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Not using an electric toothbrush. First time I used one it felt like I'd had a proper dental cleaning. An extremely half-assed effort with that kind of brush be
by yamtaddle 4y ago
Not using an electric toothbrush. First time I used one it felt like I'd had a proper dental cleaning. An extremely half-assed effort with that kind of brush beats a thorough one with a manual brush. I thought they were a gimmick, but no, they're amazing.
- xyzelement 4y agoYup! Also the Phillips ones are just based on vibration (as opposed to some rotation in oral-b) which is also much better for your teeth and gums.
- BilalBudhani 4y agoI'm about to order one for myself. Which model are you using? I'm thinking of getting 5100.
- fdgsdfogijq 4y agoOne word of advice: The more expensive ones are better. You dont need to spend 200$, but the 80$ one is much better than a 30$ one.
- wafflemaker 4y agogot a diamondclean and it took out some plaque that I couldn't get rid off for a long time. Used Chinese knock off for a long time, a Soocas. Recently thought about upgrading from $30 Chinese to $80 Chinese (OClean), the latter failed after 2 months. YMMMV ofc, but after that, and reading on HN about Chinese stealing IP from Europe, we thought about getting a Phillips (which my dentist recommended). It was a Black Friday deal, and knowing the differene between 5100 or 5XXX and one of the top brushes, Diamondclean, was like 1/4th of a dentist visit - we got the latter. And both me and wife think it's awesome. + you get a travel etui. The app sucks just like the Soocas and OClean app, but the vibration every 30s is enough "smartness" for me. Funny that the cheap Chinese sonic brush (Soocas) is still working well and I'm thinking about getting a shoe cleaning brush set for it. Phillips toothbrush doesn't last as long on one charge as the Chinese brushes do.
- SpaghettiX 4y agoMany people (including myself) have found their "sonicare" toothbrush break within 6 months. I got mine replaced under warranty, and it broke again after 1 year. Why does a 3 year old video for repairing Sonicare toothbrush have 425K reviews on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3PBPU2jXbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3PBPU2jXbo, with 2.8K upvotes and 192 downvotes. It breaks because a screw goes loose inside the toothbrush. I recommend you avoid Phillips electric toothbrush completely. I used a oral-B electric toothbrush for at least 8 years with no issues. And Phillips breaks in 6 months.
- pawelduda 4y agoWe replaced their sonicare toothbrush twice already. First one somehow ended up getting water inside and stopped working, second one I think had bent the toothbrush mount too much and it also would disconnect - could've been user error because it was unintentionally pushed harder than it was required. IMO they still have decent price and durability otherwise, compared to everything else so far, and no stupid gimmicks such as an app, lol.
- bena 4y agoYMMV, because I just replaced my 6-ish year old Sonicare because the motor seemed like it was dying out. I say 6-ish, but it's got to be longer than that, because it was three addresses and a job ago.
- josephpmay 4y agoI’ve used the same Sonicare toothbrush for 20 years. It somehow still holds a nearly month-long charge. It’s sad to hear their quality has gone downhill
- bckr 4y agoGentle reminder to anyone reading this to replace the bristle head regularly…!
- zucked 4y agoI have three different Sonicare toothbrushes in my house, ranging from 2 years old to probably pushing 5 years old. They've all been flawless - even the one my kiddo uses and abuses.
- gambiting 4y agoOr the Oral-B equivalent, the Pulsonic. I found it to be a great upgrade from my old electric toothrush(and it seems a lot more higenic too, because there are no spaces between the bristles in the head to allow movement, since the entire head is vibrating).
- pelagic_sky 4y agoHuh, my dentist told me not to get the oral-b because the rotation is bad for your teeth. They mentioned sonic as the preferred because the motion matches the grain of your teeth.
- Frost1x 4y agoOn a similar dental hygiene note, I was told I should brush before having breakfast, coffee etc. It always stood to reason to me that it makes more sense to just eat my first meal and drink, then brush, to keep a cleaner state of my teeth for longer but supposedly according to a few dentists I spoke with, the protection you get from the first brush is more significant than removing those first food particles. Chances are you already have a lot bacteria in your mouth and once you eat your breakfast (which for many is sugary) they immediately eat and consume this and produce acid. So, brush before breakfast, supposedly.
- oarfish 4y agoI think it's both the bacteria thing – getting rid of them before they can start metablizing your food into stuff to harm your enamel – and the idea that directly following food intake, your mouth pH level will be out of homeostasis and enamel may be easier to erode at "non-native" pHs and one shouldn't brush directly after. I'm not sure where I got that from though.
- Frost1x 4y agoYup, both removing them first and then layering a bit of protection (fluoride).
