Have been given one of those fancy schmancy electronic toothbrushes y’all. I’m not really one for brushing my teeth, and have no problems with them whatsoever. Apart from a bit of the old plaque of course. So I started to use this geegaw and I must say, the old toothypegs feel proper smooth after use. Then I had a better squint at my gnashers last night and holy moly I can see it has been stripping off the plaque at an astonishing rate. But what happens once the plaque is gone? It is gonna start stripping off layers of enamel, right? As amazing as it is to see the plaque coming off, surely this isn’t a gadget to use every day, twice a day is it? It seems a lot of people only use electronic toothbrushes. This isn’t good is it? I’m thinking of using it like once a month, and combine it with my pre-existing sporadic brushing regimen.
Any thoughts on this? Anyone use them all the time? Is tooth enamel super tough and I’m being a bit dim?
No, enamel does get stripped, by sugar and acid in fruit, milk, etc. Electric toothbrushes actually help because the pressure is even. Manual tbs can be more harsh because they brush the front-ier surfaces of the teeth more than the inbetweeny bits, and also, most folk tend to over-grip.
Are your teeth transparent at the edges? That’s sometimes (but not always) a sign you are over-brushing.
As the first-born child of a teenaged mother, I have concrete teeth.
Get yo ass into flossing, also!
My wife gave me one of those and I rarely use it. I prefer manual.
I didn’t notice any problem with it wearing off the enamal; if anything, I felt it didn’t scrub very hard.
But apparently I’ve been a little too maniacal about my brushing over the years, not only wearing off enamel but also pushing the gums back too far so that the lower portions of the teeth are starting to be exposed where they shouldn’t be. So my dentist has showed me how to brush very gently. In fact, he showed me a brushing technique so gentle it seems wimpy and ineffective. He suggested putting the regular brush at a 45 degree angle against the base of the tooth and then just wiggling the brush back and forth, so it wouldn’t actually slide to and fro over the teeth but would just remain in one place with the brush flexing left and right on the teeth. Then move brush to next spot and wiggle it gently again. As I said, that seems a bit much, but I’ve been trying to be more kind to my teeth and gums by brushing more gently, because I believe one CAN remove the enamal (and the gums) if one is too vigorous when brushing.
I think you’re on to something Tom. I’ve got one that seeming can abraid paint off a battlship.
I’ve been using an electric tooth brush daily for probably 10 years. I’ve never noticed any wearing of enamel and my dentist back home said they were effective.
You sure that’s to do with your teeth? Just referring to comments in another thread.
HG
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]My wife gave me one of those and I rarely use it. I prefer manual.
[/quote]
out of context quote…
My dentist advised me to use an electric toothbrush to reduce wear on my teeth. I also have to use the bloody expensive Sensodyne ProNamel toothpaste, and drink fruit juice through a straw (I don’t bother with that piece of advice).
Drinking fruit juice?
I do actually drink quite a lot of fruit juice, but I don’t bother drinking it through a straw. I was also advised to cut down on wine, but that would be even more ridiculous.
Electric toothbrushes seem slothful to my mind. Why not just learn proper regular strokes with a manual? It takes some time & discipline, but then so does the proper wiping maintenance at the other end.
that’s the only end i use the electric brush.
there’s less inventive to share as a result.
My dentist said that electric is better. He said there have been studies by scientists that show this. Scientists are stupid.