How to Use an Electric Toothbrush
Thinking of switching from a manual to an electric toothbrush? Well, we’ve got good news! The proper brushing techniques remain basically same no matter what type of toothbrush you use. Here are some general techniques for how to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush and general care procedures when using an electric toothbrush.
1. Check Your Charge
You cannot use your electric toothbrush if it’s out of battery! It’s important to keep tabs on the battery life of your electric toothbrush. While some brushes have a rechargeable battery, others include separate batteries that you will have to swap out every 4 to 6 weeks. To know if your electric toothbrush is rechargeable or needs new batteries, it’s important to check the make and model.
2. Guide the Toothbrush
The primary difference in proper brushing techniques between manual vs. electric toothbrushes is how you use your hand. With a manual brush, you have to use a circular motion when applying strokes to each tooth. Conversely, because they vibrate and have oscillating plus rotating capabilities, electric toothbrushes do the hard work for you!
Rather than brushing back and forth, gently use your brushing hand to guide the electric toothbrush over your top and bottom teeth and gums. You want to dedicate the same amount of time to all four quadrants of your mouth, but don’t forget to brush the back of your teeth, the roof of your mouth, and your tongue as well! The tongue is home to both naturally occurring bacteria as well as bacteria produced from the consumption of food and drink, and brushing your tongue can help to get rid of bad breath and prevent plaque buildup.
3. Hold at 45-Degree Angle
Knowing how to hold the toothbrush—whether you’re using manual or electric—is an important part of properly cleaning your teeth and maintaining strong oral health habits. You do not want to hold the brush at a 90-degree angle perpendicular to your teeth. Simultaneously, avoid brushing each tooth vertically. Instead, you should make sure you hold the brush at a 45-degree angle and aim where the gum line meets the tooth.
Why is it so important to maintain a 45-degree angle? Well, that intersection where gumline meets tooth is like the epicenter for where plaque and calculus tend to collect. If you fail to adequately remove plaque from your mouth, it can lead to cavities and other oral health issues. Angling your electric toothbrush helps ensure you are getting an optimal clean for your gum lines—with electric toothbrushes effectively removing plaque and debris so you can maintain healthy gums.
4. Time it Out
Since they are battery powered and offer more strokes per minute, you might be wondering how long to brush your teeth with an electronic toothbrush. Regardless of whether you use a manual or electric toothbrush, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing your teeth for two minutes each time you clean your chompers—which should be twice per day. If this seems like a random or arbitrary number to you, allow us to elaborate!
A past study from the Journal of Dental Hygiene discussed that the average person spends about 45 seconds brushing their teeth, less than half the recommended time. The participants in the study were instructed to use different brushing times to help measure effective plaque removal. Ultimately, the conclusions were that brushing for two minutes helped remove up to 26% more plaque as compared to brushing for 45 seconds. Chew on that for a second!
The best way to think about this is by brushing each of the four quadrants of your mouth for 30 seconds apiece. But, if you’re a parent, you might be worried about your kids properly timing things out when you’re teaching them how to brush. Fear not! Some electric toothbrushes, like the Spinbrush™ Smart Clean™ Glow in the Dark Toothbrush, have built-in timers that help your kids brush properly for a more thorough and effective clean!
5. Rinse The Head
Rinsing your toothbrush head helps to remove leftover toothpaste, food particles, and bacteria from the bristles. But you also want to ensure you do not submerge your electric toothbrush to avoid any water leaking into the battery area.
You want to remove the replaceable toothbrush head and run the bristles through warm water. Make sure to shake out any excess water from the brush head or handle before reattaching the head. You should replace your electric toothbrush head every 3 months, and sooner if the bristles look worn.
6. Store the Toothbrush Properly
Whether you use a cup or holder or have a charging port, you want to make sure your electric toothbrush is vertical and uncovered after each use. It’s important to allow the brush to air dry. Keeping the electric toothbrush in an enclosed environment (like a container) may lead to the growth of more microorganisms than in the open air.
Additionally, avoid simply laying your electric toothbrush down flat, as this may cause excess water left on the bristles to pool. That, in turn, can become a breeding ground for bacteria.
From start to finish, you can see that brushing with an electric toothbrush is very similar to using a manual toothbrush. Make sure you keep the brush angled and clean your teeth for two minutes at a time so you can maintain a bright, healthy smile!
Do You Wet an Electric Toothbrush?
You can wet electric toothbrushes before use, and many electric toothbrushes are made of waterproof materials, meaning you could brush your teeth in the shower if you so choose. But again, refrain from submerging your electric toothbrush to prevent water from leaking into the battery area.
Do You Apply Pressure When Using an Electric Toothbrush?
You should only apply a little bit of pressure when using an electric toothbrush because the rotating or vibrating does most of that work for you. Brushing too hard can cause scattered toothbrush bristles, tooth sensitivity and bleeding gums.
Brush gently and trust in your electric toothbrush to clean your teeth top to bottom, back to front!
Get Started with Spinbrush™ Electric Toothbrushes!
Now that you know how to use an electric toothbrush and the benefits of plaque removal vs. a manual toothbrush, why not make the switch over? Spinbrush™ offers several electric toothbrushes for both kids and adults, including:
Some Spinbrush™ Kids Electric Toothbrushes also feature fun character connections like CoComelon™, Paw Patrol™, Super Mario™, Spider-Man™, and more. The connections move through the ages and stages of adolescence just like your child!
Choose Spinbrush™ electric toothbrushes for a rewarding cleaning, then buy some for your kids and the rest of the family, too!
