Since I bought the Oral B Smart Series electronic toothbrush, (with it's LCD giving me smiley faces, if I brush the correct way), well, here's my question.

Do I have to brush for 4 minutes EVERY TIME I BRUSH?

When one uses this toothbrush, one has to cover all the quadrants, and it signals you and I understand this, and after 4 minutes or so (haven't exactly timed it) BUT IT'S A LONG TIME till I get the 4 beeps that tells me ALL DONE, and I check and there's my smiley face!!!!

Now I do this when I get up, and obviously before I go to bed. But then there's AFTER breakfast (when I get home from the local breakfast nook), so there I am again, with my Oral B, and my smiley face.

And then there's lunch, and there's Melody with my Oral B and my smiley face.

And then we have dinner, blah blah

Now I've been doing this.

BUT THAT'S A LOT OF TIME. Might not seem like it, but there I am in the bathroom, brushing, flossing, tongue brushing, and rinsing.

Is this the correct thing to do?

Or is one allowed to "Lighten up" during the day and give just a quick brush, floss and rinse??

I'm lucky I'm able to do this, but I wonder "What do people do who DON'T have the 4 minutes after each meal, or they are not home, or they are outside?

It's a good question, no?? And is this what people do when they want to save their teeth?

Thanks much

Melody

I'd check with your dentist if that's brushing too much. I remember the dental hygeniest say something to my DD to brush just twice a day. Something about tooth paste and brushing too much is not good. Then again I may just have that completely wrong! Can you call your dentist and ask?

Hi there!!!

GOT THE ANSWER!!

Just phoned my dentist. I was told to brush 3 times a day. I then said "Well, I brush when I get up, I brush after each meal, and I brush before bedtime, is this not correct?" (That would make it 5 times a day)

The assistant laughed (she had just asked my dentist who was working on a patient).

She then said "Brush when you get up, brush after lunch, and then brush before you go to bed at night".

So....this is straight out of the mouth of my dentist, who is my hero, so this is what I will do.

Because I am concerned about the after breakfast thing and the after dinner thing, I'll continue to floss, water pik and rinse.

That should get rid of any food particles that were in my mouth between my teeth.

That water pik is AMAZING. You should see what flies out of my mouth after I floss. The flossing gets rid of things and the Water pik flushes them out of my mouth.

So, while I should have straightened this out a few weeks ago, before I left the office, I now know what I am supposed to do.

Thanks much for suggesting I phone my dentist. Goodness, one would think I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS.!!

lol

Hi Melody,

Four minutes seems like alot of toothbrushing at one time. I think most rechargeable toothbrushes have a built in 2 minute timer with a gentle tone indicating 30 second intervals for each quadrant.

If you want to brush your teeth more than twice a day, you could use a manual brush midday instead of the electric one. Especially since you are brushing so thoroughly with the electric one in the morning and at night!

Glad to hear that you like your Oral B!

Bryanna

Hi.

Next time I use my toothbrush, I'm going to time it. I can tell you off the bat it does the 30 second timer thing, but when I'm all done it let's me know that I'm all done by beeping in 4 long beeps.

I'll have my timer handy tomorrow when I begin. Let's see EXACTLY how long it takes to get to the 4 long beeps.

And the manual brushing in between sounds like a very good idea.

Oh, when I brush with the Oral B, I always use it in Sensitive mode. It gives you 4 choices and I always choose Mode 2 which is sensitive. I think it's less strong, or harsh or something like that.

So......so far, so good.

I can't believe I actually called my dentist's office. Years ago, I would have bet all the money that I would NEVER call up a dentist for ANYTHING.

It's good to know I can change.

Melody

Yes, the softest setting or sensitive setting on the electric toothbrush is best because it will clean very effectively if you use it correctly. There is no need to use the brush on a harder setting.

Very true.... it's never too late to make positive changes within ourselves, that's for sure!!

Let me know what the timer says about the length of brushing...!

Bryanna

Glad you got an answer from your dentist. So three times a day is okay - that's nice to know. I love my electric toothbrush and won't ever go back to a manual toothbrush again.

Here's another good question. Tonight I just saw a commercial on tv for the Spinbrush. The guy says: "Why spend $150 for a toothbrush?" The Spinbrush (probably about $30) DOES THE SAME THING. Removes exactly the same amount of plaque, blah blah..

I know, it doesn't have the bells and whistles and smiley faces, but is this true?

Do the Triumph and the Spinbrush and the cheaper electric toothbrushes, well do they do the same job as the one I just bought?

Thanks

melody

Melody,

All electric toothbrushes work similarly. The mechanical concept is the same in that the vibration of the bristles against the tooth and gum helps to remove plaque and all models use very soft bristle brushheads. The vibration, size/shape and direction of the motion of the toothbrush head differ from one manufacturer to another. The ones that cost the least have the least bells and whistles. Do you need the brush to do more than remove plaque.... not really. It's like anything else, people choose what is most comfortable for them to use.

Bryanna

Well, I HAVE MY SMILEY FACE!!! and smiley tells me I did a good job.
lol
Melody