Electric Toothbrush Reviews

Electric toothbrushes clean better than manual

Dental experts say that if you brush for two minutes at least twice a day, floss and visit your dentist regularly, manual brushes and electric toothbrushes are equally effective. It's how you brush that is important, the American Dental Association says. However, many of the clinical found that electrical toothbrushes removed significantly more plaque than manual ones. One study published in the March 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association found that 80 percent of nearly 17,000 patients improved their dental health after brushing with an electric toothbrush.

Electric toothbrushes are available with rotating, rotating-oscillating and sonic brush heads. Rotating brush heads spin around while rotating-oscillating heads spin around and oscillate from side to side. Sonic toothbrushes vibrate from side to side at a very rapid speed. Experts say that all types are effective, and the best one is ultimately a matter of personal preference.

The problem with any kind of toothbrush is that many people aren't dentally self-disciplined. A number of articles we came across during our research say that most Americans brush for only 30 to 60 seconds, which is half the time recommended by dentists, and it's not nearly long enough to enable the fluoride in toothpaste to work properly. Reviewers say the best electric toothbrushes come with a two-minute timer and are able to reach hard-to-clean areas better than most of us tend to do with a manual brush. The downside is they cost a lot more than manual toothbrushes. You can expect to pay upward of $30 for a good power toothbrush and much more for a top-of-the-line brush.

To choose the Best Reviewed electric toothbrushes, we relied on professional reviews at ConsumerReports.org and Good Housekeeping magazine. We also found several scientific studies comparing toothbrushes in dental journals. Many of them, however, are sponsored by manufacturers. We also relied on thousands of owner reviews at Amazon.com, Drugstore.com and Walmart.com.