Electric toothbrush review

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

As you get older you start to realize that certain things change over time. Your body starts to degrade, you think slower and have take a bit longer to roll out of bed in some cases. Of course this doesn’t apply to everyone but you realize what’s important and what’s not.

Sometimes you realize the little things matter and being regular and consistent is the key to everything.

A few years ago we checked into a dentist to get a cleaning. The recommended schedule is twice a year or every six months and they got us in, and did their scaling and then made a follow-up appointment and then gave us a little to-go bag of dental goodies to help keep our teeth clean complete with some sample floss and toothbrush, an appointment reminder card and number and a small paper or wax bag to keep these items.

Growing up some people got more care than others as not all families have affordable health insurance and with sky-rocketing costs and so many plans and confusion, as well as, program changes in the last five years and it makes it confusing for people just trying to eke out a living.

One of the things that got us thinking about good oral hygiene was when we had a bout of sore gums and wisdom tooth aches but also another time very sore red gums. We knew something was amiss and so set out to try to find out what to do. A lot of times before you go to the doctor you can solve things with over the counter remedies and looked and studied up on it but made a point to go to the dentist above.

Turns out that tiny particles and stray debris accumulate in the sulcus and spaces between your teeth over time. Your teeth are made with some of the strongest hardest materials in your body and can withstand a great deal of pressure and constant bite forces over your life. But with time everything wears down.

One of the most important thing that a person can start is a regular flossing regiment. And there are now Plackards or comfortable hand held flossing tools with plastic handles for your convenience that you can dive the waxy string down in between your teeth. But we found that a nice long piece of wax floss or normal floss was just as good and you can buy bulk floss for cheap. They recommend that you go up and down and now saw in between your teeth. You will likely notice quite a bit of soreness, pain and discomfort if you have not done this in a long time but given enough practice and time your gums will get stronger and stronger and healthier and able to withstand flossing. You’re not supposed to snap it either. But as your gums get healthier they can withstand even a bit of pressure without any chance of bleeding. The best recommended regiment is to do it every single day.

Another thing that we found was a good investment was a WaterPik or similar device with is an oral irrigator. It shoots a steady pressurized stream of water, not unlike a power washer for a car. Or the device and send timed pulses and different pressures to give your mouth a sort of oral gum massage. We also tested it out on a sink just for fun that was slightly dirty or had soap scum etc. and found it was like a tiny handheld power washer and spray knocking away dirt and grime and can imagine how that might help knock out sticky gunk that’s lodged in your teeth and gums. So it’s highly recommended. There are different attachments you can attach as well for angles and pressures.

Another great device we found was a mouth-care kit that has a scraping tool to remove calcium and plaque deposits yourself, a sulcus gum tool for going deep in between your back of your gums and cleaning and dislodging debris lodged in back pockets of your gums. And there is also a tongue scraper for bad breath. Your significant other will thank you for that.

Naturally some mouth wash is also useful. Some people prefer the alcohol based kind but there are non-alcohol based formulas that you can get now for those with sensitivities and other problem.

We also found regular toothbrushes are supposed to be great but hadn’t used electric toothbrushes before and wanted to do a test on these and bought one. Our first model that we tested was an Oral-B Pro 5000 SmartSeries Power Rechargeable electric toothbrush. It has:

• A visible pressure sensor that flashes a red light if you press too hard.
• 5 brushing modes
• Automatic two minute timer with beeps or pulses every 30 seconds to help you brush each quadrant of you mouth equally.
• Was one of the first electric toothbrushes accepted by the American Dental Association
• Has swappable brush heads
• Comes with a built-in lithium ion battery.
• Comes with a timer device also
• Also comes with a charger base with brush head case and cover to keep your brush heads clean

We found that the brush is great, very easy to clean. Plop it one the base and it’s waterproof and still working and charging after 2 years.

The other reviewed model was a Phillips Sonic 4100 ProtectiveClean

• This uses sonic technology to help vibrate out particles and cause foaming action along the gum base
• It has BrushSync technology to help you know when to replace brush heads
• There’s a pressure sensor
• There’s a lithium ion battery that lasts 2 weeks.
• It comes with a handle and 1 charge and 1 C2 Optimal Plaque Control brush head and hygienic travel cap.
• It is a top dental professional recommended brand.
• Can do 31,000 brushstrokes a minute
• has a two year warranty.

We found both products were excellent. The Oral-B is a bit more of a grind and vibrate and a bit louder than the Sonicare. The Sonicare is more of a humming and really vibrates deeply. They feel different. The Oral-B feels more mechanical like a rotating brush but better than most electric toothbrushes. We also like its clean sleek unibody that is super easy to clean and you just set on a rechargeable base like a phone hand set. The Sonicare is great also. It does use a physical button that’s feels slightly raised. It uses a similar charging base as the Oral-B and vibrates and beeps when you put it down to recharge. Also if you move the Sonicare or slightly shake it, the battery light comes on to show how much of a charge it has. We find the brushhead of the Sonicare to be slightly smaller and narrower and longer and still fitting between the teeth delicately while the Oral-B is like a grinder for doing the motor movements to clean and the head is more of a round circle. Both have pros and differences. One site we checked when doing reviews and one site suggested using the Oral-B in the morning and Sonicare in the evening.

Do you have a favorite toothbrush? What do you prefer? Manual or electric? Nowadays there are so many different mouth and dental products out there from bubble gum flavored toothpaste to cinnamon to minty fresh. Go out and try a new product and you might find something new to try. Happy brushing.