Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with toothbrush

Teethbrushing timer per quadrant

devnull — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:54:07 -0800

TeethBrushingFilter: where can I buy a visual teeth brushing timer? Bit of a weird one. A lot of pricey tooth brushes come with two minute timers that alert you every 30 seconds to move to the next quadrant in your mouth.

I'd like something similar, and visual, that I can stick on the bathroom wall. I hit it, then every 30 seconds until two minutes the next quadrant lights up.

I know I could use a timer, but it's morning, I'm looking for something I won't get annoyed with.

What should I replace my Sonicare with?

Solomon — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:29:04 -0800

My Sonicare toothbrush is dying. Please help me replace it. I have a Sonicare 7300. It's batteries are very rapidly failing. It's lasting maybe 3 brushing sessions between complete charges. So, I need to replace it.

I feel that I have two options:

1] Buy another, similar Sonicare*, with a totally encapsulated battery that will suffer from the same problem at some point (battery memory effect), which will not have a problem with water ingress and will be nice and powerful.

2] Buy a Sonicare Hydroclean, which I can use rechargeable batteries in (I would use Ni-MH), will be cheaper than another Sonicare, but may not be as powerful, and may have a problem with water ingress.

I have the following requirements:

1] A powerful brushing action.
2] A unit that stays dry internally. I don't want something that's going to rust up in a weeks time.
3] Batteries that either last, or can be changed easily. I know I can Dremel the cashing of my toothbrush open and solder some new batteries in, but that's out of my skill range.

So, my questions are:

1] Is a Hydroclean brush as powerful as a normal Sonicare? I really like that the brush I have now is powerful, and it feels invigorating (which I really like first thing in the morning).
2] The O-ring on the base of the Hydroclean looks a bit flimsy. Do they let in a lot of water, and if so, is there a solution?
3] Should I just suck up the fact that the batteries are not that good in a normal Sonicare, and splash out on something more powerful, or should I go with the cheaper-but-less-powerful Hydroclean?

Personal experiences are very welcome.

* Or another brand, I'm not fussy.

Help me buy a toothbrush!

btkuhn — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:03:13 -0800

Do I need to shell out for an expensive electric toothbrush? After my latest dental cleaning, I've decided to switch to an electric toothbrush. Previous askmefi questions recommended Sonicares, but they are quite pricey. I'm wondering if there is any real difference in "cleaning quality" between some of the pricey toothbrushes like Sonicare and the cheap brushes like this one (a random example):

Cheap brush

Obviously it seems like the more expensive ones would be better, but I know that with some of these products you are just paying a lot for marketing and extra features that don't really make a difference. So, if I'm only concerned about getting a good clean, should I spring for one of the expensive brushes, or are the cheap ones just as good?

Thanks.

Which electric toothbrush should I buy?

Tu13es — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:25:24 -0800

Which electric toothbrush should I buy? I've decided it's probably worth it to plunk down the money for an electric toothbrush. I don't have the best tooth habits (I always brush twice daily and floss once or twice a week, if that) and now that I'm done with college I'm prepared to start giving them a little more TLC.

I've got my first dentist appointment today in the last 15 or so months...this is probably something I should have done earlier, but too late now.

Anyways, after searching all morning (mostly Amazon) I think I've got it narrowed down to this and this. I'd like to buy something that's not ridiculously expensive, but at the same time I realize it's probably a worth investment. It seems I can get the Flexcare on eBay for about the same price as the Triumph, so between the two, price isn't really an issue.

I'm open to other suggestions as well.

How did you get a recalcitrant toddler's teeth brushed?

chesty_a_arthur — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:49:28 -0800

How did you get a recalcitrant toddler's teeth brushed? He's 19 months. He's teething, but has a whole bunch of teeth already. He clamps his mouth shut, writhes and shouts NO NO NO NO! when we brush his teeth. It's the worst part of bedtime and I dread it. I've tried all the advice in What to Expect: The Toddler Years or whatever it's called, and it's all "make brushing fun! compliment him on how well he brushes his teeth!" whereas in our house there is little to compliment. He has his own electric toothbrush that looks like a crayon, as well as his own manual toothbrush. He will happily suck toddler toothpaste off them, which can be a brief entree into the mouth for his crafty parents, but not long enough. It's getting to the point where getting his teeth brushed takes two parents and force verging on the violent. Has anyone dealt with this situation? We've exhausted the advice of the doctor and the dentist and the aforementioned book.

Sonicare Vibrates Toothpaste Right Off of It ...

WCityMike — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:32:06 -0800

I recently bought a Sonicare. I like how it makes my teeth feel cleaner than they had been, and anecdotal evidence from others suggests it's going to help my gums. But I really can't figure out how the toothpaste works with this thing. I put it on the toothbrush, position it at the gumline, and turn it on. The entire glob of the toothpaste seems to immediately come off and position itself on my gumline.

I can go ahead and kind of "dip" into it to try to spread it around, but I usually end up doing one of the "quadrants" of my mouth nearly toothpasteless.

So I imagine seasoned Sonicare users have figured out the best way to get around this little weirdity, and can perhaps make a suggestion ...

