Electric vs manual toothbrushes – which gets your pick?

I’ve used an electric brush for a number of years. I feel the timer disciplines me to spend long enough brushing.

I also use floss and interdental brushes and I think my oral hygiene is pretty good. I’m 55 and with all my own teeth save for a couple of childhood extractions.

A downside is that in my experience Oral B brushes have a pathetic battery life and the batteries are very hard to replace.

Used a Braun for 4 years until the battery gave up then reverted to a manual brush. No difference in performance. The important thing is to clean between the teeth using an interdental brush, floss or a stick. Brush angle is critical. Angle down towards the gums with the side to side movement, after the up and down action. Very important – apply only gentle pressure.

In the past i used a manual tooth brush until i changed my dentist , i was told to see another member of staff at a cost, of whom would teach me the correct way of cleaning teeth, one part was to buy a good electric tooth brush, because my gums had swollen and i was wearing them away , i took there advise , and since then i have had no problems with my gums , and on top of that i receive compliments on how white my teeth are , for 62 that’s not bad , the model i use is oral b sonic complete.
PS . this is not an advert.

I do not believe that the response can be representative. Either or is a poor way to establish use of alternative and in this case complementary tools. My dentist for instance expects a full daily oral hygene to include electric brushing of gums and manipulation of manual brushing to deal with interdental gaps. Moreover both flossing and “pipe cleaner” tools of the correct size without forgetting the need to utilize most appropriate dentifrice for your particular dentature.

So just electric or manual when you actually use both is not the most effective data collection method and any analysis is misleading.

I have used a electric toothbrush for a number of years now a OralB a previous Which best bu I think my dental hygiene has improved (my dentist likes them). However there is another important factor that seems to have significantly improved my teeth. I use a very expensive toothpaste and mouth wash. It is called Ultradex the mouthwash is a eyewatering £8.20 a bottle and the toothpaste over £6 a tube. I am not the kind of person who thinks that paying more money is better-but the results prove it is money well spent, my teeth have never been whiter and not a hint of bad breath. I discussed this product with my dentist and he told me it was highly rated amongst the dental profession he also stated there is a considerable difference between these highend products and the average mouthwash and toothpaste.However I have suggested to Which they research and test these expensive dental products-so far no results?

I’m surprised that there is little mention of the availability of the wide range of head designs of manual toothbrushes and their relative effectiveness. As everyone knows there are now many types, some quite expensive. I actually know someone employed by a major toothpaste manufacturer who carries out research into new designs for manual toothbrushes. Nevertheless, my dentist insists the best type is one with a simple short head design, one of which is given to me free after every check-up, though all the time insisting I should change to an electric brush. I actually find the short head design is definitely the best for me compared with all the fancy shaped ones I have tried. However, it is almost impossible to buy the short head type in the high street now and I have to go to my dentist to buy extra ones when needed. However, the dentist says they are finding it more and more difficult to obtain fresh supplies. Why is it the manufacturers are totally ignoring the advice of the dental profession? Surely not because producing more and more fancy heads gives them a competitive edge, even though they are no more and probably less effective than short heads!