The Art Of Using An Electric Toothbrush

The goals of keeping patients teeth clean, eliminating plaque and reducing the possibility of tooth decay and gingivitis are the primary focus of dentists. All of their skill and efforts fall short when their patients fail to do a good job of daily dental hygiene. Proper tooth brushing skills are critical to good dental health.

Dentists have another tool on their side to help their patients more effectively take care of their teeth — the electric toothbrush. While manual toothbrushes do a good job of cleaning teeth, electric toothbrushes clean as well — and better — with less effort and more efficiency.

History

The development of the electric toothbrush dates back to 1954 when Dr. Phillipe-Guy-Woog invented the first brush in Switzerland. The main problem with the invention was its reliance one an electrical outlet to provide power. Brox, S.A. advanced the invention’s design in 1959. The product was latteracquired by Squibb, which became Bristol Myers/Squibb in the 1980s.

General Electric designed the first portable electric toothbrush using Ni CAD batteries during the 1960s.  However, the brush was difficult to use because of its bulky size and  operating time between battery charges. Even more problematic was the short life span of the batteries. They were sealed in the brush and when the batteries died, the brush had to be replaced.

Present Day Electric Toothbrushes

>span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">Today’s’ electric toothbrushes have come a long way. While there are still a few brushes on the market that plug into wall outlets, most electric toothbrushes use battery technology that is long lasting and rechargeable. In fact, most brushes come with a charger.

There are two different approaches to toothbrush technology in use today, electric and sonic. Sonic toothbrushes rely on vibration to clean teeth at a rate of 30,000 to 40,000 strokes per minute.

Electric brushes employ one of two designs. Some manufacturers, notably Oral-B, employ a oscillating-rotating brush movement. Other manufacturers makes brushes that move side-to-side and are shaped more like a traditional toothbrush. Both brushes perform well. Compared to the sonic brush, these two types move at 3,000 to 7,500 rotations per minute, duplicating the motion of the hand when brushing teeth. Manual toothbrushes, by comparison, typically measure 300 strokes per minute, or 600 strokes for a two minute brushing. They are highly effective at cleaning while, at the same time, reducing abrasion and staining to the teeth.

Using an Electric Toothbrush

While it may sound simplistic, it is important to learn how to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush because there are some differences in technique. For starters, these brushes are designed to do most of the work for you. The basic idea is to guide the brush along the teeth and gums — let the brushing action do the cleaning.

The key to properly using an electric brush is to plan on brushing for two minutes. Put another way, allow 30 seconds for each quarter section of your mouth — lower left and right, and upper left and right. Most brushes have a built in timer that will alert you every 30 seconds. Some even stop after two minutes.

While brushing, it is not necessary to apply a lot of pressure. These cleaning tools to a great job with very little pressure. In fact, most brushes have a built in pressure sensor that alerts the brusher that too much pressure is being applied.

There is a brushing procedure that, when followed, does an orderly, logical and complete job of cleaning your teeth. This process involves a bit of a learning curve because using an electric toothbrush feels different for a manual brush.

Some professionals advise beginning users to start brushing without toothpaste so that they can get used to the feel of the brush and learn to use it properly and develop technique. The brush does the cleaning job and the use of a mouthwash afterward takes care of freshening the breath.

The steps involved in using an electric toothbrush are similar to those used with a manual brush — with exceptions:

The need to gently guide the brush rather than manually move it back and forth cannot be overemphasized.

Brush one quarter section of the mouth, starting with the outside sections of the teeth first. Guide the brush gently around the surface of each tooth, following the shape of the tooth and the gum line. Allow 30 seconds for each section and 5 to 10 seconds for each tooth. Tilt the brush at a 45 degree angle to brush the gums and gum line.

Follow the same process with the inside quarters. In both areas, be sure to brush thoroughly between teeth.

The next step is to brush the often overlooked biting surfaces of teeth in back, on each side of the mouth.

It is also important to brush the tongue and roof of the mouth, using forward strokes, to help freshen breath.

Much  learning curve and technique involved getting used to an electric toothbrush is a matter of  developing a sense of where the bristles are in your mouth and figuring out where each tooth is while brushing. The same approach applies to the gums and gum line. It is a new way of brushing teeth and it takes time to adjust.

Cost is definitely a consideration in deciding whether to purchase an electric toothbrush. There are several good brushes available in different price ranges that vary, depending on quality, attachments and whether the batteries are recharged or replaced. Brushes can cost as little as £10.00 or as high as over £100.00. The buying decision depends on what you want in the way of an electric toothbrush and how much you are willing to spend.

Electric toothbrushes are recommended by more and more dentists in >span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">coventry because of the superior job of cleaning they do. Users find that their visits to the dentist involve less scrapping of plaque and fewer cavities. Those two bits of good news are reason enough to use an electric toothbrush.