subject: Electric Toothbrush Benefits And Features To Consider [print this page] Electric Toothbrush Benefits And Features To Consider
Different Types Of Electric Toothbrushes Explained
Manual brushing certainly has its limitations and there have been studies that show that certain types of electric toothbrushes can make a big difference in how clean your teeth can be. Although cleanliness is definitely a good thing, maybe a more important issue is the potential that electric toothbrushes have to reduce gum disease by breaking up plaque and tartar.
To start, realize that there are several types of electric toothbrushes, from sonic toothbrushes, to rotary toothbrushes, ionic toothbrushes, and pulsating toothbrushes. These different types all try to accomplish the same thing through different methods.
Rotary Toothbrushes
Simple rotary toothbrushes have a tiny motor inside that rotate the brush head back and forth up to 7000 times a minute. The great news with this type of toothbrush is that you can't replicate that type of activity with basic hand brushing alone. These rotary toothbrushes are designed to rapidly brush between your teeth and below the gum line, and have been proven to remove much more plaque and gingivitis than manual hand brushing ever could. These rotary toothbrushes are often some of the least expensive electric toothbrush designs.
Ionic Toothbrushes
Ionic toothbrushes use a battery located in the handle of the brush that produces a small electrical charge which loosens the ionic bond that keeps plaque attached to your teeth. The idea is that the more plaque is "unbonded" from the calcium of your teeth the easier it will be to remove through brushing. You won't feel the tiny electrical current produced by the battery, but is enough to reverse the ionic bonding of the plaque to you teeth. These ionic toothbrushes generally have no rotating parts but can be very effective. The gingivitis and other potential gum diseases you may want to address aren't necessarily
Sonic Toothbrushes/Pulsating Toothbrushes
Sonic, or Pulsating, toothbrushes are similar to rotating toothbrushes in that the brush head moves rapidly, but there are many more pulsations made than rotations are made with the rotary brushes. Pulsating toothbrushes, like the Philips Sonicare, vibrate the toothbrush head tens of thousands of times per minute. I've read that they perform up to 40,000 pulsations per minute. The benefit of this is the efficiency of the brushing and the amount of plaque and tartar that is removed with this kind of action.
The negative part is that the brush heads tend to wear out quicker due to massive amount of friction produced. These toothbrushes are often on the more expensive end of the scale, but they often come with more features, like brushing timers and automatic shut-off sensors so you don't damage your teeth or gums.
Regardless of what type of electric toothbrush you are in the market for, there is no denying that any of these modern toothbrushes are worth using daily just based on how well they perform and the amount of plaque, tartar and gum disease they eradicate.
