Electric toothbrushes are already far from new to the market today. Moreover, every year manufacturers will improve the models and create new types and types: ultrasound, with 3D technology and the like. But until now, this know-how has caused much controversy and doubt in its usefulness and quality of purification.
Manufacturers of brushes claim their high efficiency, saving time for consumers and better cleaning of teeth. Dentists, however, are not so happy about them, and some are quite skeptical.
Let's look at all the pros and cons of this device, its principle of operation and how to properly use an electric toothbrush. Reviews of specialists in dentistry are very important when deciding whether or not to use an electrical analogue.
Content
Types of Electric Toothbrushes
The main types of electric brushes today can be called:
- reciprocating; rotational;
- combined;
- ultrasound.
What unites them is that they are powered by electricity, whence the name came, and specifically from finger batteries or a network adapter.
Of course, each of these types has variations, with each year there are different innovations, for example, reciprocating rotational with 3D technology, combined with different nozzles (CrossAction or Dual Clean) and the like, but the principle of their work is usually similar in type.
Rotatory have a round head, which combines the movement in a circle in different directions, with the help of which loosens and sweeps plaque from the enamel of the teeth.
In the combination, in addition to the calyx head, there are additional static cross bristles, providing greater access to the surface of the teeth.
The head of the ultrasonic brush resembles the usual manual one, and the cleaning is due to the vibrations of the bristles at high frequencies (a piezoceramic plate located under the bristles emits an ultrasonic wave, due to which its action extends to hard-to-reach gaps in the teeth).
Ultrasonic toothbrush
The emergence of an ultrasonic toothbrush has produced some boom in the world of electric models. Manufacturers claim its use can replace the teeth cleaning procedure special techniques at the dentist and even the fact that now visits to the doctor can almost be canceled or at least reduce the number of visits. This, of course, affects the popularity of this product among consumers, because going to the dentist rarely causes positive emotions.
However, the dentists themselves are quite critical of such allegations, moreover, they advise patients to beware, since there are a number of contraindications to the use of similar electric toothbrushes.
Besides the fact that such a brush mechanically removes plaque by vibrating bristles, ultrasonic waves do not allow germs to attach to the surface teeth. They also quite effectively remove soft pigment plaque.
In general, consumers of such brushes are satisfied and the feedback is mostly positive.
It perfectly polishes and whitens teeth, gets well in hard-to-reach places and, in principle, is inexpensive.The minuses can be called the fact that it is quickly discharged, and the nozzles need to be changed as often as a regular toothbrush, and here they are just not cheap.
Indeed, such brushes can cope with light tumors on teeth rather easily, but even with small hard deposits on teeth it will be much more difficult to cope with. If you have extensive hard sediments, it will not help you, then must undergo dental procedures at the doctor's. Therefore, to argue that electric toothbrushes replace the reception at the dentist is still impossible.
Contraindications
Electric toothbrushes, especially ultrasound, are not recommended for use by people with various diseases of the gums and teeth, as well as with fillings, crowns and dentures on the teeth, as they can cause a number of unpleasant consequences, such as:
- making seals and crowns unusable or reducing their service life;
- destruction of tooth enamel in areas with low mineralization;
- exacerbation of chronic periodontitis;
- exacerbation of periodontitis and gingivitis.
Impact of electric brushes on filled teeth
According to its purpose, electric brushes are aimed at removing plaque and soft dental deposits. In particular, ultrasound does this with the help of waves that penetrate through the tissues of the tooth and remove all unnecessary. But the fact is that the crowns, fillings, various inlays and metal pins in the tooth canals are made of artificial material, which by their physical properties are very different from the tooth tissues. Accordingly, the vibration of such fabrics, which are created by electric brushes, and the vibrations produced by artificial materials of fillings and crowns, will differ, which may create a conflict of environments and at the interface of the material with the tooth tissues.
Such a conflict will cause the destruction of the connecting material, the so-called glue (adhesion, cement, etc.), which connects the filling or crown to the hard tissues of the tooth and, accordingly, leads to the loss of the latter. This the process of destruction of the connecting material will be gradual, initially imperceptible to the consumer, but in the end will lead to an undesirable result. To a greater extent this, of course, applies to ultrasonic brushes, but conventional electric ones ultimately lead to the same result.
