How to choose the best toothbrush?

Years and years ago, since back in the existence of 3000B.C, ancient civilizations tend to use “Chew Sticks”, where they use to rub their teeth with it. Bristle toothbrush, like the ones used today was invented at 1498 in China. During that time it was coarse hair taken from hog’s neck and attached to bone or bamboo handles. It was actually very stiff. But the 1st Nylon bristle were introduced at the 1983 by Dupont de Nemours. They called it “Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush”. Even now bristle toothbrushes are used.

In the past, people did not have many options, but as technology improves we are more gifted. As now we have different types of toothbrushes to choose from.

1. Manual (They are the cheapest)
2. Powered (Electronic or Sonic)

In our present day, when we go to a store, there are so many toothbrushes to be found, and we sometimes wonder how to choose, which is the best for you. There are so many sizes, shapes, styles of toothbrushes on the market. And deciding which one to buy is in fact very confusing. This blog I am only going to guide you how to choose a manual toothbrush.

Below are some of the things you should look for when choosing a toothbrush. Use this Smileway Dental toothbrush guide for selecting a toothbrush. This is because selecting toothbrush is different from one person to another, while kids should use a smaller toothbrush, and adult should use a bigger one. But overall some factors to consider when choosing one. You should look for which best suits you from the toothbrush size, handle, shape, and its bristles.

Size and Handle:
Size mater in a way, that it should allow you to easily access to the surface of your teeth, especially able to reach your wisdom teeth (last molar teeth). There are so many sizes of toothbrush head, but most effective for some are half-inch wide and one inch tall. The handle itself should be long enough for you to comfortably hold while brushing. Its best to have the rubber grip for a better hold.

Shape:
There are different shape like rounded, square, and tapered. Which shaped doesn’t really mater as long as the toothbrush is able to reach all your teeth. We preferred the tapered ones as they can help reach the wisdom tooth area. But some of us also like the rounded ones.

Bristle:
If you ask me, what is the 1st thing I look when buying the toothbrush. I would say its the type of bristle. They are categorized into soft, medium, and hard. And most importantly it has to be made up of Nylon. Once again Nylon. Because nylon bristles don’t easily accumulate bacteria. Toothbrush bristles usually recommended are the zig-zag ones with curving arrangement. This longer bristles allow to clean between teeth to clear food debris easily.

Hard or Soft:
There are so many types of consistency of toothbrush. Some are softer than others and some are harder than others. We would recommend using soft toothbrushes because it is the most comfortable and safest choice. Comparing to the harder once, soft toothbrush are more softer to the gums, reducing gingival recession, and they are more flexible allowing easy access to the gums margins. However, if you are a smoker we would recommend the use of hard bristle to remove stains on the teeth, but be careful that incorrect technique of brushing may damage your gums, and can cause future problems.

Smileway Dental would recommend to use soft toothbrush because it is the most comfortable and safest choice. Comparing to the harder once, soft toothbrush are more softer to the gums, reducing gingival recession, and they are more flexible allowing easy access to the gums margins. However, we would recommend the use of hard bristle to remove stains on the teeth, but as it may damage your gums if not brush properly. Do keep in mind, for hygiene purposes it is recommended to change your toothbrush every 3-4 months, and to have a dental check up every 6 or 8 months.