- hawk_ 4y agoThis can go wrong in either direction. If you brush your teeth and have milk shortly after, the fluoride binds to the calcium in milk and goes to your belly instead of staying with your teeth protecting them. On the other hand if you have orange juice or similar (acidic) and then brush your teeth, say bye to your tooth enamel.
- spoiler 4y agoWhy is there no winning in this situation?! I have never realised something as simple as brushing teeth can be so nuanced lol
- 4y ago
- fatnoah 4y ago> Not using an electric toothbrush. First time I used one it felt like I'd had a proper dental cleaning. Same here. It's completely changed my life. For mini-me, the built-in timer helps them be sure to brush enough.
- kibwen 4y agoFor ADHD brain, the timer built into the toothbrush makes all the difference. Sometimes that 30 second interval feels like five seconds, and sometimes I could swear it's been five minutes and I start wondering if it's broken. Nope, that's just ADHD time blindness. I almost certainly never brushed for anywhere close to long enough prior to my electric toothbrush.
- fatnoah 4y agoMini-me also has ADHD and the electric toothbrush has made trips to the dentist far more enjoyable.
- vultour 4y agoI wish there was a way to change the timer because I find it ridiculously short, I'm usually barely halfway through when the entire cycle is finished.
- browningstreet 4y agoMy electric vibrates the timer.. I just brush each quarter of my mouth for each timer period. The vibration is annoying, but it's a routine that works for me.
- coreyhn 4y agoI just discovered this recently as well. I agree it was better than I thought.
- ramraj07 4y agoDisagreed; bought and used multiple electric toothbrushes and quickly stopped. I felt I always did a better job myself; turns out I instinctually brushed for 2 minutes minimum and ensured I didn’t just do the circular motion (as the dentist pointed out the second and last time I went to one in my life). Also, I never flossed, I have an anecdotal theory that if you never floss you never open the gaps in your teeth so it’s actually better. Touch wood haven’t had to do anything to my teeth even though my dietary habits are some of the worst anyone around me has seen
- toxik 4y agoSome people just don’t get cavities very easily. You are extrapolating from that. Floss. For the love of God, floss. People carry around chronic gum infections in between teeth. Ask me how I know.
- altdataseller 4y agoHow do you know?
- AuthorizedCust 4y agoExcept the evidence on flossing isn’t strongly in its favor: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/tossing-flossing-2016081710196 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/tossing-flossing-2016081...
- Oddskar 4y agoOf course anecdotal evidence, but I solved the recurring inflammation issues I had by having a routine that includes flossing an interdental brushes. At a certain point you know where your "problem areas" are and where food tend to get stuck.
- toxik 4y agoSame thing here, I think this is really common and the “lack of evidence” as the article tries to frame it is just because it’s so obvious. There is also a lack of peer reviewed studies showing that you can drown in water but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
- matwood 4y agoNot just electric, but a SonicCare style brush. It's like leaving the dentist every time I brush.
- imglorp 4y agoThis. It's not really an electric toothbrush but you get far cleaner than one. My dentist is insistent. I've had the same base model for 10+ years going strong.
- ornornor 4y agoIt’s hard to trust dentists on this when they’re all in the pocket of either Oral B or Sonicare and will recommend whichever one pays them. Ditto “vet” food for pets, they’re very biased.
- Wohlf 4y agofwiw my dentist doesn't shill any products and still highly recommends an electric brush, even the worst ones are better than you can do yourself. She also said a water flosser is great for gum health but to still use floss at least a few times a week because they can struggle with large bits getting stuck where the teeth make contact.
- abdullahkhalids 4y agoThere is no conclusive evidence that flossing is helpful. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_floss#Evidence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_floss#Evidence
- ornornor 4y agoMaybe. A roll of floss is 3$ and 5 minutes a day. A filling at the dentist is 300–500$ and lasts 5–10 years before needing to be replaced + the pain. I’d rather floss just in case, it’s a cheap insurance policy at best and it does nothing at worst.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- onlyrealcuzzo 4y agoOn the flip side, don't brush your gums too much with an electric toothbrush. I destroyed my gums when my parents got me an electric toothbrush when I was 13 - and AFAIK - there's still not really any way to repair it. Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong! Would make my day to be wrong.
- aszantu 4y agoI don't know if this will work, depending if they're scarred or open, gelatine might work, add to warm water until dissolved, then keep in mouth for a while then swallow - I used to have reflux, gelatine helped a lot - it's also good for joint-pain (if u still have jelly in the joints that can be replenished)
- danparsonson 4y agoI'm sorry this doesn't sound plausible - any links you could share? How does gelatine repair gums, or travel from your stomach to your joints without being broken down somewhere along the way?
