Different Modes for Different Hygiene Needs

We all have different dental hygiene needs and the manufacturers of electric toothbrushes recognize this fact; that’s why their brushes often include multiple modes that address different oral hygiene needs. In most cases, the higher the price of the brush the more options it comes with. At one end of the spectrum you’ll find cheap brushes with only one brushing mode, and that’s “on”; at the other end of the spectrum you’ll find brushes with several different modes for all occasions.

Being able to choose between different modes is a nice feature to have, but it’s not essential. Let’s face it, if you brush with an old-fashioned manual toothbrush there are no modes to choose from; you simply brush your teeth. The same is true with cheaper electric toothbrushes that simply have an on-off switch. But if you’re willing to pay a little extra money, it’s certainly nice to have the choice.

Basic Models

As we’ve already indicated above, basic electric toothbrushes don’t have different modes. They come with a simple on-off switch and that’s it. Their main advantage is that they still offer greater plaque removal capability than a manual brush and they’re helpful if you have issues with your grip due to arthritis or some other painful affliction.

If you’re looking for a little more choice in an electric toothbrush and you’re willing to spend more than $100, there are a lot of different options to choose from. That’s a lot of money to spend on a toothbrush, though, and that’s why a lot of people are perfectly happy to go with a basic electric toothbrush that can usually be found for under $30. If budget is your main concern then by all means go with one of these basic models, but if you’ve got sensitive teeth or sore gums you may want to consider paying a little more for your brush.

Intermediate Level Brushes

At a price point of between $75 and $100 you’ll find a few more options. Quite often brushes in this price range will include a normal mode, which is suitable for most people that don’t have any kind of dental issues, and an alternative mode for sensitive teeth. If you want to switch to an electric toothbrush, but you’ve always been afraid to do so because of issues with sensitivity, then you are going to have to pay a little more for your brush.

How the sensitive mode on an electric toothbrush works is pretty straightforward – basically the brush just slows down. The same is true whether you’re looking at purchasing a sonic toothbrush or an oscillating toothbrush. Either technology has thousands of brushstrokes per minute, and by slowing that process down, the brush becomes less irritating on sensitive teeth.

High-End Choice

When you get into the higher-end electric toothbrushes you begin to get a lot of choice. Some of these higher-end brushes, such as the Oral-B Pro 7000 series, have as many as six different brushing modes. That may seem like overkill, but if you can afford it, it is nice to have those types of options. For a brush with this type of variety you can expect to spend as much as $200.

I have to admit, when I first came across one of these brushes with all these different brushing modes I was a little surprised. It seemed to me that you really only needed two brush modes at most – one for normal brushing and one for sensitive teeth. As it turns out I was wrong, and I’ll freely admit it. Any dentist will tell you that you don’t have to worry just about your teeth – you also have to worry about your gums. That’s why some of the better electric toothbrushes include a brush mode for gum care as well.

Oral-B 7000

The one brush mode that you’ll often find on more expensive brushes – one that I hadn’t thought of before – is a mode for taking care of your tongue. Sure, I like to brush my tongue as I brush my teeth, but I never thought this needed its own separate mode on an electric toothbrush. Not only do some toothbrushes come with a mode for cleaning your tongue, it’s actually fairly common. I guess it stands to reason, as your tongue is full of bacteria. Other modes you may find on more expensive electric toothbrushes include whitening modes and deep-cleaning modes.

Hygiene Is an Individual Choice

I’m not going to tell you that you should rush out and buy the most expensive electric toothbrush with all of the available modes. In a lot of cases that simply won’t be necessary – especially if you have a perfectly healthy set of teeth and you’ve never had any real issues while visiting the dentist. If you’re one of these lucky individuals you’ll probably do just fine with a more basic model that only has an on-off switch. If, on the other hand, you do have sensitive teeth or gum problems, then you should definitely give serious consideration to spending the extra money and getting an electric brush that can help you take better care of your teeth. Once we reach adulthood we don’t have the option of putting our teeth under the pillow for the tooth fairy and waiting for another one to grow back in its place, so we need to take care of the ones we have.