Electric toothbrushes?
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My wife's dentist recommend she get one, but my DDS was ambivalent about it. We recently bought a Philips Sonicare "Elite" from Costco -- had two electric brushes, charger and some spare heads for about $70. I really like it -- I think I can feel the difference. Haven't yet been back to the dentist to test the results.
Thanks Greg -- seems like a really good price given a quick glance around the Web.I'm curious to hear what your dentist didn't like about them?
It was just when I asked my dentist he sort of shrugged and said I could use one if I preferred. The one we bought runs for 2 minutes and beeps every 30s to have you switch sections. This was longer than I was used to (and am now adjusted such that 2min feels short) -- so at the very least it makes sure I consistently brush for a set amount of time and get good coverage.
We have a couple of Sonicares in the house, too, and I really like them, not only for the adults, but for our kids who are grade-schoolers but aren't very diligent brushers.Here's a suggestion, if you have several brushers in your household--buy as many Sonicares as you have bathrooms in which people brush their teeth, buy at least as many *heads* as you have brushers, and write brushers' names on their own head. The brushes are spendy, the heads are much cheaper, and they're pretty easy to attach/detach. Also, at least for the model that we have, the heads have a strong magnet on the bottom that my brother uses to hang his family's heads from the bottom of the frame of the medicine cabinet mirror--pretty convenient, no-space storage!
First off, I just visited the dentist for a second tooth implant. I've had cavities. I've had caps fall off. I have a chipped tooth that my dentist blames on nightly teeth grinding. If I didn't think that members of the fairer sex might read this, I might admit to not flossing regularly.Maybe I'm not the expert on dentistry? I've used both the expensive (sonic care?) and the cheap (braun oral b vitality). I remember when I first used the sonic care that my teeth felt extraordinarily squeaky clean. The sonic care got lost in a move, I replaced it with the cheap brand. I don't get the same "extraordinary" feeling, but when I travel and have to use a "regular" brush, it feels a little ghetto. I have a feeling that the extraordinary feeling got lost because of time/familiarity not because of the inferiority of the cheaper brand.
Thanks Ed! I'll check out the Sonicares, and anything to make our kids better brushers is a big plus.
i use the same one from costco. added coolness: it beeps when you need to move it to a different part of your mouth. your kids might find it fun to brush... the fact that it is electric also keeps you honest. you really brush for 2 minutes (or whatever amount of time is recommended by dentists..)
from my understanding --electric toothbrushes should have batman or spiderman on them and they are for 5-7 year olds who are not so good and the up and down motion. perhaps your dentist never mentions them to you because he figures you should have that motor skill down by now:)
I know I'm piling on at this point... but I LOVE my Sonicare. Held off on picking one up for a long time, but once I did I immediately wondered what took me so long. Do it. You and your family will love it.
A few years ago, my wife bought a sonicare. I must admit I considered "sonic wave tooth cleaning" to be BS, so I arranged a little experiment ... I rubber-banded 2 dinner knives together, smeared some cream cheese between the handles of the knives, and then put the rig underwater and ran the sonicare over one side of the knives. My question was: could the sonicare clean away the areas where the bristles don't actually touch?Results were a bit inconclusive, but it did look like it cleaned a bit further than the brushes could actually reach. Because of that, and because those toothbrushes actually make your teeth feel really smooth and clean, I'm now a devotee. I have one, and so does my wife. In fact, we even gave a few out as wedding gifts (the couples sonicare, of course).
We own both the sonicares & braun/oral b's. My kids & I use the braun/oral b's, my wife uses the sonicare. I think they both work well.The key is the feedback...the sonicare with the high speed vibrations feel more "magic" and I'm sometimes not sure how well it cleans my teeth. The oral b mechanically moves brushes on your teeth - closer to an old fashioned toothbrush - subsequently to me it feels like it's doing a more thorough job.
Thanks Seth (and Dave and Mike B. and Mike P. and Charles and Aura). I think I'll give the Sonicare a shot, especially if I can find that deal at Costco. The "magic" sounds cool, and hey it even passed the rigorous tests at DeGraaffLabs.
Bought the Sonicare... so far it's great--really does feel super-clean!I got it at Costco, 2 handles and 4 heads for $100. Definitely a good deal compared to what I saw elsewhere... only problem: Debby tried hers for about 5 seconds, started laughing and said "not for me!"
Sonicare -- all the way. I hate flossing and I do it once a week -- at the most. Since I switched from Oral B to Sonicare, though, my dentist has been complimenting me on my apparent flossing diligence. I used to get a lecture after every dentist visit.Once you get over the first try or two when the weird sensation will make you fear you made a mistake buying the expensive Sonicare, you will love the feeling of super clean teeth.
Thanks Joe... I'm a Sonicare convert -- been great so far. We'll see what the dentist says!
I think they are particularly good for kids because they make it much easier for them to brush efficiently. I'm a big fan.
I'm hooked, but they do accumulate some pretty nasty gunk where the brushhead unit attaches... cleaning it out doesn't fit my lazy lifestyle too well.Seems like they could do a better job keeping it water-tight.
I switched to the Ultreo. It seems to get less gunky. When I used a Sonicare, I had a recurring fantasy of putting it in the dishwasher to clean it. I wrote the manufacturer and they said it's not recommended. But now that I barely use my Sonicare, maybe I should try it. Let me know if you want me to and I'll try it if anyone wants.
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