The Dental Makeover

Dental cleaning has always been considered effective with a manual toothbrush, but the means of dental cleaning has evolved through the ages. The first recorded breakthrough of an electric toothbrush was by a man in the United States in the late 1800’s.  Unlike the modern electric toothbrush electronically-powered bristles), George A. Scott’s invention was literally an electric toothbrush.  His toothbrush sent an electrical current through the brush, as it was believed the shock of the electrical current would stimulate the gums (not much help to dental cleaning).  The first true electric toothbrush hit the market in Switzerland in 1939.  In 1960, the Broxodent, a rotating electric toothbrush, was introduced by Squibb Pharmaceutical to offer a better means of dental cleaning.  Dental cleaning with electric toothbrushes today offer a variety of choices for the consumer:  Electric toothbrushes are vibrating, oscillating, or sonic.  Are these means more effective in dental cleaning than a manual toothbrush?  The proof is in the research.

The Journal of Dentistry substantiates the research done by Cochrane:  Electric toothbrushes using an oscillating rotating motion are more effective for dental cleaning than manual brushing at reducing plaque. Men’s Health Magazine supports these findings with the fact that certain models of electric toothbrushes are more beneficial for dental cleaning than manual toothbrushes.

Many electric toothbrushes are equipped with a timer.  One of the problems in dental cleaning with a manual brush is that most individuals do not brush for a period long enough for the fluoride to work.  The timer allows the individual to brush longer, enabling the fluoride to provide the care in dental cleaning that is necessary to maintain healthy teeth.

Dental cleaning is not always cheap.  Most electric toothbrushes cost more than the conventional manual toothbrush, but the maintenance and prevention provided may be worth the added expense. Dental cleaning with an electric toothbrush may prevent further work at the dentist office.  In turn, the individual that brushes with an electric toothbrush save thousands of dollars through preventative dental cleaning.  It will be interesting to see the direction that dental cleaning will take in the future, as new methods of dental cleaning are being researched on a continual basis.  As for now, the best proven method of dental cleaning is by using an electric toothbrush with an oscillating rotating brush.