Your dentist can do a lot for you, but there’s nothing quite like a good brushing and flossing routine to keep your teeth and gums healthy. But which tools are the best for dental hygiene? And which could be doing more harm than good? It may not be the type of toothbrush that you expect.
Choose one of these toothbrushes for the best tooth and gum care—and find out which kind of common brushes to avoid.
Bamboo Brushes
Bamboo toothbrushes are a great choice for your mouth and the environment. These eco-friendly options come with just as many bristle and head-shapes as traditional plastic toothbrushes, but they give you the bonus of being made of sustainable materials.
Of course, some may feel those materials are worth more than ideology. With more people trying to avoid using plastic in their personal care due to chemicals like BPA, opting for a bamboo brush may turn out to be a healthier choice overall.
Soft Bristles
Look for brushes with soft bristles. Common sense might tell you that the harder the bristles are, the more they scrape off gunk from your teeth. But the truth is, they may scrape more than just food and plaque. Some of your enamel could go with them too.
Using a soft-bristled brush with a good brushing technique (one where you brush for two minutes while paying attention to each section of your teeth) will get better results than going hard with stiff bristles.
Diamond-Shaped Heads
Look for diamond-shaped heads on manual toothbrushes. The angle of these bristles can help you get to all parts of the tooth rather than just the flat surface area. Reaching the back of your teeth, especially behind the molars at the end of your mouth can be a tricky maneuver, but when it comes to diamond-shaped brush heads you’ve got more room to get at this prime food pocket.
Electric Toothbrushes
The deluxe option for toothbrushes is the electric option. These tend to be on the pricier side, but the results they bring are some of the best in the industry.
When it comes to the type of motion an electric toothbrush provides, look for ones that are labeled “oscillating-rotating.” These are typically round brush heads that spin back and forth, removing plaque faster and more efficiently than manual brushing could.
Toothbrushes to Avoid
You might be surprised to hear that these common brushes are less desirable, but both hard-bristle brushes—as mentioned above—and battery-operated back-and-forth toothbrushes can cause more damage to your mouth. The problem is one of intensity, where hard bristles and battery brushes simply come on too strong. This can scrape the enamel on your teeth.
Your teeth are some of the heartiest parts of your body, but once you get your adult set there are no replacements. Keep them healthy with gentle but steady brushing routines. Learn more when you make an appointment with Dr. Hersh at Advanced Prosthodontics. Call (610) 865-4222 to schedule today.