Electric Toothbrush VS Manual Toothbrush

Over the era of man, we’ve had a lot of ideas for oral upkeep. From consuming certain plants to scrub molars, to using seashells as dental implants, it’s no surprise we have such a variety of toothbrushes after millennia of tooth brushing. But with all the technologies available to us today, we’re left with a new-age dilemma: should we be using an electric or manual toothbrush?

 

Though the basic design of the toothbrush hasn’t changed much over the past century (using a handle with clustered bristles), the invention of the electric toothbrush back in 1950s represented a huge milestone in our capacities and technologies. Originally, the purpose of the electric brush was to assist people with disabilities to keep up with their oral hygiene without help. But over the last 20 years, these instruments have become a staple in every supermarket. There’s been a real debate in our lifetime about the electric versus traditional toothbrush.

 

Of course, the manual and electric toothbrushes each have their advantages and disadvantages. We’ll lay out all the objective data for you, but your preference will almost always be the deciding factor.

Advantages of a manual toothbrush:

 

• Proven by generations of use to be efficient.
• Manual toothbrushes are cheaper, which also enables users to invest more of their dental budget in sensitivity-specific toothpastes or tooth whitening packs, or other dental products.
• Most manual toothbrushes have added features like tongue scrapers and gum massagers. The tongue scraper comes in handy, as only a tiny portion of the population invests in an individual tongue scraper.
• More portable in size and doesn’t risk losing charge or needing batteries.

 

Disadvantages of a manual toothbrush:

 

• Contrary to the electric toothbrush, manuals don’t have an installed timer—so, it’s easier to do a quick brush that ultimately won’t be sufficient.
• Without the electric action motion, the brushing is all up to you. You probably won’t move as fast as an electric brush can, and can also get tired if you try to brush more aggressively.

 

Advantages of an electric toothbrush

 

• Bigger handles—some people like having a more substantial handle to hold onto.
• The installed timer in many models is beneficial for those who are prone to quick or lazy brushing.
• For most of us, the massaging vibration motion is pleasant across the teeth and gums.
• Smaller brush heads mean electric brushes can be better for getting hard-to-reach places.
• Helpful for people suffering from arthritis or joint pain.

 

Disadvantages of an electric toothbrush:

 

• Electric toothbrushes can be very expensive, not to mention purchasing brush heads or replacement chargers and batteries.
• The science is indecisive whether these brushes are actually better, and therefore worth the investment.
• Electric brushes require charging or battery replacement, and you risk being left without the brush working on a trip.
• Electric toothbrushes are overall less portable than manual ones.

 

When it comes down to it, the best toothbrush is the one that you’re really going to use. Keep in mind that you should be buying a new toothbrush every three-to-four months, which gives you plenty of opportunity to try different options. Keep on trying different bristle patterns or styles until you find the toothbrush you like best.

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Teeth and Summer Sports

As much as summer sports are excellent for your physical and mental health, injuries do happen. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. If you didn’t break your arm while playing outdoors as a kid, surely you know someone who did.

But, what are the most common injuries to the face? If you said black eyes, try again—tooth trauma (including losing teeth) is actually the most common summer injury above the neck. Other common injuries include cuts to the lip and bloody noses.

Is there such a thing as a risk-free sport?

Unsurprisingly, some sports come with a higher risk of teeth injuries. Among the most hazardous summer sports for teeth are tennis, soccer, beach volleyball, outdoor basketball and football—in other words, the sports with flying balls. Just one simple mishap can lead to losing a tooth or breaking your jaw.

 

No matter how fun it is to get lost in the game, know what to do in the case of injury. Most accidents won’t be your fault, and so playing carefully isn’t enough. The only real way to avoid injuries to your teeth this summer is to not play summer sports at all, which no dentist would ever want to recommend.
So, what should you do in case of injury?

Some people win matches, others lose teeth. In the case of trauma to your teeth, see your dentist as soon as possible—especially if a whole tooth has come out. Store any whole teeth in water or milk until you make it to the dentist so they can be safely (and successfully) placed back in their spots. Knocked-out teeth should be replaced within a couple of hours, and usually will take few weeks for to stabilize. On the other hand, if your tooth broke, your dentist will have to design dental cups or non-metal crowns.
Should I always wear mouth guards? Even in non-contact spots?

The Academy for Sports Dentistry was formed in 1983 with the aim to protect sport players and to promote communication between dentists, doctors and coaches. Along with their injury prevention goals, the Academy recommends the consistent use of mouth guards. You can find standard mouth guards over-the-counter, which should be just fine for most summer outdoor sports. However, if you are a professional or competitive player, consider a personally-designed mouth guard crafted by your dentist. As compared with the generic guards, a personalized guard fits your teeth perfectly and doesn’t move when you experience a fall or hit. This makes them not only more comfortable, but safer and more effective.

Non-contact sports like tennis are less risky than contact sports—but that doesn’t mean injuries don’t happen. Whenever there’s a chance to take a ball to the face, or fall to the ground, mouth guards are the simplest and smartest way to protect your teeth. Just remember—playing safely only goes so far, because accidents can always happen. Just have your plan in place, and do what you can to keep your teeth where they belong!

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Are Dental Implants the Best Solution for Tooth Replacement?

Whether you already lost your tooth or will have one removed soon, teeth should be replaced as soon as possible. The loss of even one tooth has more implications than the obvious aesthetic—it affects your overall oral health, too.

