Toothbrush Mania

[fightingspirit]

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So I went to Rite Aid to get a new toothbrush yesterday. There, I was struck by the number of toothbrushes they had. I was in a state of indecision. Not only are the brands numerous but there are many types (soft, regular, medium, full, +tongue cleaner, + extra brush head, +gum stimulator—whatever that means--electric, rechargeable, mobile brush tip, whitening….etc). all of them have shiny colorfull packages with some electric ones that have a try-me button. I thought to myself that as a future dentist, I need to be familiar with toothbrushes. Well, I actually spent about 20 minutes studying Rite Aid’s toothbrushes and in the end, I purchased 5 (one soft, one regular, one soft full, one regular full, and an electric rechargeable toothbrush). So I decided to start with the electric one. I have used it 3 times so far and here are my questions:

do you have a particular preference (soft, regular, full..?) and why?
do you really need to change your toothbrush every 3 months?
do you use an electric toothbrush and do you think that it is better than the classical toothbrush

finally, would you mind sharing the brand of your toothbrush

I’ll start with myself:

I am sporting an Oral-B CrossAction Power MAX model B1011….
(rechargeable)
what about you?

 

[BeamerM3]

The ONLY REAL toothbrush out there.......

SONICARE ELITE 7500!!

 

[fightingspirit]

The ONLY REAL toothbrush out there.......

SONICARE ELITE 7500!!

holly cow...it costs a 100 bucks on amazon.com...what differentiates it from the other electric toothbrushes? please share...thanks

 

[drengineer]

What? Toothbrushes? I've never heard of this thing before. God, this field of oral care is advancing quick.

 

[Truedat]

The ONLY REAL toothbrush out there.......

SONICARE ELITE 7500!!

Truedat!! Thats what I got! It feels like your teeth have been cleaned by the dentist every time you brush. Its awesome, after having a sonicare there is no going back

 

[fightingspirit]

Truedat!! Thats what I got! It feels like your teeth have been cleaned by the dentist every time you brush. Its awesome, after having a sonicare there is no going back

damm i need to get one....

 

[Fulcrum77]

damm i need to get one....

Just wait for D-school and I'm sure some Sonicare vendor will hook you up with one for free.

 

[fightingspirit]

Just wait for D-school and I'm sure some Sonicare vendor will hook you up with one for free.

can this vendor take me out for lunch and give me free tickets to cirque de soleil? 😀 😀 😀

 

[L8DYV]

i buy the cheaper generic ones (cause i really go through brushes a lot) but use brand name tooth paste!! yeah i know i should use oral b or something like that but only until oral b comes knocking at my door with free samples...lol 🙄

 

[fightingspirit]

i buy the cheaper generic ones (cause i really go through brushes a lot) but use brand name tooth paste!! yeah i know i should use oral b or something like that but only until oral b comes knocking at my door with free samples...lol 🙄

what's your toothpaste?

 

[dizzle23x]

i have a sonicare elite 7500 as well and it's worth every dollar

 

[polarnut]

please.......it's all about the Oral-B Professional Care 9100 Triumph!!!!

 

[Utes]

please.......it's all about the Oral-B Professional Care 9100 Triumph!!!!

I also use the Triumph, although I use the Professional Care 9000.

 

[L8DYV]

what's your toothpaste?

colgate whitening with oxygen bubbles and baking soda and peroxide 😀

 

[L8DYV]

colgate whitening with oxygen bubbles and baking soda and peroxide 😀

oh yeah, it really whitens as well too!

 

[L8DYV]

oh yeah, it really whitens as well too!

and one other thing, i'm a hardcore coffee and tea drinker!!

 

[crazy_sherm]

Soft is best to keep gingival and enamel damage to a minimum for anyone who has any inkling of ocd. Electiric toothbrushes aren't necessary if you brush correctly (modified bass technique), but since most people don't, so it makes brushing efficiently idiot proof. As far as brand, shape, cross-brissle, etc crap, it doesn't really matter that much. It's more about how you use it.

 

[INFNITE]

my oral hygiene regiment is quite intense. I always start out with a normal cheapo toothbrush with Crest Vivid White toothpaste. I would then switch over to a braun electric toothbrush for a complete cleaning of hard to reach spots. Next would be flossing, and then finish it off with a nice rinse with my trusted ACT mouthwash. Takes roughly 10 minutes per day, but keeps my mouth so fresh so clean 😀

I really learned to take care of my teeth when I had an outbreak of I think it was 3 cavities within a span of 6 months. I think I was drinking too much soda during the time, and the acid content was corroding my teeth.

