Using an electric toothbrush for children: effectiveness, recommendations for selection and use

At what age can a child brush his teeth with an electric brush?

Although today manufacturers produce electric brushes with soft bristles even for one-year-old babies, most dentists agree that the optimal age for a child to start using an electric toothbrush is three years.

At an earlier age, it is better to brush your teeth with a regular manual brush, since an electric one affects the teeth more intensely and can harm children’s fragile enamel and delicate gums. In some cases, dentists recommend using an electric brush no earlier than the child reaches 5 full years of age. This recommendation may be related to the individual characteristics of teeth and gums. The safest option is to discuss this issue with a professional dentist before purchasing an electric toothbrush for your child.

Contraindications

Please pay attention to this paragraph of our article. An electric brush does not work miracles, and if a child has the deviations described below, then the use of devices can only worsen the condition of the baby’s teeth. Contraindications that exclude cleaning with an electric brush:

White spots on tooth enamel. Such spots mean manifestations of caries, and if they appeared before you purchased the electrical device, then replace it with a regular one until the disease is completely cured.
Inflamed gums and tartar. Remember, an electric brush affects the enamel and oral cavity as a whole much more intensely than a regular one, so its use is prohibited due to the deterioration of the condition of the gums and teeth. Bleeding and pain may begin.

In any case, when purchasing an electric brush for your child, you should consult a specialist.

The benefits of using an electric toothbrush for children

An electric toothbrush has several benefits for cleaning children's teeth.

Effectively removes plaque.

Electric brushes have an intensive effect on dirt, remove even complex plaque, and cope better than usual with the grooves of children’s teeth, interdental spaces and other hard-to-reach areas. Thanks to high-quality removal of dental plaque, the risk of developing caries is reduced several times.

Easy to use.

Essentially, the electric brush itself does the job of cleaning your teeth due to the movement of the cleaning head and a timer that tracks the duration of the procedure. Children aged three years old are helped by their parents to brush their teeth; a child aged 8 years and older can easily cope with this task independently.

Enjoy brushing your teeth.

It's no secret that many children (whether they are 5, 7 or 9 years old) brush their teeth with a regular brush without much enthusiasm. If they can avoid the procedure, they will gladly take advantage of this opportunity or try to complete the cleaning as quickly as possible. It has been observed that an electric toothbrush, at least 5 and 8 years old, motivates children to thoroughly brush their teeth every day. Children enjoy using it twice a day, while maintaining the required cleaning time. Most likely, this is due to the fact that a modern child at 5, 8 and 11 years old is attracted to technological gadgets. An electric toothbrush is just such a device. In addition, manufacturers produce children's models of brushes in bright designs.

The body is usually decorated with images of your favorite cartoon characters, and you can turn on the backlight - all this adds an element of play to a boring oral care routine and helps reinforce a healthy habit. Thus, an electric children's toothbrush is an excellent solution for children of different ages. Dentists note that children who regularly use such brushes are less likely to have caries, dark plaque does not form along the edges of the gums, and such children are not afraid of dentists.

Storage and operation

When buying a new brush, make sure it is in a sealed package. Before first use, be sure to rinse the bristles thoroughly with running water. The use of boiling water is contraindicated. Old-fashioned methods of steaming stubble are not relevant. If you want to disinfect the product, use a rinse aid based on chlorhexidine or other antibacterial and antiseptic components. Modern synthetics cannot withstand boiling!

The shelf life of each nozzle does not exceed three months.
It is naive to believe that a cap or case protects against bacteria.
Store the brush in an upright position. If it has a stand - base, always install the product on it. The remaining brushes are stored in a regular cup with other brushes.
Each brush must have one owner. If you have two children, buy them models of different colors, or with different rings on the nozzles.

Children under five years of age are extremely rarely able to brush their teeth on their own. They will need their parents' help. Learn how to hold the brush correctly and use it to effectively remove plaque. Sometimes it can be helpful to watch a YouTube video together that shows how to brush your teeth with a particular model. These rollers are available for most similar products, and they are very easy to find.

Children over five years old can easily cope with the task on their own, but a little supervision will not hurt them either. The main thing is that there is no need for any psychological pressure. Just make sure that the child does everything correctly, and not for 40 seconds, but for the allotted two minutes.

