If you are here, it is because you know that there are many differences between the different types of toothbrushes. Indeed, this will allow you to know which one is the most adapted to your needs or to the oral problems you have: gingival bleeding, bad breath, orthodontics, teeth staining. It is also important to change your toothbrush regularly or to choose an interchangeable one. For all this, it is important to know all the differences between the different types of toothbrushes on the market.
Here are the differences between the different toothbrushes on the market:
The different characteristics depending on the toothbrush
The different possible strands on the toothbrushes
There are three types of bristles of different hardness. The choice between soft or medium toothbrushes depends on your preference in terms of how it feels on your teeth. However, your dentist will recommend the soft bristles that allow you to take better care of your teeth and gums to preserve the enamel of your teeth. There are also toothbrushes with ultra-soft bristles that are gentle on fragile gums and sensitive teeth. It goes without saying that hard bristles are not recommended. They can damage your gum tissue and tooth enamel.
The size of the toothbrush head
The size of the toothbrush head will affect brushing efficiency. Indeed, it must be able to reach all your teeth while brushing. It is recommended to have a toothbrush whose head is one inch high and half an inch wide. However, you can still get the brushing results you want if the toothbrush head size is compact rather than standard. This is because it makes it easier to handle and control while brushing your teeth so you can reach the back teeth more easily.
The toothbrush handle
The handle is the longest part of the toothbrush, which allows for a comfortable and secure grip while brushing. It usually has a thicker body in the part where it is held in the hand, narrower and curved in the area near the head. A hard handle allows you to clean only certain areas of your mouth. It is therefore more useful to opt for a soft handle that allows for deep cleaning. If it is light and with rounded corners, it will give you comfort and amplitude of movement when brushing your teeth.
The different characteristics of electric and manual toothbrushes
The electric toothbrush
An electric toothbrush is a toothbrush that uses electrical energy. This is usually generated by a battery. The brush head will either oscillate from side to side or in a circular motion or emit sonic vibrations to improve the brushing of your teeth.
Here are the different features of the electric toothbrush:
- It eliminates in a thorough way the dental plaque in order to limit the appearance of cavities or gingivitis.
- It offers additional functions to the simple brushing such as the timer, the pressure sensor, the choice between different heads and different brushing modes.
- You can choose between two types of toothbrushes: the oscillating toothbrush which has a small brush head that moves in one direction and then in the other and the sonic toothbrush which emits sonic vibrations to brush your teeth quickly.
- It often has an interchangeable brush head because you only need to change it every 3 months.
The manual toothbrush
This is an easy-to-use toothbrush that most of the time has soft bristles. The brush head of this traditional toothbrush is rounded or square. There are wavy, crisscrossed, tapered bristles and bristles with polishing cups.
Here are the different characteristics of the manual toothbrush:
- It is a toothbrush that is easy to carry everywhere whether you are traveling or at the office or restaurant.
- It is available of many models and there are various ranges of products according to the marks of manual toothbrushes which interest you.
- It should be changed every 2 or 3 times because the bristles of the toothbrush get damaged with time.
- It allows a more "sensitive" contact with the teeth because it allows you to directly brush the areas you want.
The difference in toothbrushing motion
The toothbrushing motion is not at all the same if you use an electric or manual toothbrush. Indeed, in the case of an electric toothbrush, it will be carried out by you by making the brush vibrate manually against your teeth. In the case of a manual toothbrush, it will be done by the toothbrush directly. It goes without saying that a manual toothbrush requires more physical effort to brush your teeth than an electric toothbrush. The toothbrush does 90% of the work of brushing your teeth. Both types of brushes provide effective tooth brushing, but dentists recommend an electric toothbrush because its vibration speed exceeds that of manual toothbrushes. This makes it a much more efficient brushing motion because it removes more plaque and bacteria with less effort.
You can opt for an electric sonic toothbrush Y-Brush which simplifies the brushing in order to brush all the faces simultaneously thanks to the filaments which have the good inclination what automates the gesture to be made.
The difference in toothbrushing technique
Toothbrushing with an electric toothbrush
Here's the technique for brushing with an electric toothbrush:
- Start by placing your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums, then turn it on.
- Gently move it from tooth to tooth, brushing over the entire surface of each tooth.
- Brush your tongue gently as you would a manual toothbrush
- Wrap a piece of dental floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two free.
- Gently slide the floss back and forth between your teeth and over the gum line.
Toothbrushing with a manual toothbrush
Here's how to brush with a manual toothbrush:
- Start by placing your brush at a 45 degree angle to your gums.
- Move your toothbrush up and down from your gums to your teeth in small strokes.
- Take the tip of your toothbrush and brush the inner surface from top to bottom.
- Don't always brush your teeth from the same side.
- Brush your tongue very gently to finish the brushing.
We hope this guide has helped you understand that both manual and electric toothbrushes have different characteristics: the bristles, the brush head and the handle. They also do not offer the same performance or have the same properties. The brushing motion and technique are really different depending on whether you take a manual or an electric toothbrush. However, we really advise you to opt for the electric one which is much more efficient.
