Getting the FAQ's on Oral Hygiene

By Dr. Andrade & Dr. Montalvo

On a recent trip to down the oral hygiene aisle, I came face to face with the many choices facing our patients. Which toothpaste is better? Does the Waterpik really work? Should I upgrade to an electric toothbrush or should I stick with the old manual? Let’s break down each of these questions.

Which toothpaste is best?

This alone can take a few pages to answer, but let’s cover the most important aspect of any toothpaste. Does it contain fluoride? If it does, then you are getting the most important ingredient, because it has been shown in many years of research to be very effective in preventing cavities.

Caveat: As one of my dental school professors once said, “You don’t need toothpaste to brush your teeth”. It took me many years to understand that. This basically means that the most important thing about brushing is not the toothpaste, it’s the brushing. The fluoride helps prevents cavities by killing bacteria, but brushing helps remove food that feed the bacteria.

Should I go electric?

Yes. This comes down to a very simple idea. You can sweep your floors all you want, but a vacuum can do it better. The same thing applies with a toothbrush. Not to mention the most important aspect about brushing: Time. When was the last time you timed yourself when you brushed your teeth with a manual toothbrush? If you brushed for two minutes, pat yourself in the back, but I would venture to say that most patients don’t brush past a minute. This is where an electric toothbrush comes in handy, since it will automatically be set for the recommended 2 minutes. For children, it is usually set at 1 minute. If you think 2 minutes is not that much time, next time you brush your teeth with your manual toothbrush, time yourself and see how long you brush.

Caveat: Oral B vs. SoniCare. Some research shows a slight advantage for SoniCare.

Does the Waterpik really work?

Yes, but not in the way you may think. The box will tell you that it removes plaque better than floss (about 50% better). Yet the research included on their website says that there is only a 30% improvement compared to regular floss. The research is based on about 70 test subjects who brushed with manual toothbrushes, then used regular floss or the WaterPik. This is definitely not a large test population, but based on over 4,400 reviews on Amazon, most people rate the WaterPik close to five stars. We still recommend using floss, however. Happy shopping and keep those sugar bugs away.