 

Immediately after your tooth is pulled out, the jawbone around the tooth begins to retract. This process, known as resorption, is most dramatic in the first three months. Additionally, your surrounding teeth will start moving toward the vacant space, creating tiny gaps between one another. The migration of teeth makes oral hygiene more difficult, and can change the shape of your face.

 

Causes of tooth loss

 

There are many reasons why you might lose a tooth. In most cases, it’s the result of an accident. You could lose a tooth in a traffic accident or in a sport activity, or any other time you take an accidental blow to the face.

10 reasons why dental implants are the best solution

 

Research has consistently shown that dental implants are the best solution to replace the loss of a tooth. Here are nine reasons why:

 

1. A dental implant functions as an equivalent substitute for your tooth, both in appearance and function. You will feel, speak and eat just as though you had a natural tooth.
2. Longevity. With appropriate care, your implant can last forever, as compared with the dental bridge with an average lifespan of seven years.
3. Dental implants prevent the loss of bone in your jaw (resorption). In comparison to dental prosthesis or a dental bridge, implants are the only solution that keeps the bone intact, and has even shown to encourage jawbone growth.
4. Chewing is undisrupted with dental implants, as opposed to prosthesis. Your new dental implant is often even steadier than natural teeth.
5. Dental implants are not susceptible to cavities. But remember, it’s still important maintain regular oral hygiene—it’s not just for your teeth, but for your gum health, too.
6. You spare neighboring teeth from damage that happens during the construction of a dental bridge. Dental implants are also the most secure option to prevent other teeth around your mouth from shifting.
7. Dental implants in their current form are the result of decades of research, and all the newest technologies. Titanium-based implants have only been around for 30 years—this is your state-of-the-art option for tooth replacement.
8. You don’t need to add new products or tools to your oral hygiene. Brushing your teeth is the same as always.
9. You’ll keep your smile and your self-confidence intact. And with dental implants, depending on the cause of tooth loss, many patients report how their confidence and quality of life even improved after their implant.
10. In the long run, dental implants can be more cost-efficient than any alternative, because they don’t have to be replaced.

 

There are many other reasons why dental implants are the most beneficial, long-lasting and functional tooth replacement solution. And with advancing technology, there are now options to have implants placed with one surgical procedure instead of two. Each of these options starts with a consultation with your dentist.

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IS ANESTHESIA BAD FOR YOUR WISDOM TEETH?

If you’re over eighteen years old, you’ve probably gone through the pain of wisdom teeth coming in or getting removed. Not everyone has wisdom teeth, but those who do typically have to get one or more removed.

 

Why not all four? Statistics show that nine out of ten people have at least one ungerminated wisdom tooth. In most cases, the ungerminated tooth causes pain or infection, which is why dental experts suggest surgical removal of problem wisdom teeth—or of all wisdom teeth before they become a problem.

 

Dentists, researchers and anthropologists alike have written about the evolution of our mouths, and how our shrinking jaws have led to wisdom teeth needing to be removed. But is that the only factor contributing to some patients’ ungerminated wisdom teeth? Could dental treatments in childhood have an effect on their growth?

 

When it’s time to have one or more wisdom teeth surgically removed, your dentist will give you anesthesia so that you don’t feel pain. You might have already been familiar with that numbness and tingling from having other dental work done. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 92% of adults have had tooth decay at some point in their lives. You can imagine that most of us have therefore experienced anesthesia in order to get this decay treated.

 

In recent years, study has shown that the use of anesthesia might be one additional factor in increasing numbers of ungerminated wisdom teeth.

 

Relationship between anesthesia and disrupted wisdom tooth growth

 

Researchers from the University of Tufts in Boston, MA have found a correlation between local anesthesia given to children between 2 and 4 years old, and the absence of wisdom teeth. The results of this study suggest that giving anesthetic injection to children may cause disruption in the regular development of wisdom teeth.

 

According to the author of this study, it gives extraordinary food for thought that such a routine measure can lead to developmental disorder in teeth growth. Never before has anesthesia been perceived as potentially harmful, as patients rarely report any side effects following the procedure.

Why would anesthesia affect wisdom teeth, and not other teeth?

 

Wisdom teeth are more sensitive to external influences because of the manner in which they grow. Contrary to other teeth, their development does not begin in utero, but much later after we’re born. Between years two and four, we begin to develop wisdom teeth deep in the jaw—years before eruption. And, of course, they don’t reach full growth until we are adolescents or young adults.

 

In the beginning of its development, a wisdom tooth is hypersensitive to injuries because it’s not covered with bone tissue. The wisdom tooth germ is covered only with a thin layer of mucous membrane. When the germ appears, it is as thin as the needle of anesthetic injection—and the soft tissue surrounding it is very close to where anesthetic injections are usually applied.

 

Implications of these findings

 

The research shows that individuals who were given anesthesia as children, ages two to four, have four times the likelihood of an ungerminated wisdom tooth than those who did not receive anesthesia. And while this information might be surprising, it’s always at least a generation after a long-standing medical practice has been administered that we fully understand its impact. In the case of local anesthesia, we’ve been using it in dental work for over 100 years.

 

The most interesting impact this research could have over time would be if it promotes anesthesia as a form of stopping wisdom teeth from growing, bypassing problems and removal altogether.

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