Is an electric toothbrush always better?

[stella-ella]

At my recent visit to the dentist, I was told I should buy an electric toothbrush.

Having done some research on the best ones and spending £100 on a Philips Sonicare, I feel in the few weeks that I've been using it that my teeth don't feel as clean after brushing. This might be because the toothbrushes that I used to use had rubber buffing things so maybe that was what made me teeth feel smother.

So my questions is, are electric toothbrushes definitely better at cleaning teeth than a manual one? Am I just not brushing hard enough because I'm expecting the vibration of the brush to do more of the work? Are the bristles too soft compared to my old brush? Do I need some rubber scrubbing things in the brush to make my teeth feel smooth?

 

[carole]

I have an elec toothbrush and a manual the reason they tell us to use an elec brush is because some areas are harder for us to get to and brush properly like at the back of the mouth. My son has an elec brush but doesn't really like it and only uses his manual and he has been told his teeth and gums are very good.

It is all down to how good we brush or are able to reach the back teeth. I prefer the elec one as I used to bang my mouth with a manual and I found it hard to do the circular movement. I always wait until there is an offer on for elec toothbrushes because they are expensive, I also buy the brush heads on offer. I change my heads every three months.

A elec brush isn't meant to be hard because if we brush too hard it does damage to the gums so a soft brush head either in a manual or elec brush is best.

 

[littlething]

I think it's all about the technique. A lot of people struggle with brushing properly with a manual toothbrush, so then an electric toothbrush is better. I personally use a manual toothbrush, and my dentist has told me that he uses a cheap $3 manual toothbrush himself. I'm in braces now, and brushing is much harder, so I was contemplating if I should switch to an electric toothbrush, but I went in for a cleaning today, and I was told I should just keep doing what I'm doing.