Are you thinking about buying an electric toothbrush for your kid? It’s a good idea, but before you go out and buy it, inform yourself. You want to know what the best electric toothbrush for kids is, and we’ll get to that. But first, arm yourself with knowledge. Here we’ll tell you everything you want to know about electric toothbrushes and more!
A Little History of the Electric Toothbrush
Electric toothbrushes really became popular in mainstream society in the early 2000s. However, it might surprise you to know that portable electric toothbrushes have been on the market since the 1960s. As you can imagine, the first electric toothbrushes weren’t as easy to use or as slim in design. All in all, the electric toothbrush has come a long way in the last 60 years.
Why Should You Consider Buying an Electric Toothbrush for Your Kids?
As pediatric dentists, we put a lot of effort into educating the kids that come into our clinic for dental services. Dental health is an important part of maintaining your overall physical health and we all know that having dental problems can be painful. Often it turns out kids just aren’t that great at brushing their teeth.
Some of that is due to limitations in dexterity. Consider yourself and how every time you go in for a cleaning, your dental hygienist remarks that there’s a certain corner in your mouth that it seems you routinely miss. Our teeth are groovy and fit inside a relatively small space, i.e. your mouth. Being able to reach all those spots where food and plaque can hide can be tricky despite your kids’ best efforts.
Electric toothbrushes will help your kids reach areas in their mouth that they might not otherwise reach or will brush in those spaces that otherwise they can only reach but don’t have the dexterity to do any brushing.
Quip Kids Electric Toothbrush
There are several electric toothbrushes in the aisles in stores with their bright colors, songs, and accessories. It can seem overwhelming when trying to decide which to buy. You may be looking for the best electric toothbrush for braces or the best travel electric toothbrush but what we recommend you look for is the seal of approval by the American Dental Association (ADA). Only one electric toothbrush for kids on today’s market has earned the ADA seal of approval and that’s the quip Kids Electric Toothbrush. Read more about the quip Kids Electric Toothbrush and its product functions on the ADA product description page here.
Advantages of an Electric Toothbrush
Special – Electric toothbrushes could make the tooth brushing routine more interesting for your kid because it is something special. Maybe mommy and daddy have electric toothbrushes, and now so do they!
Fun – Keep in mind that part of instilling dental care habits is making it fun, not a chore. Electric toothbrushes can feel kind of tickly to some kids which can make brushing teeth more fun. If mommy and daddy like brushing their teeth and the kids know this, they are more likely to adopt that same positive attitude about it.
Grip – The quip electric toothbrush for kids that we recommend has a rubber grip to help with slipping and comes in different colors. Get your kid excited about it and have them choose which color they want.
Two-Minute Timer – The quip will time your kids brushing and make pulsing alerts for every 30 seconds until the two minutes is up.
Disadvantages of an Electric Toothbrush
Every kid is different, and you will find that saying is just as true when it comes to toothbrushes. While some kids may find an electric toothbrush fun and tickly, other kids may not.
Noise Sensitivity – Some electric toothbrushes make noise while turned on. This can be irritating or frightening for some kids.
Sensory Issues – Most electric toothbrushes do a pulsing when the two-minute time for brushing is up, others do it also at intervals.
Sensitive Gag Reflex – The electric toothbrush will typically allow the brusher to better reach those back teeth, but this can be tricky for kids with sensitive gag reflexes.
Is it a Must?
No. An electric toothbrush for your kid is not a “must”. Our goal is for kids to have the daily habit of brushing their teeth twice a day for two minutes and flossing at least once a day. We don’t really have a preference if it’s with an electric toothbrush or a regular toothbrush.
Take a minute and really think about the advantages and disadvantages to electric toothbrushes, and then consider your kid. You know them best, is an electric toothbrush something they will get excited about? Is it something that may put them off brushing their teeth? Maybe you parents need to lay a foundation for them by being visible to your kids when you brush your teeth, doing it happily, and routinely. Once the foundation is laid maybe an electric toothbrush would be a good idea. Or maybe you’ll find that once you’ve laid a solid foundation by example, your kids will just get better about brushing with their regular toothbrush.
If after reading, you still aren’t sure what to do. Put it on hold and talk with us about it for your kids’ next dental visit. If you haven’t been with us before, but have been looking for pediatric dentists in Utah, give us a call! We have four locations spread out in the greater Salt Lake City area, all conveniently located and would love to see you. Check out our locations page to find our office nearest you and give us a call to schedule your visit.