I haven’t had dental insurance in a while, and while my teeth have always been pretty healthy, they definitely have looked brighter in times past. I’ve always used normal toothbrushes and Crest toothpaste (nothing else ever tasted right), and I floss daily and gargle with Listerine. But maybe I could use a change.
I would be interested in any moderately-priced electric toothbrush that does a good job getting rid of plaque, cleaning and massaging the gums, and especially anything that can help whiten my teeth. I’d also be curious about people’s experiences with different whitening toothpastes and those dodgy-looking whitening strips. I don’t want to run out and spend a ton of money on products that don’t work, so I thought I’d ask you smiling Dopers first. Thanks!
I’ve use Crest Whitestrips a couple of times, and they really did the job for me. My teeth are apparently pretty sensitive, so I could only use them once a day instead of the twice recommended. If you have any concerns about tooth sensitivity, I recommend that you try the 14 day whitestrips, not the new 7 day ones. They are probably twice as powerful. For me, it would be very painful.
I’ve been using a Sonicare brush for almost two years ago and it has made quite a difference.
If you’ve never used an electric brush before, it’ll take a few days to get used to it. The Sonicare has a built-in two-minute timer. It will beep at 30 second intervals to let you know when to change quadrants.
When I first used it, it felt like I was trying to stick a jackhammer in my mouth. Lots of toothpaste splatters everywhere!
Mrs. Slow and I have a friend who is a dentist. He, and his staff, recommend an electric toothbrush because people seem to take better care of their gums with one.
I have a Braun electric toothbrush and love it. (And it took years overcoming self-resistance to buy it. “Too lazy to brush your own teeth?”) I don’t know if particular models are preferable to others; Consumers Reports or something may answser that one.
But the overall concept? Oh yeah, baby. I’ve always been a conscientious brusher but the electric toothbrush does a much better job of cleaning. As a long-ago dentist told me, “Soft bristles and very BUSY.” Well, the human wrist just plain can’t get that busy–but the electric toofbrush can. It does a remarkable job of getting mouth gunk gone. *
I used Crest tooth strips once; they helped some. (I’m a smoker and hardcore tea drinker.) They didn’t do a super model job but certainly mitigated a lot of my vices.
By all means, spring for an electric toofbrush. Dentist-slick teeth, healthy gums and you can do it in the morning before your heart gets started.
I had the Braun, but for cheaper models, the new Crest Dual-Action brush is awesome. In fact, I brush even longer because it just makes my teeth feel so squeaky clean. Like this
Crest White Strips (the super-charged ones that work in one week instead of two) are awsome. I’m a moderate-to-heavy smoker, and I swear it really, truly works well. You can’t tell by my teeth that I smoke at least a pack a day. Each package should last you 6 months if you’re a smoker…longer if you’re not.
I bought the White Strips and got a free spin brush in the package. Both were good investments. I definitely brush better with the electric, my teeth are cleaner, and the battery (which is not rechargeable) is lasting forever.
White Strips work ok, but you have to leave them on for 30 mins. By that time your mouth is filled with foamy stuff that you can’t swallow.
Plus White works just as well, and you only leave it on 5 min. And it’s less than $10.
Crest Night Effects sucks! It’s the brush on type. It’s impossible to cover your teeth before it dries. You wake up feeling like you have boogers on your teeth. And it taste like chewing gum mixed with super glue.
Another vote for the Sonicare toothbrush here! I have had mine for nearly 2 years and I wouldn’t dream of going back to a regular toothbrush.
I took a regular toothbrush with me out in the field once (4 day camping/ geologic mapping trip) and I hated using it. My teeth never felt clean. Now I will always bring my sonicare with me
I also use Crest Rejuvinating Effects toothpaste. It has mild whiteners, helps strengthen enamel and tastes pretty good too. My dentist recommended that I not use those whitestrips or other whitening products like them because I have sensitive teeth (and always have).
My girlfriend recently bought me an electirci toothbrush, (Crest Pro somthing), and that thing is the shizzit. My teeth feel 50,000 times cleaner. It’s like buffing your teeth or something.
I also would like to throw in a vote for both electronic toothbrushes and whitening strips. I used the regular Crest Whitening Strips and they do work, but they taste terrible. (My friend tried them and said her teeth were too sensitive and she couldn’t wear them.)
I had a lot of trouble with sensitive teeth in the past, but when I switched to an electric toothbrush it stopped. I think I was brushing my teeth too hard. Recently my electric toothbrush stopped working and I am back to regular brushing. My sensitive teeth are back too. Looks like I’ll soon be off to the store to buy a new electronic toothbrush.
Well, thanks to all of you, I just bought a Crest Pro Whitening SpinBrush, and some Crest Dual Action Whitening toothpaste. The strips and the higher-end electric toothbrushes were a little more expensive than I expected, so I’ll see how I do with this stuff first. Wish me luck!
Looks like I’ll soon be off to the store to buy a new electronic toothbrush.