Some people mistakenly believe that the electric model can be used without paste. We don’t want to upset you, but not a single brush, even the most expensive and high-quality one, will give the desired effect without special hygiene products. You need to carefully select the paste, and also according to age.

How to choose a brush for three-year-olds?

Look at the labeling: usually manufacturers indicate what age the model is designed for.
Let your child choose a brush with a princess, a robot or the hero he likes.
Consider your child's choice, but remember that brightness and design are not the main indicators of a good brush. Be sure to look at functionality and safety.

The bristles should be ultra-soft and short so as not to injure the delicate teeth of babies.
An electric toothbrush for a child 5 years and younger should fit comfortably in a small child's hand, so pay attention to the thickness and anti-slip properties of the handle, as well as the overall weight of the device. The lighter, the more convenient it is for the child to use it.
Children love it when cleaning turns into an interesting adventure. Models with LED backlighting always cause great delight.

For children under 5 years old, models such as CS Medica SonicPulsar CS-462, Oral-B Vitality Kids, Philips Sonicare For Kids are suitable.

Best lists

In addition to the presented list of products, we have prepared another small rating of electric brushes that differ from each other in their unique qualities. This TOP includes:

From birth.
From 3 years.
From 6 years old.

Let's take a closer look at the presented devices.

Oral-B Stages Power Wheelbarrows D12.513K – from birth

The presented teeth cleaning device is suitable for children from 6 months. Produces high-quality and, most importantly, gentle cleansing of gums, tongue and barely erupted teeth. The set includes one nozzle, a timer and a stand. Equipped with a speed of 7600 oscillatory movements per minute.

Price: from 1401 to 1600 rubles.

electric toothbrush Oral-B Stages Power Wheelbarrows D12.513K

Hapica Kids – from 3 years old

This model is intended for children from 3 to 10 years old. Equipped with ultra-soft bristles that provide comfort while brushing your teeth without damaging your gums or causing them to bleed. Equipped with 7000 oscillating movements and 6 different attachments. These include: ionic, prevention of periodontal disease, suitable for braces and implants, children from 1 to 3 years old, and children from 3 to 10 years old. It is considered completely environmentally safe.

Cost: from 1490 to 2000 rubles.

electric toothbrush Hapica Kids

Brush Baby – from 6 years old

This device is intended for children over 6 years old. The brush is equipped with 2-level bristles, which ensures high-quality penetration between the teeth and cleanses from food debris and plaque. There is also a timer equipped with a light indicator: after 2 minutes of continuous operation, the electric brush turns off and the light turns off. Performs 18,000 oscillatory movements per minute. The design is suitable for both boys and girls.

Price: from 1150 to 1800 rubles.

electric toothbrush Brush Baby

Selecting an electric brush for a child 6-12 years old

At this age, children still pay attention to bright designs and choose brushes with cartoon characters. To get kids interested in brushing their teeth and make this process as fun as possible, some manufacturers produce special mobile applications. For example, the Sonicare For Kids brush from Philips connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth, and an educational application with a funny character teaches you how to brush your teeth correctly. If the child has completed all the tasks of the virtual mentor perfectly, he receives a reward.

What other requirements should a brush for primary and secondary schoolchildren meet:
Soft bristles that take age into account.
The pulsation frequency of the bristles is from 16,000 movements per minute.
The presence of a built-in timer that will tell the child when to move to another area of the jaw or complete cleaning.
Possibility of replacing nozzles.

An example of good electric brushes for children 6-12 years old are the CS Medica CS-562 Junior, Oral-B Junior models.

Recommendations for purchase

In addition to the fact that the age restrictions indicated on the packaging must correspond to the age of the child, it is worth considering other characteristics.

Pen

It is important to pay attention not only to the shape, but also to the material from which the handle of the product is made. For younger children, it is better to choose a long handle with a rubberized texture so that it does not slip out while brushing their teeth.

It is good that the child’s favorite character is depicted on its surface and there are no three-dimensional elements. Older children can choose the design of the product themselves.

Working part

For children who have just begun to get acquainted with a brush, the parameters of the product head should be minimal in order to avoid a feeling of discomfort while brushing their teeth and damage to the oral mucosa.

