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Surely, I can’t be the only person who hates getting their teeth scraped at the dentist. Every time I go, I lie there wondering how I can have so much build-up when I brush twice a day and floss every night (I swear).
About eight months ago, I started asking questions. “What am I doing wrong?” I began to spitball with my hygienist. Turns out, a lot.
The brush
I’ve been using an electric toothbrush for as long as I can remember. And I can’t make any excuses—my toothbrush even had a timer that told me how long to brush. I just never really paid much attention to it. It felt like I was brushing my teeth for a long time, but clearly, I wasn’t.
My dentist told me to brush for the recommended two minutes and to gently hold the brush and slowly move it over my teeth without pressing too hard—more like gliding the brush over my teeth than trying any scrubbing motion.
When I got the chance to try the Phillipe’s Sonicare Diamond Smart Brush, I was curious. I’d always been a Braun gal and wasn’t sure what the difference would be. I was also skeptical of the traditional-looking brush head.
The app
The app was the function I was most curious about. Would it feel too complicated to use when I first wake up or head to bed? Do I really need an app to tell me how I’m brushing my teeth? Well, yeah. If you want to be on top of your oral health, having a checks-and-balances system in an app is really handy.
Not only does the app show you which area of your mouth to brush when, but it will also tell you if you missed a spot or need to go back for a touch-up somewhere. Now, I don’t use it every night, but it still updates my brushes even when I don’t have it open.
What I like
It comes with a charging glass, which is more aesthetically pleasing than a traditional electric toothbrush base. I also find that you don’t get the same gunk buildup with the glass. In fact, my Sonicare toothbrush, in general, is much cleaner than my old electric brush. I just do a gentle rinse after each use, and I’ve never had any gunk or grime to clean off.
Also, the ability to not only pick the intensity of the brush (I stay on the lowest setting) but also achieve different goals with the four functions—Clean, White, Gum Health, and Deep Clean—is a game-changer. It’s also a lot quieter than my old toothbrush!
What I don’t like
I still miss my round brush head from time to time. I have a small mouth, so getting in behind my front top and bottom teeth can be a bit tricky. But that’s pretty much it! Well, maybe also that I can’t buy a gigantic pack of brush refills at my Costco.
The floss
Glide floss was always my go-to, and I don’t think I even knew there was another option out there! But if you’re someone with a lot of plaque or crowded teeth, the type of floss you use and how you use it are so important.
Drum roll… The results
At my last dentist checkup, I was nervous. I had been diligent with my new routine, and I was hoping it had paid off. And it did! I still had to get some scraping, but it was much less than before. I asked where I could make small improvements in my oral health routine, and my hygienist gave me one more tip to tackle: Flossing up and down once isn’t going to cut it. You need to make a ‘C’ shape with the floss around each tooth and glide up and down—making firm contact with the tooth—four times on both sides of each tooth. Also, it only takes 24-48 hours for plaque to harden (who knew!). So, if you skip a day, any plaque that hardens will be there until your next dentist visit.
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