A toothbrush can be roughly divided into four parts: the head, the bristles, the neck, and the handle.
Let’s take a look at what kind of toothbrush is a good toothbrush from these four angles.
1. Brush head
For manual toothbrushes, the design and quality of the toothbrush head is the key to evaluating the quality of the toothbrush. A good brush head should be able to rotate flexibly in the oral cavity, so that it can penetrate into the corners that are not easy to clean.
— The brush head should be small —
For most people, choosing a toothbrush with a small brush head will be more conducive to the maximum cleaning effect of the toothbrush (unless you have a large mouth). How young is appropriate? The length of the brush head is 2-2.5 times the length of the front teeth, which is a more suitable size.
— Round/ellipse is more convenient —
In addition to size, the shape of the brush head is also critical. When choosing a toothbrush, the shape of the brush head is also the easiest to observe. Different brush head shapes and characteristics result in different cleaning abilities of toothbrushes.
Toothbrush heads can be roughly divided into three categories according to their shape: square, diamond and round (ellipse).
Which brush head is better? We will introduce in order from high to low recommended index.
❶ Round (elliptical) small brush head
Round (elliptical) toothbrush heads are generally relatively small (less than 2cm in diameter). Some people may think it is a “children’s toothbrush” as the first reaction after seeing it, instead of buying it.
In fact, according to the standard of a good brush head mentioned earlier, the smaller the brush head, the easier it is to penetrate into every small corner, so as to effectively clean wisdom teeth and irregularly arranged teeth.
The disadvantage of using this small round toothbrush to brush your teeth is that it takes a long time and tests people’s patience.
❷ Diamond-shaped brush head
The diamond-shaped brush head design is currently the most common. Because the tip is narrow, it is easy to brush the teeth on both sides, and it is not easy to damage the gums. If combined with a smaller brush head length, then the wisdom teeth and other teeth on the back will also have a better cleaning effect.
However, the top position of the diamond-shaped brush head is prone to bifurcation and is not very durable.
❸ Square brush head
Many dentists believe that the shape of a square-head toothbrush is too straight and it may not be suitable for brushing well into the back teeth, especially wisdom teeth, which tend to accumulate food residues and cause wisdom teeth to become inflamed.
At the same time, it is easy to accidentally injure the gums when brushing with a square brush head, causing bleeding gums. Therefore, for children and adults with small mouths, toothbrushes with square brush heads are not recommended.
2. Bristles
The bristles are the parts of the toothbrush that actually come into contact with the teeth to achieve the cleaning function, so the quality of the bristles is very important for the toothbrush.
Good bristles should have the characteristics of softness, good resilience, and strong abrasion resistance, so that they can fully enter the gingival sulcus to remove dental plaque.
— The soft brush is the best —
In terms of hardness, the bristles of toothbrushes are hard, medium, and soft.
Because hard bristles are too hard, it is easy to damage tooth enamel and gums, leading to receding gums and wedge-shaped defects in the tooth neck. Therefore, only some low-quality disposable toothbrushes use hard bristles.
Medium-hard bristles are suitable for people who have tea stains or smoke stains on their teeth, and they must be very cautious when using them, and never use too much force. In addition, it is not recommended for the general population to use toothbrushes with medium and hard bristles.
Soft bristles are king!
The softness of the bristles is largely related to its thickness. The bristles with a diameter of 0.18-0.20mm are soft bristles. Soft hair can better protect teeth and gums. Of course, in terms of cleaning ability alone, soft bristles may not be as good as harder bristles, but as long as you use the correct brushing method and ensure the necessary brushing time, using a soft-bristled toothbrush can completely achieve a good cleaning effect.
— The top should be rounded —
After the bristles are cut, if the bristles are not smoothly processed, they are likely to be too sharp and cause damage. A brushed toothbrush with rounded bristles can prevent this kind of damage and has a stronger protective effect on the gums.
— DuPont silk is better than ordinary silk —
The bristles of toothbrushes used to be made of natural pig bristles. It was not until the advent and development of nylon materials that the bristles were improved.
Nylon filaments are slender and soft, can clean the gaps between teeth, have better elasticity, have a better massage effect, and their wear-resistant and non-absorbent properties, so they have become the first choice for bristles.
Now nylon yarns used to make bristles can be divided into two types: ordinary yarns and DuPont yarns. DuPont silk is better in quality, has better elasticity, is not easy to curl, and has generally been rounded at the top. However, these two materials may not be distinguished when they are purchased. It can only be said that low-priced toothbrushes will definitely not use DuPont silk.
3. Brush neck
— Elastic neck brushing is very important —
There may not be a few people who pay attention to the brush head when buying a toothbrush, but not many pay attention to the handle. In fact, for a good toothbrush, the elasticity of its handle is also extremely important.
The brush neck of a toothbrush is like the shock absorber of a car. The surface of our teeth is uneven, just like an uneven road. The flexible neck will absorb the pressure when brushing the teeth, which can prevent the toothbrush from brushing to the protruding part. A hard-to-hard situation occurs to prevent excessive irritation of the gums.
Therefore, when purchasing a toothbrush, it is best to pick a toothbrush with a curved neck. It can not only reduce the shock, but also facilitate the brush head to penetrate into the oral cavity to achieve comprehensive cleaning.
4. Brush handle
The requirements for a good brush handle should be moderate length, sufficient hardness and strength, able to bear the power used when brushing, not easy to bend and break; moisture-proof, non-absorbent, easy to dry, etc. At present, the handles of toothbrushes are generally made of plastic materials. As long as they are not particularly cheap toothbrushes, the handles can still meet these basic needs.
In addition, a good brush handle should be made of soft rubber material in the gripping part to increase the friction with the hand, so that it is not easy to slip and rotate.
There is no best, only the most suitable.
Everyone’s oral condition is different, with different sensitivity, different tooth arrangement, and different gum health, the toothbrushes used are definitely different.
