When it comes to maintaining your smile’s radiance between dental visits, there is nothing more important than having the right toothbrush. However, one little journey into the heart of the dental care section of any local supermarket or drug store can often make one feel confused and overwhelmed as to which sort of toothbrush to get. Indeed; the galaxy of colors and styles of toothbrushes has multiplied over the years as new technologies have come about, and it is important to cut through all of the hype in order to find the right brush for the job. So, for this article we will be focusing only on the most common type of toothbrush that people use; the old-fashioned manual kind, saving discussion about the myriad of electronic brushes that are currently available for another article in the future.
To start off, one of the main (and most highly understandable) misconceptions about buying a tooth brush is that you should try to have one with stiff bristles. This is probably due to the fact that, over the years, dentists have somewhat changed their tune when it comes to this issue, now realizing that if you brush too hard you run the risk of taking too much enamel off of your teeth, and perhaps even irritating or damaging your gums in the process as well. So, one of the first things to keep in mind when choosing your next toothbrush is to find one with soft bristles so that you will be giving your teeth and gums enough even stimulation without overdoing it and working against yourself.
Secondly, there is what the toothbrush bristles are made of in the first place. Nowadays, toothbrushes are usually made out of nylon bristles, which is the considered by most dentists to be the best way to go. And, yes; some toothbrush manufacturers are boasting about the use of more fancy, experimental elements in their brushes, most notably the new “nano-silver particles” that are supposed to help with the cleaning process. However, while some research shows that using “toothbrush additives” like nano-silver (they even have nano-gold!) can supposedly be beneficial, there is overall not enough evidence in this department to warrant their extremely high cost. So, stick to nylon brushes and you will be fine.
When it comes to the size of the brush, smaller heads usually ends up being the better option to go for. Unfortunately, a lot of people end up thinking that a bigger brush will mean that they don’t have to work as hard to get the same tooth-cleaning results. However, a smaller brush head will mean more overall ability to make contact with all the tooth surfaces in your mouth, which usually ends up being harder to do with a larger brush. Also, the type of handle that the brush has can be important as well. Make sure to find one that is easy to grip, the more comfortable the better. And the more modern, curved style handle is ultimately more preferable to the old-fashioned straight kind, the angle itself making it more ergonomically possible to get that brush everywhere it needs to go in your mouth with ease.
Overall, the most important thing for you to keep in mind when choosing a new brush is that, when it comes down to it, having the right brush is just as important as how well you brush your teeth in the first place! Indeed; a worn-out or inappropriate toothbrush can make it so that you are essentially working against yourself, or at the very least working harder than you have to. Also, another motivator for taking the time to pick the right brush and replace it often (dentists recommend replacing your toothbrush every three to four months) is that the act of brushing itself will be more pleasurable, both because it will be easier, and you will have the peace of mind that you have, indeed, found the right tool for the job.
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