Stroke Motion

Electric toothbrushes don’t all use the same stroke motions to accomplish the job of cleaning your teeth. The brush stroke motion you want will come down to a matter of personal preference because they all help to clean your teeth, and they can do a more thorough job than manual toothbrushes. Here are the stroke motions you’ll see in various electric toothbrushes.

Rotating: Rotating strokes will also sometimes be referred to as oscillating brush strokes. This type of stroke moves in circles all over the teeth, which can be helpful because it attacks plaque from all directions. Rotating electric toothbrushes can sometimes produce in excess of more than 7,500 strokes per minute, which is far greater than you’d get with a manual toothbrush.
Sonic: Instead of moving in circulation motions, these toothbrushes will move in side-to-side motions faster than you’d be able to move a manual toothbrush. Their speed is also way faster than an ordinary rotating electric toothbrush — they can move up to 10 times faster.
Ultrasonic: These side-to-side motions move faster than a sonic electric toothbrush, which results in more brush strokes per minute, reaching as many as 40,000. That can aid in removing more plaque.
Ionic: With this type of toothbrush head, the head itself doesn’t move. Instead, it uses a low electric current in the bristles to create ions that attract plaque, attach to it, and remove it.

Brushing Modes

Basic models of electric toothbrushes will only come with one brushing mode, but more advanced electric toothbrushes will have several. Having more to choose from can help meet your particular needs or concerns. Here are some of the brushing modes you’ll see:

• Clean mode: With most electric toothbrushes, this is the standard mode you’ll see. It often cleans your teeth for two minutes exactly, which is the amount of time recommended by most dentists.
  
• White mode: This mode is often a bit longer than the clean mode, lasting for up to two minutes and 40 seconds. The extra time past the two-minute mark is generally spent on polishing the outer surface of the teeth and it’s split between the upper and lower teeth. It helps remove the surface stains for sparkling teeth.
  
• Deep clean mode: This mode on certain electric toothbrushes can last as long as three minutes. While it’s not a mode you should use every day, it’s a great thing to do occasionally if you think your teeth could use a little extra stain removal or your gums could use some extra attention.
  
• Sensitive mode: This mode generally lasts two minutes, and it is usually gentler than the power of the clean mode will be. It’s geared toward those who have sensitive gums and teeth and sometimes find electric toothbrushes too powerful or irritating.
  

Battery Life

Most electric toothbrushes have rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that can last for weeks based on 2 brushings each day. There are some electric toothbrushes that use a non-chargeable battery, which means as soon as the battery loses its charge, you’ll need to replace the battery.

Brush Heads

Much like the brush heads that are featured on traditional toothbrushes, the bristles on the brush heads of electric toothbrushes can wear out with repeated use, and will generally need to be changed every few months. If your toothbrush’s bristles are bending when not in use, it’s time to change the brush head. Some brush heads also give you a visual reminder when it’s time to change the head by using bristles that fade in color when it needs to be replaced.

Brushing Guidance

Using an electric toothbrush isn’t much different than manually brushing your teeth, except the toothbrush will be doing all the work for you. At first, it might feel a little more aggressive than you’re used to, and you’ll find that you don’t need to hold the toothbrush as hard against your teeth and gums as you might with a manual toothbrush.

Here are the basic steps you’ll take to brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush.

• Prepare your toothbrush: Add a little water by rinsing your toothbrush. That will help spread the toothpaste around while brushing. After you’ve rinsed your toothbrush, put a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on it.
  
• Turn on the toothbrush: If you have a multi-mode electric toothbrush, you’ll select the mode and start it up by pressing the on/off button. Oftentimes, the electric toothbrush will feature a “pacer” functionality which provides a small bump when it is time for you to switch quadrants.
  
• Guide the brush along: You won’t have to press the toothbrush too hard against your teeth or gums, and most electric toothbrushes include pressure sensors that will help you to avoid pressing the electric toothbrush too hard or lightly, which could otherwise end up irritating your gums or providing an inefficient performance. Plus, the newest smart tech featured on many electric toothbrushes includes functionalities like position detection, which will show you areas you might’ve neglected on an app when you’ve completed brushing your teeth.
  
• Rinse when finished: To remove any excess toothpaste, you should rinse your mouth with water when you’re done brushing. Finally, rinse your toothbrush when you’re done.