Do electric toothbrushes cause the gums to receed?!
Question:
My dentist told me that my electric toothbrush (Sonic Care) with cause my gums to further receed (i'm about 2mm ahead of schedule) due to the "excessive force" they put on the gums (he recommended I get a soft bristle toothbrush). Is this true?
Answers:
My dentist and his dental hygenist recommend an inexpensive, battery operated toothbrush. They say they work much better.
Other Answers:
no
I'm not a dentist or anything, but I've heard this before too.
I have never had a dentist recommend that I not use an electric toothbrush. If you're showing signs of gum recession, you might want to brush with a lighter touch. I use a Sonicare, and it gets my teeth cleaner, and have noticed no signs of it causing my gums to receed.
this is very true if used improperly. with sonicare you shold use barely any pressure. you may also want to consult another dentist. I had periodontitst for a long time and nothing was done about it by my old dentist
I am a firm believer in the electric toothbrush so I totally disagree with your dentist. I do agree that you should use a soft bristle brush (which you can buy for electric brushes) but I also believe the tecnique you use to brush is important. Don't press hard on the teeth. Just hold the tooth brush at an angle away from the gums. Be sure to floss daily and you should be fine. By the way, I prefer the Oral B/Braun electric toothbrush over Sonic Care. The brush head is smaller and doesn't vibrate as much. The brush head also rotates in different directions vs the sonic care that just vibrates back and forth. It's a personal preference.
electric toothbrushes are actually gentler than manual toothbrushes. it is possible that you already use too much force when brushing your teeth since you have recession. when using an electrical toothbrush you gently guide the toothbrush along your teeth and let it do the work. a rule of thumb is that the force of the toothbrush on your teeth while brushing should be similar to using your nondominant hand and brushing your teeth. notice how much less pressure you put on the toothbrush and your teeth. a toothbrush is meant to clean the top most layer off build up on your teeth. the rest is done with FLOSS. as far as your recession, it may also be due to you clenching/grinding your teeth, whether during the day or unconsciously during the nighttime.
Yes they do.. it really sucks because you cannot do anything to get them back in to place. use a nice and gentle stroke when brushing your teeth,
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