The optimal length of the working part, which should have a rounded shape, for children aged 0 to 2 years should be no more than 2 cm, and for the older generation - approximately 2.3 cm.

When replacing milk crowns with permanent ones, you should purchase a model identical to an adult brush, but with smaller head parameters.

Bristles

In this case, the criteria are applied to the material and degree of rigidity. It is not recommended to purchase models with natural fibers, which serve as an excellent breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria.

A brush for little ones should have soft, elastic bristles. Starting from the age when a child’s diet includes the same products as an adult’s menu, you should change the model to a product with a medium-hard working part in order to efficiently remove food residues.

Children with characteristic large gaps between teeth need to use a product with V-shaped tufts of bristles. It is worth noting that the length of the villi should not exceed 1 cm.

Presence of timer and cleaning mode

An additional timer function makes it convenient to control the duration of the teeth brushing process.

The ideal option would be the ability to adjust the intensity of the brush and its degree of pressure on the enamel, which would make it possible to select the optimal technical characteristics individually for the characteristics of the child’s oral cavity.

See photos of toothbrushes for braces and learn about their types. Click here if you are interested in treating an abscess on a child’s gum.

At this address https://dr-zubov.ru/lechenie/desny/izbavlenie-ot-zabolevanij-s-plazmoliftingom.html watch a video about the plasma lifting procedure in dentistry.

Manufacturer reliability

As practice has shown, manufacturers of electric brushes that have proven themselves on the positive side do not change their principles and produce high-quality products.

Today, manufacturers also provide the opportunity to choose one of three types of models: mechanical, sound or ultrasonic.

For children under 6 years of age, it is better to give preference to the first option. It is this type of product that gently affects the surface of the teeth, thoroughly removing plaque. An older child can purchase a sound model.

Ultrasonic brushes are not intended for safe oral care for children.

For more information on choosing toothbrushes for young children, watch the video.

Choosing a toothbrush for a teenager

At the age of 13-17 years, children can already use adult toothbrushes, unless otherwise recommended by the dentist. But some manufacturers produce special models for teenagers. A striking example is Oral-B TEEN:

It is compatible with a large number of interchangeable attachments. You can also choose an attachment for sensitive teeth and gums.
Removes more plaque than a regular brush and has a whitening effect.
A pressure sensor is provided to protect the gums. It automatically reduces the speed and prevents you from pressing too hard on the brush.
The two-minute timer ensures the correct, two-minute brushing time.
A special mobile application allows you to track cleaning performance in real time. This helps to interest teenagers and motivate them to take regular and proper dental care.
The brush holds a charge for up to two weeks.

Choosing a brush depending on age

Tooth enamel has different densities at different ages. Therefore, a brush that is good for a first-grader will not be suitable for a toddler. Children under three years old should choose a brush with soft bristles. Schoolchildren can choose a product with a more significant level of bristles stiffness.

Models of children's toothbrushes usually indicate the age category: from 0 to three years; from three to six years; from six to seven years; brushes for teenagers.

Teach your child to brush their teeth properly

It’s not enough to buy your child an electric toothbrush; you need to teach them how to use it correctly.

Read the instructions carefully.
Use a small pea-sized amount of fluoride paste.
During brushing, the brush is positioned at a 45-degree angle to the gum line.
Clean your teeth, moving from right to left, first along the upper ones, then along the lower ones. Brush first the outer, then the inner, and then the chewing surface of your teeth.
The brush should be moved along the teeth slowly, without pressing too hard and without missing any areas.

Teach your child to brush his teeth correctly, and he will visit the dentist only for preventive purposes.

Advantages and disadvantages

How to brush your child's teeth at one year of age

This product has the following advantages:

hygienic care of the item is quite easy;
it contains absolutely no harmful substances;
provides a massage effect;
Since it is made of soft material, it is almost impossible to injure the child’s gums.

In addition to its advantages, the brush also has disadvantages:

short service life. Very often, when little children start teething, they start to itch, so the baby can simply chew on the device;
The size of the silicone brush is more designed for women’s fingers, but it may not fit on men’s;
It often happens that a child bites the brush, naturally, with his finger inside it, so parents need to be careful.