If you’re reading this, the odds are you don’t currently own an electric toothbrush, Don’t feel bad about it; we’re not going to judge you for missing out on what some people call the greatest things to happen to the world since sliced bread.
Electric toothbrushes aren’t just gimmicky tools. When comparing the two, you’ll find that electric comes out on top every time.
Intro to Electric Toothbrushes
Forgive us. We’ve gotten ahead of ourselves. Perhaps you’re wondering to yourself, “What’s in tarnation are electric toothbrushes?” The name pretty much describes it 100%, but allow us to elaborate.
Electric toothbrushes run on batteries instead of elbow grease. They feature rotating and vibrating bristles that can reach parts of your mouth and teeth that regular back-and-forth brushing with a traditional toothbrush can’t.
Of course, every model is different, and you’ll have to do a bit of research to understand what makes the best electric toothbrush models different from the so-so’s. Still, even when putting the worst-rated electric toothbrushes against any classic manual toothbrush, electric will always come out the victor. Should you be interested in switching to an electric toothbrush be sure to check out this guide.
6 Reasons to Upgrade Your Toothbrush from Manual to Electric
Now that that’s out of the way, we can discuss the crux of the matter: what makes electric toothbrushes so awesome.
1 | Unrivaled Cleaning Power
The spinning bristles are far superior to manually brushing. The fact of the matter is that the rotating, oscillating bristles are more capable of removing old food and bacteria in between teeth and on the gum line. Because the bristles are in constant motion, they’re able to swipe bacteria away from crevices more effectively than awkwardly angling your manual toothbrush.
An independent study concluded that old-school toothbrushes can’t hold a candle to electric in terms of everything. Electric toothbrushes do a lot more with less effort to stop plaque buildup and bad breath. This should be more than enough to convince you to make the change.
2 | Rounded Brush Head
So, how does it get into all of the crevices in our mouth and teeth? The rotating bristles are a great start, but the magic behind an electric toothbrush’s unrivaled cleaning performance is how the brush head is designed.
Each and every tooth has five sides—four walls and the top. It’s possible to clean all sides with an old-school toothbrush. Basically, the brush head makes the job a lot easier. It navigates effortlessly between teeth to extract bits of old food much more effectively.
3 | High-Tech Features
You can never be mad at a device that comes with a wide range of mouth-cleaning features. The cheapest, most simplistic electric toothbrush comes with rotating bristles, and that’s pretty much it. However, if you want to get the Rolls Royce of electric toothbrushes, you’ll get several cleaning modes, which typically includes whitening and massaging; sensors to stop you from destroying your teeth by applying too much pressure; brush-head reminders so you know when to swap it out for a fresh one; and even syncing the toothbrush to your phone to receive brush reports.
4 | Easy to Use
Nobody will claim the reason they don’t brush as often as they need to is that they need to exert more energy to move their toothbrush back and forth. However, if you were given the option to choose between stroking your teeth while being mindful of how much force you’re applying or letting your toothbrush do all of the thinking for you, most of us would choose the more convenient option every time.
In fact, you can even find child-friendly electric toothbrushes—that’s how simple they are to use. Do yourself and your kids a favor and seriously consider upgrading from manual to electric.
5 | Long Lifespan
Anyone who claims to be against electric toothbrushes most likely doesn’t want to pay so much for one. Granted, they’re several times costlier than their manual counterparts, but if you consider the lifespan of the device, you’re spending very little in the end.
You can expect to get three to five years of use out of a good model. Of course, you’ll still need to change the head every couple of months. However, when you take into account how better they are at maintaining dental health, resulting in fewer visits to the dentist. Basically, your investment will eventually pay for itself.
6 | Fun to Use
Sure, this is subjective, but we’re going to put it out there, anyway. If you’ve never tried using one before, you’re really missing out. They’re incredibly fun to use, especially ones that come with high-tech features. Plus, you might even get your child to brush their teeth twice a day without having to argue every night before bedtime.
Do Normal Toothbrushes Have Any Advantages Over Electric?
The only point where manual toothbrushes are objectively “superior” to electric is the cost. We’re thankful that you can pick up a pack of three for less than $5, but if you really care about your dental health, or if your dentist has warned you that you’ve been brushing your teeth wrong your whole life, it might be time to upgrade.
Want Cleaner Teeth? Get an Electric Toothbrush
Comparing the two kinds of toothbrushes is like asking whether you get more mileage from a 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid or a 1974 Honda Civic. Both vehicles can get you from point A to point B, but one car can do it much more quickly and comfortably while also coming with features you didn’t know you needed until you tried them. We’re not bashing anyone who wants to stick to using ole reliable, but if you really care for your mouth and everything in it, you’ll upgrade to an electric one and never look back
