I swear by my electric toothbrush, and I always recommend that patients switch from manual to electric. Many people balk at the idea of spending more than a couple of bucks on a toothbrush, but the increased upfront cost ends up paying for itself.
Basically, the only significant investment is in the system itself. You just need one or two bases for your whole family, because everyone can swap out the heads easily. Replacement heads are inexpensive, especially when they go on sale on Amazon. I can’t remember the last time I paid standard retail price for a set. Not to mention, the increased effectiveness of electric toothbrushes could end up saving you money on dental care.
Why do electric toothbrushes work better than their manual counterparts? The motion and speed created by a motor can’t be replicated by human hands, making the time spent brushing more productive. Most electric models also come equipped with timers that ensure you spend adequate time brushing. Sometimes, they’ll even have alerts every 30 seconds to let you know it’s time to switch to a different region of your mouth.
Electric brushes are a great option for everybody, but there are certain groups of people for whom they can be particularly beneficial. If you tend to develop plaque at a faster-than-average rate, an electric brush will help keep buildup at bay. For folks with arthritis and other conditions that limit dexterity, electric models also decrease the discomfort that can come from manual brushing. Those with braces and other orthodontic devices will discover that electric brushes are much better at clearing away hard-to-reach food stuck between wires. Finally, those of you who are naturally hard brushers — the type of people who fray a toothbrush in a month — will find that an electric model will decrease tissue damage associated with over-enthusiastic brushing.
For all of these reasons, it’s a great decision to go electric. You probably don’t use a flip phone anymore, so why use outmoded technology on your teeth?