How To Use an Electric Toothbrush? – A Useful Guide For Beginners

Every morning and night, we brush our teeth. It may not seem like something complex or important to look into deeply, but our oral health is extremely important. The way we brush our teeth makes all the difference. We know that there are standard ways of brushing our teeth and better ways of brushing our teeth.

One of the best ways to get a healthy set of teeth and gums is to use an electric toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes have been popular for a while, and many dentists have been trying to get their patients to use electric toothbrushes rather than use manual toothbrushes.

Although you may assume that brushing your teeth with a manual toothbrush is the same as brushing your teeth with an electric toothbrush, there are some differences when you use an electric toothbrush.

Many people feel silly looking up how to brush their teeth with an electric toothbrush, but you should not feel silly! Learning how to properly take care of your oral health is an incredibly important part of taking care of your whole self. Plus, properly brushing your teeth helps to get rid of bad-breath-causing bacteria, which makes your smiles and hellos a little bit fresher and nicer for those around you.

In this article, you will learn how to properly use an electric toothbrush as well as other oral health tips and tricks to keep your smile brighter, wider, and fresher for longer! Please read on to learn more about your pearly whites and how to keep them clean and sparkly!

Brushing With an Electric vs. Manual Toothbrush

To begin, we will go over how to properly use an electric toothbrush. As stated earlier, there are some small differences between using a manual toothbrush and using an electric toothbrush. It is important to know this information so that you can get the best effects out of your electric toothbrush.

Length of time

The first thing to know is how long to brush your teeth. Many types of electric toothbrushes come with a 2-minute timer programmed into the toothbrush, which means it will run for 2 minutes and turn off when the 2 minutes is up.

Make sure to brush for a full 2 minutes while using an electric toothbrush or a manual toothbrush.

Covering all sections

Some more expensive and fancier models of electric toothbrushes have prompts or make noises to tell you when to move on to the next section of your mouth. When using an electric toothbrush or a manual toothbrush, you should brush your teeth in four sections, spending equal time brushing each section.

The first section is the front of your teeth, followed by the back of your teeth. Next are the tops of your molars and behind your back teeth, and lastly, the roof of your mouth and your tongue. Aim to spend approximately 30 seconds brushing each section of your mouth. This ensures that all the parts of your mouth get an equal amount of brushing time, which helps to make sure that all the bad bacteria, plaque, and food debris are gone.

Pressure

Make sure that you are not pushing too hard when you use an electric toothbrush. Pushing too hard on your teeth can cause damage to the enamel, so be very gentle and allow the brush to glide along the surface of your teeth. Take your time and allow the bristles to cover one tooth at a time. This ensures that all the teeth are getting cleaned properly.

How to Use an Electric Toothbrush

1. Charge – Firstly, make sure the toothbrush is charged. Most electric toothbrushes come with a stand or a charging light that shows you whether or not the toothbrush is fully charged. Before you begin brushing, check to make sure the toothbrush is charged and floss.
2. Floss – Many people choose to floss after they brush their teeth. However, it is recommended that you floss before you brush your teeth so that any food debris or plaque loosened by flossing can be brushed away, and the bristles can get deeper between the teeth.
3. Angle the brush – When you begin to brush your teeth, hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle, slanting it towards the bottom of your teeth. Start with the front outside parts of your teeth and gently move the brush from tooth to tooth. Follow along with the shape of your gums and teeth, and allow each tooth a couple of seconds to be completely covered by the brush to remove plaque and debris.
4. Brush the outer and inner surfaces – Once you have completed brushing the outside surfaces of all your teeth, top and bottom, move on to the next section, which is the backs of your teeth. Do the same thing that you did with the first section.
5. Brush the chewing surfaces – Follow up the second section with the third, which is brushing along the chewing surfaces of your teeth. This includes things like your molars. Make sure to get your back teeth well and brush the backs of your back teeth as well.
6. Brush the edges of your gums – When you are all done brushing your teeth, gently guide the toothbrush along the edges of your gums to get rid of any extra plaque. When you do this, do not push too hard and be very gentle. It is very easy to damage the gums, cause bleeding, or irritate the sensitive tissue of your mouth.
7. Brush your tongue and roof of your mouth – Lastly, brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth. These are places where bacteria like to hide and cause bad breath later on, so make sure to clean them gently and thoroughly.

After you brush the roof of your mouth and tongue, your teeth should be clean and ready to go! Make sure to follow up with mouthwash and brush your teeth twice a day. Drink plenty of water to help prevent bad breath, and use floss when you have something stuck in your teeth to prevent it from smelling later on.

Benefits of Electric Toothbrushes

Many people think that electric toothbrushes are just another unnecessary piece of technology, but electric toothbrushes have some serious benefits. Not only are they capable of brushing our teeth much more thoroughly than we can with our own hands, but they are more powerful, easier to use to get a deep clean, and prevent cavities and plaque buildup better than manual toothbrushes.

More strokes

Electric toothbrushes are capable of thousands of strokes per minute, while a manual toothbrush can only average about 300 strokes per minute. This shows that electric toothbrushes are significantly better at cleaning deeper in a shorter time.

Preventing oral problems

In addition, studies have shown that electric toothbrushes are significantly more effective at preventing gingivitis and reducing the buildup of plaque than manual toothbrushes.

Even though nearly every single person could benefit from an electric toothbrush, certain people may find using an electric toothbrush even more beneficial than just for their oral health.

More effective

People who have mobility issues or trouble using their hands often find that electric toothbrushes require less strength and dexterity to use, which means that they can clean their teeth more effectively and much more easily.

More effective on braces

People with braces often feel and notice that electric toothbrushes clean their teeth better than manual toothbrushes. This is because the smaller brush heads of an electric toothbrush can reach under wires and around brackets easier. This means less staining and discoloration once the braces are removed, plus a healthier mouth overall.

Helpful for kids

Young children who are still learning how to take care of their mouths and bodies are another demographic that electric toothbrushes are great for. As they learn to develop their brushing techniques, they may not be brushing as well as they need to be.

Electric toothbrushes can help to clean their teeth better as they learn to brush properly and improve their dexterity and fine motor skills.

Reduces tatar buildup

Lastly, people who have a lot of tartar buildup can benefit from using an electric toothbrush. If your dentist or doctor has noticed that you have a lot of tartar buildup, you may not be brushing your teeth as effectively as you need to. An electric toothbrush can help to keep your mouth cleaner and remove some of the buildups.

Easier to use

Electric toothbrushes are also a lot easier to use than manual toothbrushes. Instead of scrubbing at your teeth, hoping that you are using enough pressure but not too much pressure, electric toothbrushes allow you to just guide it where it needs to go and let it do all the work.

Stimulates the gums

Electric toothbrushes also stimulate the gum line and help bring oxygenated blood into your gums. This can help to prevent gingivitis, reduce swollen gums, and help you prevent bleeding gums in the future.

Should I Get an Electric Toothbrush?

Your gum health is an incredibly important part of your overall oral health, and we often think that flossing is enough to help take care of it. Electric toothbrushes can help turn the tables on gum disease, which is super important to prevent.

And yes, electric toothbrushes are also an investment. Yes, they cost more money upfront than a manual toothbrush, but then you only need to replace the brush head every few months. If you buy a good electric toothbrush, it will last you for years, giving you fresh breath every day!

We hope that this helped you learn about how to use electric toothbrushes and all their great benefits for the health of your mouth!