Toothbrushes: Expensive Electric Vs. Battery Drugstore

Whenever I've gone to the dentist, they've talked to me about the Sonic Care brushes (or others) they sell and how good they are for your gums. I've been seriously tempted to shell out the $90 or so dollars. Compared to dental work for gum disease, it seemed like a bargain.

But my inner frugal wouldn't let me make a quick decision a few years ago when I was at the dentist's office. I went home instead and did some research on electric vs. manual toothbrushes. I looked on the Internet and sites that did reviews like Consumer Reports and Good Housekeeping.

What I found was a bit surprising. The research done has shown no difference between the cleaning that you get from a manual brush versus an electric WHEN (here's the key) you use the manual brush for the 2 minutes that the Sonic timer is set for. And their results showed that most people don't get anywhere close to two minutes when brushing with a regular brush.

There was also no real difference between how the expensive brushes cleaned versus cheap battery brushes except for two: the $90 brush gives you a rechargable battery and a timer. Literally, folks, these were the only differences between a brush you could by for $5.99 and one for $90. AND, there were some reports that a few of the expensive brands were too strong for your gums and didn't slow down when they came into contact with them, potentially causing damage. Cha-ching! Just saved us about $84!

So, I purchased a Crest Spinbrush (actually, I think I may have started with an Oral B, but I didn't like the design of their heads- it caught lots of debris), 2 rechargable AA batteries (for a charger we already had), and borrowed my daughter's 2-minute timer from the orthodontist.

I've used this now for a little more than a year. I confess I don't always use the timer- once I realized how long two minutes felt like, I didn't need it anymore. I'm sure I'm brushing for only about 1-1/2 minutes, though, to be honest.

OK, here's why I'm posting this (bet you were wondering...). At my first check up after starting with the electric, they noticed improvement in my gums. They do this gum check using a measuring device that one hygenist uses to measure the pockets (which indicate gingivitis), and calls out numbers between 1-4 to another hygenist. I'm sorry for anyone who knows the technical term for this - I only know to describe it this way. I had mostly 1s and 2s with some 3s and two 4s. Last (visit I had about four 4s.

Now it gets better.

On my last visit a few weeks ago, I had NO 4s and only two 3s! I'd like to say this is because I floss everyday, but...well, I'm sure you know how that goes. The only difference in my oral care was the electric brush, and it was the CHEAP one- whoo-hoo!

So, if you've already invested in the expensive one, keep using it- it obviously helps us brush better than we usually do with a manual. BUT if you're using a regular brush, I would encourage you to try one of the battery drugstore manuals. I'm glad I did.

Oh, and I don't think the hygenist was excited that I said I just used the cheap Crest brush. She kinda looked pained and said, "whatever works for you."

And I say, yea, baby- it works for me!

-Jami