Electric Toothbrushes and Braces

When wearing braces, your top priority is keeping your teeth clean. A manual toothbrush works great when used correctly, but an electric toothbrush offers features that make cleaning your teeth easier, faster, and even more effective.

With an electric toothbrush, you get a gentle clean that will not damage your braces.

Electric vs. Manual ToothbrushElectric Toothbrushes and Braces

With a manual toothbrush, you brush at about 300 strokes per minute. When you use an electric toothbrush, you are brushing your teeth at anywhere from 2500 to 7500 stroker per minute. This means that two minutes of brushing with an electric toothbrush offers you more cleaning power than a manual toothbrush.

Is an Electric Toothbrush or Sonic Toothbrush Safe for My Braces?

Yes, these types of toothbrushes are safe for your braces and provide them with a deep clean. A sonic toothbrush is similar to an electric toothbrush but brushes your teeth at a high speed of 30,000 strokes per minute or higher.

Sonic toothbrushes are great for cleaning braces because they effectively remove food and bacteria that can get trapped around your elastics, brackets, and under wires. Sonic toothbrushes also agitate the water in your mouth and the plaque on your teeth, making rinsing away bacteria more effective.

How to Choose Between an Electric or Sonic Toothbrush for Your Braces

Electric toothbrushes offer more cleaning power than manual toothbrushes, and also offer a variety of features such as variable modes and speed settings, rechargeable battery, and a 2-minute timer with 30-second pacers.

They also feature:

  • Rotating/spinning oscillating brush head
  • Interchangeable brush heads
  • Back and forth oscillating brush head

When it comes to sonic toothbrushes, you can expect to see similar features as the electric toothbrush but a big difference in motion and speed. A sonic toothbrush doesn’t spin or move back and forth to brush your teeth, but rather it vibrates at a high frequency utilizing sonic technology to clean your teeth.

Orthodontic Services at King Orthodontics

If you’re interested in learning more about caring for your braces, or you would like to schedule a consultation for braces or other orthodontic treatment, contact King Orthodontics today!