Electric Toothbrushes

Science and technology have made lives considerably easier as well as hassle-free. They have provided benefits to mankind in every single way and in every single field. In the field of healthcare and medicine, technology has been immensely beneficial, one such gain offered is the electric toothbrush, which has changed the way of oral cleaning and maintaining proper oral hygiene.

As the name implies, an electric toothbrush uses electricity in order to allow for the motion of the bristles to and fro or rotational manner in order to clean the teeth and gums of debris and germs. The motions of the bristles are brought about using an electric motor or piezoelectric crystals.

The first electric toothbrush was invented in Switzerland by Dr. Philip Guy Woog, who marketed the product as “Broxodent”. The toothbrush had a plug that connected to the mains power supply in order to function and was intended for patients with limited motor skills and for those who have had dental surgery or braces. The first wireless toothbrush was produced by General Electric in the 1960s, with the power of the device coming from rechargeable batteries. As time passed and regulations became stricter on electric toothbrushes using mains voltage for being unsafe, battery-operated toothbrushes gained credence and nowadays every modern electric toothbrush runs on battery power due to the portability and the ease of use provided by batteries.

Electric toothbrushes can be classified on the basis of their motion or on the basis of their speed. Electric toothbrushes are either vibration-based or rotation based depending upon the type of motion they employ to clean the teeth. A vibrating toothbrush is to be used in a similar manner as a regular toothbrush, while a rotation toothbrush involves the user moving the brush slowly from teeth to teeth to let it perform its cleaning action.

On the basis of speed, electric toothbrushes can be classified as standard power, sonic or ultrasonic toothbrushes. Standard toothbrushes operate below 20 Hz, while sonic toothbrushes operate between the ranges of 20 to 20,000 Hz. Ultrasonic toothbrushes operate beyond 20,000 Hz. These different toothbrushes have different cleaning speeds to ensure that the teeth and the gums are effectively cleaned.

Modern electric toothbrushes also contain a variety of other features, which include a timer that reminds the user if they spend too much time brushing their teeth. They may also have LED lights or LCD screens to display battery levels as well as other important information. Electric toothbrushes also have pressure sensors that detect if the user is applying too much force while cleaning their teeth and send out a warning in the form of a buzzing sound. They also have switches and buttons to increase or decrease the intensity of the motion or speed at which the toothbrush cleans the teeth.

A variety of options are available in the market today, which makes it difficult to decide on the correct electric toothbrush according to our needs. The dental professionals at Belvedere Family Dentistry can help you with your dental queries as well as your dental ailments with their knowledgeable yet caring staff.