- robocat 4y agoHere's one thing I learned over the decades: if you have a problem you can't fix, it is worth just trying people's random ideas even if they sound kooky IF they are cheap and harmless. Usually kooky ideas do nothing, but every now and then one works for no explicable reason. I always thought I was a scientist by needing to understand a magnetism before trying, but actually real science is often just trying a bunch of random solutions, finding what works, and only then trying to work out mechanism! Testing and keeping an open mind is a worthwhile mindset, even if you only get the occasional win.
- danparsonson 4y agoOne thing I've learned over the decades is that my time is finite and precious to me and I don't want to waste it on weird tricks that have no basis in reality, so I don't think there's any harm in asking. To each their own!
- aszantu 4y agoI recently learned, that you can use crushed eggshells to replenish calcium in teeth, just add them to the toothe paste. (I use a canine supplement) If you're teeth-grinder at night, a few tiny pieces of eggshells help keep the grinding at bay, because you can grind on a piece of eggshell without danger and then relax again.
- acomms 4y agoAre you saying this method is to sleep with eggshells in your mouth?
- moffkalast 4y agoJesse, what the hell are you talking about?
- bxhsjbaian 4y agoI switched back from an electric toothbrush to a regular one. My biggest issue withthe electric tooth brushes, distractions. You have 2 mins, 30 seconds for each quadrant. If while I brush someone talks to me e.g. what do you want for breakfast, or you see something that distracts you e.g s spec of dust on the mirror that you quickly clean up. I end up feeling like I didnt do a good job on one of the quadrants. Yes you can start over and do more but I generally dont. So I wanted to get rid of the artificial 2 min time limit. :)
- giantg2 4y agoSomebody asks you what you want for breakfast? Clearly youve figured something out and I've been doing something wrong my whole life.
- itisit 4y agoThis setting you refer to can be disabled on most every Philips electric toothbrush that has it.
- arcticfox 4y agoThis reasoning is completely foreign to me. You’re ditching it because sometimes you lose track of the time (and don’t want to push the button again) for something that doesn’t have a timer at all?
- bxhsjbaian 4y agoI generally take my time and am very thorough in brushing my teeth. It just works for me. Had my first and only cavity in my mid 30s. I floss everyday. To me it seemed like needlessly complicating something simple. Must say, I just checked back HN and am surprised by this comment all grayed out. It is a real experience and life choice that's working for me. Not sure what to make of it. Guess just don't bother disagreeing online :)
- thiht 4y agoI have a basic Oral-B electric tooth brush and you can actually "pause" it. I gag easily so I sometimes need to turn it off, and when I restart it it remembers where it was. So sometimes I restart it, continue what I was doing and it buzzes after 5-10 seconds because I was almost finished. If a basic model does it, I'd guess they all do it! Also don't forget you can ignore the vibrations, just continue after the 2 minutes and count in your head if you need it.
- kirso 4y agoLiterally discovered this only a month ago :( I wish I've done it sooner.
- LeonenTheDK 4y agoCan confirm, I couldn't get over how clean my teeth felt the first time I used an electric toothbrush in adulthood. The vibrating rattled my skull at first though, that took a few sessions to get used to haha.
- champagnepapi 4y agoTHIS! I used to get like 5 cavaites a year, costing me between $300-$900 a year with insurance (US). Then i spent like $120 on an electric toothbrush, nothing ever since, and my gums are so much healthier according to my dentist. I learned this at age 29. Wish i used them years earlier!
- arcticfox 4y ago100%, and just a quick note that the quality of the brush makes a surprising difference. I was always skimping and buying $5-$10 electric toothbrushes when I tried in the past and was underwhelmed. I finally tried a name brand brush from Costco when my wife insisted and it blew my mind. Actually excited to go to the dentist to see what they say this time when I’m not full of plaque for once
- mooreds 4y agoI wanted to be sold on an electric toothbrush, but I've only used one off and on. How did you get into the habit?
- gwbas1c 4y agoI go to two different hygienists and they both recommended the fancy Sonicare. Specifically, the one you connect to your phone coaches you on the right amount of pressure and time to use throughout your mouth.
- ornornor 4y agoBecause they get money from Sonicare for selling them. They might really be better but how can you trust dentists on this when they’re all bought by either Oral B or Sonicare :(
- bckr 4y ago> an electric toothbrush, but I've only used one off and on There’s a good little joke in here. FWIW, I’ve gone back and forth on electric toothbrushes and settled on non-electric. I’ve found that a medium-firmness bristle and a rigorous and thorough brushing is what leaves me feeling cleanest. Plus it’s simple, easy to replace, and easier to properly dispose of. Then again, maybe a super high end electric would change my mind.
