- An electric toothbrush is a battery-operated toothbrush that relies on electric power to move the brush head. The first electric toothbrush was created in the 1880s. They were originally intended for people with limited motor skills who couldn't use their arms or hands to brush their teeth with a manual toothbrush. Many people think that electric toothbrushes work better than manual toothbrushes because they clean more thoroughly, especially the more hard to reach areas such as the back of the teeth.
- An electric toothbrush works by vibrating and oscillating. The motion is usually caused by an electric charge produced by a small battery in the toothbrush. Some electric toothbrushes work by inductive charging, which is when two parts of a transformer inside the brush are brought together and a small magnetic field creates an electric current to charge the battery. Other electric toothbrushes are operated by disposable, replaceable or rechargeable batteries. The electronic compartments of the toothbrushes are sealed to prevent water from seeping in and damaging the product. Many of the electric toothbrushes also have a built in timer that operates the toothbrush for up to two minutes, which is the ideal amount of time that people must spend brushing their teeth.
- Dental research has shown that an electric toothbrush doesn't necessarily work any better than a manual toothbrush. In fact, even oscillating electric toothbrushes are only minimally more effective than regular toothbrushes. One good aspect of the electric toothbrush is the self-timer. The two-minute timer encourages people to brush for longer whereas with a manual toothbrush, brushing time varies with most people not brushing long enough. Studies have shown that most inadequate dental hygeine is a direct result of brushing for less than two minutes and sometimes for less than one minute.
