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What type of toothbrush is best?

Toothbrushes come in many sizes and textures.

Dentists overwhelmingly recommend soft toothbrushes. There are two reasons for soft:

	Soft brushes are gentler on your teeth and gums. People can brush so hard that they wear away tooth structure and can wear away gum tissue and bone.
	Soft toothbrushes are more flexible, and thus they clean the crevice between your tooth and your gum better and reach more of the tooth.

So why do stores carry hard toothbrushes, when dental organizations and dentists always recommend soft? It's because people buy them.

Another helpful characteristic of a good toothbrush is a curvature to the handle and contoured bristles. These features make it easy for the brush to reach the crevices and cracks around the teeth. Johnson & Johnson pioneered this new design in the 1970's with their Reach® toothbrush. Studies conducted after the introduction of this toothbrush showed that, in the hands of the average patient, they removed more plaque from teeth. Since then this design has been copied by many other manufacturers. We here at toothinfo.com recommend this design.

OralB® has prided itself in being the brand most recommended by dentists. They conduct aggressive public relations campaigns within the professional dental community to guarantee that position of honor. Up until recently, however, their toothbrushes were only medium soft. In recent years, however, they have come up with one as soft as other brands. According to manufacturer's literature, OralB® brushes have polished bristles which make it kinder to teeth and gums. We haven't seen studies to demonstrate that whether or not bristles are polished has any such impact, but it seems reasonable.

Butler GUM® toothbrushes have also been popular with dentists. Butler has refused to manufacture anything other than a fairly soft brush, which has endeared the brand to dentists.

At various times, different gimmicks have been introduced into design, such as the brush that cleaned both the inside and outside surfaces of the teeth at the same time. None of these gimmicks seem to have really caught on.

Other toothbrush and oral hygiene topics:

	What is the correct toothbrushing technique? There are circular advocates, back-and-forth advocates, and up-and-down advocates. Which technique is best?
	Which toothpaste is best?
	Chewing gum will clean your teeth when you can't brush. Most people think chewing gum is bad for your teeth. However, studies show that it is actually a great substitute for brushing in a pinch.