There are many different types of toothbrushes on the market today with all sorts of claims and marketing hype that comes with them. I’m sure you’ve heard of ‘reach’, ‘cross action’, ‘360’, and ‘full mouth’ just to name a few. A common questions we hear patients ask is what we as oral health therapists and dentists recommend. So what makes a good toothbrush? Read on and we’ll share with you what our favourite is and provide a couple of tips on great toothbrushing along the way.

One of the biggest myths about toothbrushes is that it needs to be hard, or to be used firmly to remove bacterial plaque. Plaque in actual fact is extremely soft, and is kind of like a mashed potato consistency. Only soft bristle toothbrushes with gentle forces are necessary to remove plaque. Even medium softness toothbrushes with firm forces can cause permanent trauma to the gums and teeth. There’s a big difference between brushing in the right places and brushing too hard.

This leads us nicely onto our favourite manual toothbrush which would have to be the Curaprox Ultrasoft Toothbrush (CS5460). It is simply the softest and most comfortable toothbrush we have ever used!  Brushing with this toothbrush can be likened to putting on an amazingly comfortable pair of sneakers that hug your feet.  One of our on the ball oral health therapists suggested a try for the rest of the team to try this, and now it’s hard to go back to using another toothbrush.

This toothbrush has around 5000 bristles compared to 500 for a conventional toothbrush. Having more bristles, plaque removal is more efficient in combination with the correct brushing technique. Often when you start using a new toothbrush the bristles can start a little firm which can traumatise the gums, but with this Curaprox toothbrush the genuine softness helps to avoid this issue.

Being such a soft toothbrush, it is of course excellent for those with sensitive gums and teeth, or those who have tended to brush too hard and need to take extra care not to create further damage.

The only disadvantage about this toothbrush is that the brush head could be a little bit smaller to allow better access to hard to reach spots like wisdom teeth areas.

Here are three further tips for choosing the right toothbrush

– Comfort, comfort, comfort! This is largely why the Curaprox Ultrasoft is a favourite. Your toothbrush should definitely feel comfortable in your hands and never harsh for the gums. If you get ulcers or sore gums after brushing, then get a softer toothbrush or brush more gently.

– While toothbrush companies may heavily promote their toothbrush for unique features, the reality is that the extra cost you pay for the features will generally make a negligible benefit to plaque removal. This is because effective plaque control is mainly dependent on your brushing technique, and less so your toothbrush. Despite all the claims, no toothbrush will really help if you don’t use it for the full 2 minutes recommended for brushing twice a day, brushing all surfaces gently to the gum level.

– Go small. Use small brush heads for better access to back teeth where it is hard to reach. Children less than 13 or 14 years of age require small brush heads for their growing mouth. Adults can often benefit from having a kids size toothbrush to use occasionally to ensure a thorough clean of hard to reach spots, especially if you have wisdom teeth.

The Curaprox Ultrasoft retails for $6 at The Smile Team and can also be found at some pharmacies. Other favourites of ours include Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief Ultra Soft, Colgate 360 Soft,CareDent Toothbrush Sensitive Ultra Soft and Sensodyne Toothbrush Soft Small Head.  This is a completely independent, non biased article.

Our team of assistants, oral health therapists, and dentist at The Smile Team would be pleased to have the opportunity to personally assess and discuss the best toothbrush for you. We hope you’ve found this article useful.

Please email info@thesmileteam.com.au if you have any questions.