Hey you, give me a smile! 😁
We all look our best with a grin on our faces. Even if you don’t like your teeth for some reason, smiley faces are more attractive than neutral ones. And if we want a nice smile, we have to look after our teeth.
Everyone knows that brushing your teeth twice a day is recommended by dentists. Many know that using a toothpaste with fluoride is equally important. Some people even brush after every meal.
What most of us are not so clued up on, is why on earth there are 8 million different types of toothbrush to choose from at the supermarket.
Seriously. What is going on here? I never know which one to choose.
As I crouched down in the toothbrush section yesterday (they always put them on the lowest shelves), I wondered for the umpteenth time what the difference was between all of the toothbrushes on display.
Different sizes, shapes, brands, prices – they even have one with charcoal on the bristles for heaven’s sake. None of it makes sense.
Not one to leave a mystery unsolved, I decided to investigate didn’t I?
Here is what I found out.
Zigzag Bristles are Better than Flat Bristles
I’ll admit it. I went into this convinced it was all a gimmick.
Essential household products like toothpaste, washing powder and surface cleaners are always being reinvented. They come with vaguely impressive soundbites like ‘new crystal whitening technology’, but at the end of the day, it’s just a minty paste that cleans your teeth, right?
Any real change or improvement will be nominal at best and completely subjective worst.
Well when it comes to toothbrush design I have been proven wrong.
The National Library of Medicine conducted a study into the shape of toothbrush bristles to see if it had any impact on oral hygiene. Ang guess what? It did.
They split 30 dental students into two groups of 15, with one group using a cheap flat toothbrush and another using one with zigzag bristles.
They measured plaque levels before and after the 4 week study, and found that the group using brushes with angled bristles had significantly less plaque by the end. They also had much lower levels of gingivitis, which is a sort of gum disease.
So there you go, angled bristles are the business, which is why they are a bit pricier than flat bristled brushes.
What are The Extra Rubber Bits For?
They look like they have been added for a reason, but what the hell are they?
There are sometimes slightly thicker rubber bristles on the sides of toothbrushes or a circular rubber bit in the middle, and others might also have a bumpy rubber bit on the back of the brush head.
My first guess was these are solely designed to allow the toothbrush company to increase the price of the toothbrush. As it turns out, the rubber bristles are to ‘stimulate the gums’, the circular bits are ‘polishing cups’ and the bumpy bit is a cheek and tongue cleaner.
Sounds like a load of old nonsense, doesn’t it?
To be fair, I can get on board with the tongue cleaner. These things exist already so building one into the toothbrush makes sense. Cleaning your tongue can reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth and improve bad breath, so if you are a toothbrush manufacturer, crack on with the tongue cleaner thingy.
But gum stimulators? Polishing cups? Get in the sea.
There is no evidence to suggest that these have any impact whatsoever, other than cleaning your bank account of an extra £1 every time you buy one.
The Truth About Charcoal Toothbrushes
Apparently, this stuff is made from ‘activated’ charcoal. Whatever that means.
They make it by oxidizing coal, olive pits, coconut shells and a few other things. It’s supposed to absorb stains and thus remove them, rather than scrubbing them away like a regular toothbrush. The main claims are that charcoal infused bristles are better at tooth whitening and also reduce bacteria.
Do they work?
There hasn’t been enough investigation to make a case one way or another for whitening, but a few small studies have taken place with regards to bacteria. One study showed about half the amount of bacteria on charcoal brushes than on regular nylon brushes.
Dentists aren’t yet recommending them though, and that’s enough for me to steer clear.
The charcoal can also be abrasive to your enamel which seems counterproductive to me, and have you seen the price of them? They cost £4 or more for a single brush! No thanks.
Will Someone Just Tell Me Which Toothbrush to Buy!
My advice is to go for the cheapest one with zigzag bristles.
Don’t worry about anything else.
So long as the bristles are the usual nylon, and have some sort of shape to them (i.e not flat) you will be getting the most effective type of toothbrush.
The brand doesn’t matter, the packet claiming the brush has a ‘4x Deeper Reach’ or whatever else doesn’t matter, and the price doesn’t matter.
Assuming you don’t need a special sensitive brush or one with firmer bristles, any medium grade toothbrush with angled nylon bristles will be fine.
So don’t drive yourself mad deciding which one to buy.
They really love to make the simplest of things complicated, don’t they!?