The Giant Toothbrush Necessity

jessicapierce — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:44:48 -0800

I need a seriously gigantic novelty toothbrush. Need giant toothbrush. Long story. 5-6 feet long preferable. Around $50 preferable. I've googled my pants off (oops) to no avail. Any ideas?

Did the toothpaste make my teeth hurt?

arnicae — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:00:49 -0800

I have bad teeth. So how come the flouride toothpaste my dentist prescribed to decrease cavity formation and problems is making my teeth actually hurt? I have really bad teeth. I usually get 2-5 cavities fixed a year and for a pretty young person with good oral hygiene history, I've had an astonishing number of problems (2 root canals before the age of 24).

My new dentist told me that some people have a toxic element to their saliva- it is breaking research, she told me, so breaking that I couldn't find it alluded to on google scholar, but she thought we could cut down on the number of cavities I experience by giving me a fluoride toothpaste (as well as six fillings)

I don't typically have mouth pain, but about a week after I went home and started using the toothpaste, I started experiencing pain in my mouth. Low-level, (hitting around a 4/10) it also resulted in increased sensitivity to heat, cold, and sweets around where I had the fillings. Not too big a deal, but at night when I'm trying to sleep or concentrate, the throbbing, omni-present pain bugs me.

Last night I decided to try going back to my old toothpaste, Sensodyne. Today the pain is totally gone. Here's my question: every source I've found online says that fluoride should promote health, less pain, and basically good tooth hygiene. So did my prescription fluoride toothpaste make my teeth hurt? I don't get it!

My dentist is expenive enough...

Solomon — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:11:48 -0800

I have a Sonicare HX7300 toothbrush, which is great. But the heads for it are so expensive, which isn't so great. I usually buy extra heads off ebay, but they're still very expensive. Is there either a] somewhere I can buy the heads from for less (preferably significantly less) than £12 each, or b] somewhere I can buy heads that will fit, but that aren't necessarily manufactured by Sonicare?

I'm in the UK, but I'm open to shopping online or in a physical shop.

Gum trauma causes painful white blister?

shivohum — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:58:33 -0800

About 6 days ago I was brushing my teeth and I jammed the plastic edge of my toothbrush hard against my lower right-hand outside gum. There wasn't any blood, but in the days since, some sort of white blister has developed and is sensitive to the touch. It looks like a short (inch-long) line along my gum where the toothbrush hit. Any ideas how long this will take to go away, and if there's anything I can do to speed that up? Thanks!

My Sonicare-fu is weak

letitrain — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 11:53:20 -0800

Should a Sonicare toothbrush be used instead of, or in combination with regular brushing? Also, what is the best technique for using the Sonicare?

Fix my OralB Sonic Complete Toothbrush!

sdis — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 21:05:36 -0800

Help me fix my OralB Sonic Complete toothbrush! So my toothbrush just stopped working, and with only one button, I'm at a loss as to what to do to make it go again.

Problem description:
1. Toothbrush is off
2. Press button
3. Toothbrush is still off.

Additional Symptoms:
-Toothbrush light is on solidly when I put it in the charger. It's supposed to blink.

Circumstances
-Went on trip, used it for 2 days and 2 nights. Stored it away in its protective case, went on plane trip home (carry-on. No bumps.), took it out at night, and no worky.

Alternatively, give me some theories as to what on earth could cause such a device to die given the circumstances (worked fine, went up in a plane, came down, no worky)

I imagine repair is more expensive than purchasing a new toothbrush, but comments about people trying to do warranty claims with OralB would also be appreciated.

How do I prolong the life of my electric toothbrush's battery?

websavvy — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 14:12:31 -0800

My electric toothbrushes keep dying... I love using electric toothbrushes, because they force me to brush for the appropriate time, and they do a pretty good job. My current toothbrush (an Interplak) is now at the state where it will run feebly for about 30 seconds, then stop. This is after about 5 months of use. My previous model croaked similarly after about 6 or so months, too.

My wife and I probably brush a total of 4-6 times daily (combined), so I don't think our usage is out of line. Is there something I can do to replenish my battery or, if I have to get a new toothbrush, prevent it next time?

Are electric toothbrushes worth it?

blue_beetle — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 07:48:18 -0800

Are electric toothbrushes worth it? I'm thinking about getting a nice electric toothbrush, but I'm looking for justification. Do they clean your teeth better? Has any research been done? Or is it just a big scam?

Toothbrushes are grody

schoolgirl report — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 11:54:17 -0800

Why don't our tootbrushes make us ill? They sit out all day with our mouth germs and lord knows what else lingering there. Does toothpaste have anything to do with this?

Toothbrush phobia?

bshort — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 10:13:10 -0800

Are you grossed out by your partner's dental care routine? My future-wife is completely skeeved out by the thought of accidentally using my toothbrush and has to leave the room if I pull out the floss. Is this normal? And, from what she's said, it's not because I have bad breath, a nasty toothbrush, or mouth funkiness.

Can I put my electric toothbrush in the dishwasher?

blueshammer — Sun, 07 Mar 2004 10:56:09 -0800

Can I put my electric toothbrush in the dishwasher? The bristle is detachable from the powered handle, and the threads collect gunk that I would just as soon power-wash away. The handle seems watertight -- the bristlehead moves via magnets, and the charging element is behind plastic.