 

[polarnut]

I also use the Triumph, although I use the Professional Care 9000.

dude, that is sooo ancient. what the hell are you thinking dude!!?!?

 

[colt]

I use the Oral B sonic complete (don't know model #, but it's the mid-level $99 one). I always use it on the soft setting because the regular setting seems way to vicious and can rattle one's brain. The "gum" setting is practically useless, but I suspect it may appeal to those with gum disease---not that it will do any good.

Considering the effectiveness of my toothbrush, the toothpaste I use is Crest Regular. Only a pea sized amount is needed because the TB causes it to "foam" quite a bit. Regular is also advantageous because it is least abrasive. All things considered, I've heard toothpaste is basically nothing more than a flavoring with a little fluoride.

As far as I'm concerned, manual TB's should be something of the past. It takes 3x longer to get my teeth as clean feeling. For the average person who spents 45 secs-1min brushing, every second needs to be optimized. Manuals also increase the likelihood of people doing more harm than good, i.e., gum recession or brushing too hard.

 

[colt]

and then finish it off with a nice rinse with my trusted ACT mouthwash.

I also use the ACT...good stuff. Sometimes during the day, if I don't have time for a full routine, I'll just rinse with ACT.

I think I was drinking too much soda during the time, and the acid content was corroding my teeth.

I had this problem about 3-4 years ago. I quit soda on the spot and haven't had one since. Soda is really sticky and can stick to your teeth after you drink it.

 

[lgreen_aci]

Oral B Crossaction Vitalizer is the best manual toothbrush if you ask me. The gum stimulators have significantly improved the health of my gums (they are much pinker, not as red).

I also have 2 Oral B professional series electrics (7000 series I think), and 2 crest spinbrushes, and some other older Oral B eletric. My bathroom look like a freaking dentist office.

I only use Oral B toothbrushes.

As far as tooth paste, I switch betwen Aquafresh Cavity Protection, Crest Cavity Protection, and Crest Whitening Expressions Lemon Ice and Citrus Ice.

For mouth wash I just bought the bigest dang bottle of Crest Pro-health Rinse I could find. Was a little skeptical because some people complained of an after taste, but I have to say so far I like this mouthwash better than any I have used before.

Crest White Strips for whitening.

Ha...yeah going to alberstons, rite aid, or walmart always includes a 10-20 mintute visit to the toothbrush/toothpaste aisle. It took me 3 trips of about 15 mintues each just to finally give Crest Pro-health rinse a try. lol.

 

[drengineer]

Oh man, what is up with you guys?!

Tell me i'm not going to be such a freak after getting a DDS. I certainly hope not.

 

[ScubaDr2B]

Soniccare Crest Intelliclean.....it has the toothpaste that squirts out of the head, works like a charm.....also have to switch up with some other toothpastes too.....feels like you get a prof prophy every morning 🙂 I think these are kinda high, and for what its worth I wouldn't have paid the extra money to get the built in toothpaste just b/c I'm not that big of fan of Crest, but hey, i got it for 30 bucks when a rep came by....sold on soniccare for life now

 

[Comet208]

I use Colgate cavity protection gel. For some reason it is the only toothpaste that after using it i feel as if have brushed and keeps my mouth fresh longer.
for toothbrush, most soft ones are OK. I am using the Oral B cross action now.
Can't wait for my free Sonicare!!

 

[gryffindor]

Oh man, what is up with you guys?!

Tell me i'm not going to be such a freak after getting a DDS. I certainly hope not.

Nah, not all DDS are so obsessed. I use whatever manual toothbrush I can dig up in my closet that the reps gave me. Sonicare is nice, but the design is too bulky to store it anywhere reasonably in my tiny bathroom and I'm too lazy to switch those little toothpaste thingys on the Sonicare Crest Intelliclean. I do buy toothpaste because Colgate sells many varieties in nice vertical plastic bottles which are easier to keep on my sink.

And I enjoy a can of soda a few times a week. What is the point of having teeth if you aren't going to use them to eat fun things? At least by being a dentist, I know how to properly clean them afterwards.

 

[geckel]

can this vendor take me out for lunch and give me free tickets to cirque de soleil? 😀 😀 😀

I watched them perform this morning on tv..........good stuff. 👍

 

[drengineer]

Nah, not all DDS are so obsessed. I use whatever manual toothbrush I can dig up in my closet that the reps gave me. Sonicare is nice, but the design is too bulky to store it anywhere reasonably in my tiny bathroom and I'm too lazy to switch those little toothpaste thingys on the Sonicare Crest Intelliclean. I do buy toothpaste because Colgate sells many varieties in nice vertical plastic bottles which are easier to keep on my sink.

