What are the benefits of using an electric toothbrush over a manual toothbrush?

The biggest benefit is most electric toothbrushes will remove up to 30% more plaque than a manual toothbrush. That can vary depending on the type of electric toothbrush you choose. I do have a personal favorite which is an Oral-B, because of some of the motions that it makes. It’s what’s called rotating and pulsating, which means it moves in different directions.

One other really big benefit of electric toothbrushes is that they have a timer. That sounds a little bit silly, but most people brush for anywhere between 30 and 40 seconds. I recommend that people brush for at least two minutes. People don’t realize how long two minutes is when they’re trying to get ready in the morning or getting ready to go to bed.

It seems like there are a lot of accessories available for electric toothbrushes. Are there any you recommend?

Yes. Some of it is based on some of the movement of the actual toothbrush that can be more effective. It really depends on the patient. However, I always say teenagers who aren’t super, super interested in making sure that they’re taking care of their oral health can benefit from electric toothbrushes. There are toothbrushes out there that actually can attach to an app on their phone. That might make them a little bit more prone to making sure that they’re staying on top of it. It can also be a way for a parent to check up on a child to see if they are brushing. If the toothbrush is not being turned on, it’s not activating within the app. There are some other features like this that might be appealing for different issues and ages.

There are some toothbrushes, again I am partial to an Oral-B, but there are some toothbrushes out there with different size heads to the toothbrush that I think can be extra beneficial for some people. For people who are in braces, it is more effective to have an electric toothbrush for in there and keeping everything really clean.