As a child, opening a gift of an electric toothbrush probably would have felt disappointing. Now that you’re older and more mature, you can appreciate that anyone who gives you this gift really cares about you. An electric toothbrush offers several benefits over a manual toothbrush, including making it easier to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Other important features include:

Better removal of plaque: Electric toothbrushes come with rotation oscillation activity that removes significantly more plaque than a manual toothbrush. This is the best way to prevent gingivitis, a precursor to gum disease.

Technological features: Like many things you own in the modern era, an electric toothbrush adjusts as it gets to know your habits. For example, your electric toothbrush can time how long you brush each quadrant of your mouth and sound an alarm if you’re not brushing long enough. Other potential features include multiple brush head options, brush head replacement reminders, a sensor that lets you know you’re brushing too hard, and brushing modes for teeth whitening, sensitive teeth, and gum massage.

Easy to use: Using a manual toothbrush requires you to move it back and forth multiple times across your teeth. You only need to guide an electric toothbrush. It’s ideal for people with arthritis or coordination issues who may have trouble using a manual toothbrush consistently.

Tips to Keep Your Teeth Clean for the Holiday Season

Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day aren’t exactly known for healthy eating. Sugary snacks seem to appear everywhere you look. We recommend the following oral care tips to make it through the holiday season without acquiring new cavities:

Brush your teeth more often, including before you eat breakfast: It might seem counterproductive to brush your teeth when you plan to eat in less than an hour, but it does help. By brushing before you eat the day’s first meal, you get your teeth as clean as possible before any exposure to sugar or acid.

Spit your toothpaste rather than rinse your mouth with water: It’s probably an ingrained habit to take a sip of water to rinse your mouth right after brushing. However, this can wash away the benefit of the toothpaste you just applied to your teeth. Try to get into the habit of just spitting out the toothpaste and skipping the water altogether.

Chew sugar-free gum instead of eating Christmas cookies: When you get the urge to finish off that plate of cookies, try chewing sugar-free gum instead. It keeps your mouth busy in addition to encouraging saliva production. This helps to keep acid off your teeth.

Consider using a straw: People tend to drink more beverages over the holidays, particularly the alcoholic kind. Using a straw to consume any type of liquid allows you to enjoy your favorite drinks while sparing your teeth the sugar.

Don’t Forget to Come and See Us

You don’t have to wait until the new year to schedule a check-up and cleaning with Crossland Dental Associates in Mount Pleasant. In fact, having your teeth cleaned now can give you the motivation to take extra care of them during the holidays. Our staff looks forward to your visit and wishes you a blessed Christmas and a happy, healthy new year.