provided by new brushing apps, the decreased time commitment, and the decreased need for hand motions make a huge difference.

Frederick Shaw, DDS, operates the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group at 1500 West 38^th St, Suite 34, Austin, Texas, 78731. To schedule an appointment, call 512-451-7491 or visit FrederickShawDDS.com and fill out a contact sheet.