By: Sonya Troxel, RDH and Jill Pyle, RDH

With college quickly approaching, an electric toothbrush would be one item that I would pack for my child as they left home. Living away with a different environment and routine can become overwhelming to anyone. An electric brush would help keep the brushing routine a habit and make certain that the brushing cycle is long enough each time they do find time to brush. It is also difficult for the college student to make it to their dental office for routine visits while away, so the electric toothbrush will help keep the teeth much cleaner until a visit to the hygienist is possible. This brush would also be perfect for any back to school student. As you drag that sleepy, precious monster out of bed you will need a good brush to get them out of the door. The electric toothbrush would be perfect to make certain the correct time and instructions are completed. At Joplin Dental Arts our goal is to help all of our patients form healthy habits that will last a lifetime. The electric toothbrush is a habit we strongly recommend to all of our patients.

The name says it all! Electric charged toothbrushes have been proven the best new innovation in dentistry. I like to compare the electric and manual toothbrush to hand washing clothes versus using the washing machine. During the wash cycle in the washing machine your clothing is oscillating and rotating at the same time. This is exactly how an electric toothbrush performs. The electric toothbrush will actually oscillate, pulsate, and rotate all in one motion. This motion cleans the teeth so much better than the manual brush. The manual brush moves in the direction that your hand is moving. So you may just be moving in circles, back and forth, or sliding quickly from tooth to tooth. Same as washing your laundry by hand-the clothes only move in the direction that you move them. Another unique feature with the washing machine is the cleaning cycle is timed for a purpose. You want the clothing to be completely cleaned at the end of the cycle. During hand washing you stop the wash cycle when your hand gets tired. Same with the manual brush, you will stop brushing when you might think that is long enough. Yet, has it been long enough? Two minutes is longer than you think. The electric toothbrush does have a unique feature that will count down the two minute brushing cycle for you. Like with cleaning the clothing, you must brush long enough to make sure all teeth are adequately cleaned. The plaque that you are removing is a very thick, sticky substance that is more difficult to remove than you might think.

You might be wondering where or how you might purchase an electric toothbrush. The best place to purchase your electric toothbrush is from your dental office. The hygienist can help customize which brush will be best for you and show you how it works. Each brush will have different features that will work in your mouth. Joplin Dental Arts recommends the Oral B Smart Series due to the brush head is smaller and can adapt to any mouth no matter how small or how large. It comes with several different brush heads-the soft, interproximal, orthodontic, and the sensitive brush head. Usually, a mail in rebate will be given if you will purchase your brush through your dental office. At this time, Oral B is offering a 50 percent rebate until September, 2010. You can also purchase your electric brush from Wal- Mart or Wal-greens. As you walk down the Wal-Mart aisle it might become overwhelming to you as to which brush to purchase. It can be very frustrating. The most important thing to keep in mind is that ANY electric toothbrush is going to be better than the manual brush.

At Joplin Dental Arts, remember our goal is for complete oral health. Hope you have a great school year and don’t forget your electric toothbrush.