And indeed, on the forums sometimes you can find reviews of the following content:
I received an electric toothbrush as a gift from my friends, along with a large booklet on proper use. It says how beautifully it brushes your teeth, breaks up the plaque, massages the gums and saves time, because you only need to brush your teeth for one minute instead of three, which is required by a regular brush. But, honestly, I could not get used to it. During the cleaning process, I constantly get the feeling that now all the fillings will fly out. Now I am glad that I didn’t have a relationship with her, thanks to which I didn’t do even more harm to my teeth.
The same can be confirmed by dentists:
I am a practicing paradontologist and have been working with ultrasound for 12 years. In their practice of removing ultrasound tartar, there have been cases of loss of poor-quality fillings during this procedure. With a good material, the service life is reduced.
After such reviews, a natural question arises - is it possible to carry out ultrasonic cleaning of teeth at all? In fact, there is nothing to be afraid of here, since such a cleaning at the dentist is not more often than once or twice a year, which will not cause significant harm your fillings and crowns, but it will help prevent teeth and gums from getting sick.
Enamel destruction
Sometimes people can find small white spots on their teeth, which can be seen with the naked eye. These are demineralized areas of enamel with an insufficient amount of calcium. In fact this is the initial stage of caries and although there are no visible signs of the destruction of enamel yet, it is very fragile and porous in this place.
Even an inexperienced dentist can unintentionally damage this fragile layer when removing dental deposits, what can be said about the daily use of an electric toothbrush with strong rotational mechanical movements or an ultrasonic toothbrush with its waves? Daily use of these brushes will cause gradual destruction of enamel on such areas that will lead to tooth decay and the need to fill the tooth.
If the teeth are healthy, the use of any electric brushes will be completely harmless to the enamel.
Chronic periodontitis
With periodontitis, cysts are formed at the tops of the roots of the teeth - sacs containing pus. This disease may not be detected for quite a long time, almost 70% of people have similar foci of inflammation without manifestation of symptoms. The use of electric toothbrushes and, especially, ultrasound, may lead to aggravation this chronic disease that will be accompanied by pain in the tooth, swelling of the gums, the formation of a fistula.
Inflammatory diseases of the gums
It is strongly contraindicated to use electric toothbrushes for the acute period of inflammation of the gums (periodontitis and gingivitis) with pain, swelling, purulent deposits, edema and bleeding, because using these mechanisms, you can spread the infection to all teeth. Return to the use of such brushes is possible only after curing diseases.
It is also undesirable to use electric toothbrushes during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. Not without reason, even visits to dentists and dental treatment during this period are prohibited in women, as they can cause spontaneous abortion. Also, doctors do not recommend women in the position to use such brushes, especially ultrasound.
The presence in the oral cavity of benign or malignant tumors and diseases of the mucous membrane is another reason to abandon the use of such brushes.
Use toothbrushes
Without fear, you can use electric toothbrushes, and sometimes get a positive result, in addition to oral hygiene, in the following cases:
- lack of fillings, veneers, crowns and other artificial materials on the teeth;
- the absence of deposits on the teeth (and particular subgingival);
- the absence of diseases of the gums, such as gingivitis and periodontitis:
- the presence of periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease differs from other diseases of the gums in that inflammation does not occur due to infection or poor oral hygiene, but due to the process of bone degeneration. Therefore, micro-stimulation with an electric toothbrush, and, especially, an ultrasonic one, on the contrary, will be useful for gums. However, you must be absolutely sure that this particular disease is taking place.
Of course, this brush has enough advantages. If the usual manual brush needs to be changed every two to three months, then the electric one can serve you from three months to six months. Also this brush saves timebecause it is enough to brush her teeth for only one minute, while a manual one is not less than three.
Choosing a brush, you should pay attention to the models of well-known companies, they conduct quite serious research, trying to minimize the negative possible harm from the brush and increase their effectiveness.
And yet, reviews of dentists are mostly rather skeptical, they are quite suspicious of electric toothbrushes and consider them to be a dubious invention.
According to them, after the increased popularity of this know-how, enamel damage has increased and diseases of the gums, as improper use of electric brushes lead to gum damage and even tooth loosening.
If you still brush your teeth with an electric brush, try not to touch the edge of the tooth in the area of the gums.