What Toothbrush Should I buy?
There are lots of options out there for toothbrushes, so many in fact it can be tough to make the right decision. What bristle toughness do you choose, are you looking for an electric, or do you stay with analog, how often should you buy a new toothbrush?
We’ve made this blog to answer all your questions and then some. So you if you’re every unsure what toothbrush to choose, just come back here and give it another read!
Size And Shape
The reason size & shape matters for toothbrushes is for reach, if you’re using a smaller travel-sized toothbrush as your day-to-day, then it can be difficult to reach your molars. We recommend the standard-sized toothbrush as they shouldn’t have a problem reaching your back teeth. For the head of the toothbrush, it should be about half an inch wide, and an inch tall. You can just eyeball this measurement as it does not have to be exact.
Bristles
Bristles can have a big impact on the overall effectiveness of the toothbrush. If you have bristles that are too hard they may damage your enamel and cause your gums to bleed. For the toughness of the bristles, you should always start with a softer bristle. If you are ok with that, then you can move up to a medium strength bristle, hard bristles are often overkill for the fast majority of users, so you should be just fine with soft to medium strength bristles.
Dentists recommendation and brand choice
Despite what you may have read online or seen in a YouTube video, we always highly recommend listening to your dentists advice above all else. Their recommendation will be built on there years of experience, coupled with their knowledge of your oral health. If they make a suggestion, and it ends up being a bad choice or causes you discomfort, please inform them and they can advise you further.
For dental brands, the main thing is to use a trusted brand. We’re not promoting any particular brand, but you should stick to the popular ones: Colgate, Oral-B, etc.
Manual Vs. Electric
Manual toothbrushes are the go-to choice if you’re on a budget, you can get lots of options for $5 or less and they do a great job when used correctly. However, they may not be the most effective choice if you’re willing to spend a bit more. Electric toothbrushes generally start above $10 and can go well into $300 plus range. The vast majority of people will be fine spending between $30 – $100.
What Are The Benefits Of A Manual Toothbrush?
A manual toothbrush refers to a non-electric, traditional toothbrush. There’s nothing wrong with buying a manual toothbrush if you don’t want to purchase an electric one.
Here are a few of their benefits:
- Cheaper – Most manual toothbrushes are cheaper than electric ones. They typically start under $5.00.
- No batteries or charging – Since it’s your arm that does all the work, they’re always ready to go.
- Widely available – Most drugs stores, convenience stores, and grocery stores will carry them.
- Travel-sized options – Since they’re mainly just plastic and bristles, they can come in more compact sizes than electric toothbrushes.
- Less noise – Electric toothbrushes aren’t loud, but manual toothbrushes are definitely quieter.
What are the benefits of an electric toothbrush?
Electric toothbrushes have a huge range of options, you can even get ones with different brushing modes, timers, and a lot more.
- More effective – The head of an electric tooth brush is either pulsating (vibrates with sound), or it spins at super high speeds. This help remove tartar and plaque build up because of the extra motion.
- Timers – You can get brushes with timers that can either time your whole session, or even time you based on the 4 quarters of your mouth.
- Long-lasting – When you buy a quality electric toothbrush, all you have to replace is the head where the bristles are.
- Different modes – These modes will change the spinning frequency and time.
- Pressure sensitive – Did you know that they can detect if your pushing to hard against your gums or teeth?
- Brush head replacement – Some brushes can even tell you when to your replace your brush head.
Conclusion
Spending $100+ on a toothbrush is excessive for the vast majority of users. If you’ve always been a user of traditional brushes then try out an electric option. Start with a cheaper brush, usually under $40, test that brush out to see if it benefits you. If you find that your dentist notices your oral health is improving, or you prefer it more, then you can treat yourself and try out a more expensive model with all the benefits.
The main take-away here is to not stress to not worry about having to spend a lot on a toothbrush. If a less-expensive model works for you, then stick with that one!