- ericol 4y agoSome 15+ years ago (Don't quite remember the year, probably 2005) I bought myself an electric brush. My gf at the time mocked me for wasting money on "such an useless thing". A few months later she went together with her sister to their annual dentist checkup. The dentist praised her sister for how clean her teeth were, while he told my gf hers were "OK". What was it that her sister was doing differently? She was using an electric toothbrush. I'm pretty certain you can guess what was the very first thing my then gf did coming out of the dentist.
- informalo 4y agoSomething related I came to know only recently is that it has been shown to be more effective to floss before brushing teeth. I have been doing it the other way around my entire life.
- Kiro 4y agoDon't you leave a lot of scraps after flossing? Not brushing afterwards is unthinkable to me.
- qwerty456127 4y agoMy dentist told me I should only use a sonic toothbrush Sonicare or similar because they actually clean while rotational electronic toothbrushes almost literally sweep the crap to under your gums (so they clean the teeth but harm gum gealth).
- havaloc 4y agoMine told me the rotational ones are better. And I think there's some empirical evidence there because when they polish your teeth, they use a rotational tool.
- e40 4y agoTry using a water flosser after regular floss. You will be genuinely surprised how much crap comes out. Since I started that routine, my hygienist has become extra friendly and chatty and say she loves working on my teeth.
- sergiosgc 4y agoThis, but for water jet flossing. Why did I muck around for decades with strings in my mouth? A water jet is a lot less effort and much much more efficient/effective. P.S. If you never tried these gizmos, get a portable, battery powered one, so you can use it over the bathtub (or in the bathtub). They tend to soak everything around you.
- worthless-trash 4y agoI saw these, but they felt a bit scammy, what model are you using ?
- Version467 4y agoNot who you were asking, but I use a Waterpik WP-100 and I'm very happy with it. According to my dentist they are less effective than normal flossing, but I hate flossing and was never able to do it on a regular basis, whereas I use the Waterpik once a day. I worked my way up to a fairly high pressure and it regularly removes stuff that I missed with my electric toothbrush. It also leaves you with a very fresh and clean mouth feel. I also wasn't very sure about them when I first looked into it, but it's really not a snake-oil product. It's also not the holy grail of dental health, just a reasonable alternative to flossing.
- TurkishPoptart 4y agoHow do you clean these out? It's gotten backed up due to water deposits and no longer gives the nice pressure feeling.
- Version467 4y agoI haven't had that problem, but I'd say flush it thoroughly with white vinegar and possibly replace the tip. Depending on how quickly you lose pressure you might also consider using it with filtered water
- kubanczyk 4y ago
- petodo 4y agoThis. I discovered electric toothbrush in my mid 30s, I have good teeth and brushed already with regular toobrush pretty good, but to be really thorough I had to be always tired after brushing, now with electric toothbrush I can achieve same result with less energy, less tired. Btw. I went through bunch of cheap noname toothbrushes to realize there is reason you pay for Philips and Oral-B brands, all cheap toothbrushes will fail within few weeks/months due to humidity or other failures, didn't have such experience with those two famous brands, wife and me use Oral-B Pulsonic Slim for years (extremely slim and light, but less powerful), for son who had problem with teeth I bought a bit better (heavier but more powerful) Philips HX6511 (still quite cheap, next time I'd buy this also for myself). Daughter has still cheap Xiaomi, waiting when it will finally break (from 4 I bought 3 broken), then will probably go for same Philips. Btw. be aware most of the electric toothbrushes still use old NiCd batteries with memory effect, so to achieve maximum battery life/longetivity you should NOT leave tootbrush in charger, but charge it only when it runs out of battery, if you keep it in charger stand it is significantly decreasing battery life with each charging to the point it is useless already by the end of warranty.
- rjh29 4y agoI've tried both water jets and electric toothbrushes and they do nothing for me. In particular the tiny circular brush just didn't feel as good as the full-sized bristles on a normal brush. I didn't feel as clean afterwards.
- J_cst 4y agoI had the exact same experience. I always thought that the electric toothbrush was something for lazy ppl, then only recently - spotting one of the best electric brushes heavily discounted - I bought it. I felt I never had my teeth so clean. A game changer.
- dvirsky 4y agoNot using a water flosser as well. It always looked to me like some novelty shopping channel thing. Then I got one and OMG this thing cleans so well, way better than normal flossing (which I was usually to lazy to do anyway).
- aighaelitjlaiw 4y agoI had the exact opposite experience. I bought a Sonicare Diamondwhatever and was incredibly disappointed. After two or three months of using that I had visible stains on my teeth that had never been there before. So now I'm back to manual brushing and I've had no significant problems.
- entropicgravity 4y agoBBC has a good article titled "90% OF THE PEOPLE ARE NOT BRUSHING PROPERLY" and they are right. Well worth googling.