I have known it. I have told you about it. Now there is evidence of it (again).
The Philips Sonicare is the ultimate electric toothbrush. There’s no way going around it. I have written a post about it before as well but I had to bring it up again because there is new evidence supporting my opinion.
The Journal of Clinical Dentistry has earlier this year published a study A Comparison of the Effect of Two Power Toothbrushes on the Reduction of Gingival Inflammation and Supragingival Plaque. You can find an abstract of the study here. If you read it through, you must by now wake up from the brainwashed illusion that any other toothbrush would be better.
There is mainly two brands that can compete in the category of the best electric toothbrush – Philips and Braun Oral-b. That is why this study is significant. Of these two best manufacturers, Oral-b gets the short end of a stick I’m afraid.
Tried It, Didn’t Like It
So you gave the Philips Sonicare a go? Did it tickle like hell? Well that’s what it does in the beginning. There is an easy-start mode to reduce the tickling sensation in the beginning but I would advice to use it in full power as soon as possible. The tickling will diminish in 1-2 weeks. Just persevere.
Did you not get a clean feeling? There is certain technique to be used with the Sonicare toothbrush. Firstly, you should use a gel-like toothpaste and soak the brush head under running tap before you start brushing. This is because the sonic vibration needs liquids to travel to hard to reach places like in between the teeth and below the gum line. The gel-like toothpaste will dissolve quicker into water than pastes. If the mouth is too dry, the sonic vibration won’t work and this will result in poor cleaning result.
Secondly, you need to stop brushing. Let the brush slide slowly over the gum line (where the tooth and gum meets) and point the bristles where you want the sonic vibration to reach. The gum line is the most important area to brush, but once you have done this you can point the bristles directly towards the surface of the tooth. This is a brilliant way of reducing staining. The brushing like this will take about 3 minutes.
Thirdly, do not press too hard. If you press too hard, you will loose the sonic vibration.
Fourthly, change your brush head every 4-6 months.
By following these advices, you should have a squeaky clean teeth.
For the dental professionals, who have seen poor results with their patients that are using Philips Sonicare – teach your patients to use it correctly.
Hard Evidence
I’ve seen the evidence with my patients that Philips Sonicare does it’s business. I use it myself and wouldn’t change to any other toothbrush. But to convince everyone else of the greatness of Philips Sonicare, I am happy that there is new evidence of it. Here’s a quote from the study:
Conclusions: The Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Smart powered toothbrush reduced gingival inflammation, gingival bleeding, and supragingival plaque significantly more than the Oral-B Genius 8000 powered toothbrush following a 42-day home-use period.
How can you argue with that?
Read more:
Testing Oral-b Smart Phone Holder, Take 2
Testing Oral-b Smart Phone Holder, Take 1
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