And I enjoy a can of soda a few times a week. What is the point of having teeth if you aren't going to use them to eat fun things? At least by being a dentist, I know how to properly clean them afterwards.

Finally, i meet a normal person!

 

[Gl4di4tor]

I use a bamboo stick and some soap, and I use my mom's long thick hair as floss.

 

[mlle]

i use a soft toothbrush - generic, change it up every so often. the toothpaste and water are more important i think. I use jason's natural's toothpaste or this neem toothpaste. both lack lauryl sulfates and sport calcium carbonate instead... much less abrasive on your enamel = much healthier. the jason one has no fluoride (no danger of fluorosis). i also have a water filter to take out a whole bunch of crap from my water. i'm a bit of a (modernized) hippie.

i can't bring myself to bleach although i'll probably have to some day when my patients have mouth to glare at... or not. i'm holding off till someone comes up with some bleaching technique that won't destroy my teeth.

 

[Comet208]

i can't bring myself to bleach although i'll probably have to some day when my patients have mouth to glare at... or not. i'm holding off till someone comes up with some bleaching technique that won't destroy my teeth.

Bleaching isnt that bad if used moderately. I am sure almost all of us bleached our teeth before our interviews. I made sure i did mine (at home).

 

[gryffindor]

i use a soft toothbrush - generic, change it up every so often. the toothpaste and water are more important i think. I use jason's natural's toothpaste or this neem toothpaste. both lack lauryl sulfates and sport calcium carbonate instead... much less abrasive on your enamel = much healthier. the jason one has no fluoride (no danger of fluorosis). i also have a water filter to take out a whole bunch of crap from my water. i'm a bit of a (modernized) hippie.

i can't bring myself to bleach although i'll probably have to some day when my patients have mouth to glare at... or not. i'm holding off till someone comes up with some bleaching technique that won't destroy my teeth.

I don't recall fluorosis being a problem from the amount of fluoride in toothpaste when used on fully developed adult teeth. Maybe if you are eating the whole tube each night.

I smell a holistic dentist coming up.

 

[mlle]

I don't recall fluorosis being a problem from the amount of fluoride in toothpaste when used on fully developed adult teeth. Maybe if you are eating the whole tube each night.

I smell a holistic dentist coming up.

is a holistic inclination that frowned upon?

 

[mlle]

Bleaching isnt that bad if used moderately. I am sure almost all of us bleached our teeth before our interviews. I made sure i did mine (at home).

really? i guess it makes sense, i mean you need to make the best oral impression possible at your interview, moreso than anywhere else... do you think it's ok to have braces when interviewing?

 

[crazy_sherm]

I use jason's natural's toothpaste or this neem toothpaste. both lack lauryl sulfates and sport calcium carbonate instead... much less abrasive on your enamel = much healthier. the jason one has no fluoride (no danger of fluorosis).

Is that what it tells you on the package? Sodium lauryl sulfate is a surfactant, not an abrasive. The calcium carbonate probably works great for raising the pH while you're using it, but you don't brush your teeth all the time. Chewing baking soda gum would likely have a better effect. And unless your teeth are still developing, you shouldn't have any fear of fluorosis. Actually, without fluoride, I would worry more about lack of remineralization.

 

[mlle]

Is that what it tells you on the package? Sodium lauryl sulfate is a surfactant, not an abrasive. The calcium carbonate probably works great for raising the pH while you're using it, but you don't brush your teeth all the time. Chewing baking soda gum would likely have a better effect. And unless your teeth are still developing, you shouldn't have any fear of fluorosis. Actually, without fluoride, I would worry more about lack of remineralization.

sodium lauryl sulfate is not meant to serve as an abrasive, but it does. it is in the form of much larger crystals than calcium carbonate. i agree about fluorosis being a childhood problem, but I also know that there have been studies done to show that lack of fluoride is not a cause of disease, in fact it has been related to decline of dental problems in certain communities. So I guess that I'm of the mindset if it's not broken, let it be. also, the compound through which fluoride is delivered can have a big impact on its funtion and effect. Silicofluorides, for example are 85 times more toxic than naturally-occurring calcium fluoride... In any case, moderation is key, and I'm not a holistic "puritan". I also use a fluoride toothpaste half the time.

 

[Comet208]

really? i guess it makes sense, i mean you need to make the best oral impression possible at your interview, moreso than anywhere else... do you think it's ok to have braces when interviewing?

Having braces is completely fine in an interview as long as you are comfy with them. I kow of someone that took her braces off for her interviews for the aesthetic reasons. but she would have been fine eitherway.

 

[mlle]

speaking of fluoride... check this out

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=133828