Ultrasonic toothbrush: reviews
From this article you will learn:
toothbrush with ultrasound: pros and cons,
how much does an ultrasonic toothbrush cost,
reviews of practicing dentists.
The article was written by a dentist-periodontist with over 10 years of experience.
Ultrasonic toothbrushes are classified as electric toothbrushes.
The latter also includes mechanical type toothbrushes (these are those that have a rotating head with bristles), as well as sonic brushes. What all these types of toothbrushes have in common is that they run on electricity - on rechargeable batteries, AA batteries, or through an adapter from the mains. However, the principle of teeth cleaning is different for all these types of toothbrushes.
How an ultrasonic toothbrush works
An ultrasonic toothbrush contains a motor inside the handle and a piezoceramic plate located under the bristles of the toothbrush head. This plate emits an ultrasonic vibrational wave with a frequency of 1.6-1.7 MHz.Thanks to this, the bristles on the head of the toothbrush vibrate and make about 100,000,000 movements in 1 minute.
This frequency was not chosen by chance. The fact is that an ultrasonic vibrational wave of such a frequency is capable of propagating from the place of direct contact of the bristles with the teeth and gums up to 4 mm deep. Thus, the therapeutic effect of ultrasound can extend to very hard-to-reach areas - interdental spaces, gingival sulcus, not deep periodontal pockets.
Ultrasonic toothbrush with replaceable heads Ultrasonic toothbrush device Ultrasonic cleaning technology
How an ultrasonic brush cleans teeth
In addition to vibrating the bristles (which promotes mechanical plaque removal), the ultrasonic vibrations emitted by the brush head destroy the attachment of microbes to the tooth surface (Figure 3). Thanks to all this, teeth are cleaned.
There is no doubt that ultrasonic toothbrushes are able to effectively remove soft microbial and pigment plaque from the tooth surface.
With great difficulty, the ultrasonic brush is able to cope with even the smallest hard dental deposits. But getting rid of hard dental deposits, which you can see in Fig. 4-6 - such a brush will not help you at all. To remove such dental deposits, you will have to undergo a professional hygiene session at the dentist.
Hard dental deposits (calculus) Hard dental deposits (tartar) Hard dental deposits (calculus)
During the use of the brush, a pleasant warmth is felt in the mouth: the tissues heat up somewhat (according to the manufacturers - by about 1 ° C). An increase in temperature, in turn, allows accelerating the release of fluoride and calcium ions from the toothpaste, which probably should contribute to an increased strengthening of tooth enamel. In addition, the blood supply to the gums is accelerated, which is also useful in some cases.
Ultrasonic toothbrush: cost
Donfeel Ultrasonic Toothbrush -
the cost of an ultrasonic toothbrush "Donfeel" will be 3 thousand rubles.
Ultrasonex Ultrasonic Toothbrush -
the price of an Ultrasonex ultrasonic toothbrush will be about RUB 2,000.
Megasonex m8 ultrasonic toothbrush -
the price of the Megasonex ultrasonic toothbrush will be about 5 thousand rubles.
Ultrasonic toothbrush: contraindications
In addition to advantages, an ultrasonic toothbrush has disadvantages. These deficiencies will be less significant in people with healthy, unfilled teeth, without crowns and bridges on the teeth, and in the absence of gum disease. For everyone else, a toothbrush with ultrasound can lead to unpleasant consequences, such as:
1. Reducing the service life of fillings, veneers, crowns -
Ultrasound is a very high frequency vibration wave. Such a wave spreads deep into tissues (teeth, crowns, fillings, gums) to a depth of 4-5 mm. The ultrasonic wave creates vibrations (microvibrations) of hard tissues of teeth, fillings, orthopedic structures.
In inhomogeneous solid media (materials), ultrasonic vibrational waves propagate in different ways. This is due to the fact that different materials have different characteristics of wave resistance, which depends on their structure, structure, physical properties of the material. You can get acquainted with this from the physics course (see the laws of ultrasound propagation in inhomogeneous solid media). In objects that consist of a homogeneous material (I mean an unprocessed, completely healthy tooth), the oscillatory wave will propagate uniformly without causing any problems.
Features of the effect of ultrasound on filled teeth:
However, a completely different situation develops in the teeth on which there are fillings, crowns, veneers, inlays, and metal pins are installed in the root canals. In terms of their physical properties, the materials from which fillings and crowns are made differ from tooth tissues. And therefore, during the passage of an ultrasonic vibrational wave, these materials will experience vibration (vibrations) different from the vibration of the preserved tooth tissues, as well as from each other.
The inconsistency of microvibrations causes their conflict at the border of solid media - what are the boundaries of the filling / tooth, crown / tooth, metal pin / tooth. This leads to the destruction of the binder between these media. Let me remind you that light-cured fillings are held on the teeth thanks to a special adhesive. An adhesive is a kind of glue that binds tooth tissue and restorative material together. Destruction of the adhesive at the border will cause the filling, veneer, and inlay to fall out. In the same way, the cement will be destroyed, with the help of which the artificial crown is fixed to the tooth.
Moreover, the process of destruction will not be abrupt, but gradual. As a practicing periodontist, I have been working with ultrasound almost every day for 12 years. Any doctor who removes dental deposits from patients with ultrasound has to periodically face the loss of fillings (which, by the way, do not fall out badly even without ultrasound ...). First of all, of course, poorly delivered fillings with poor attachment of the fillings to the tooth tissues fall out, and those that are well delivered reduce the service life.
Is it then necessary to remove dental deposits with ultrasound at all:
Of course, you may have a question: is it worth removing dental deposits at the dentist with ultrasound at all? Usually, dental deposits are removed from the dentist no more than once a year - such a frequency will not cause significant harm to fillings, unlike, for example, the constant daily 2-time use of ultrasound at home. Therefore, you should not be afraid of ultrasonic teeth cleaning at the dentist. This brushing prevents gum disease and tooth decay.
2. Destruction of demineralized areas of enamel -
Some people have whitish chalky spots on the enamel surface (Figure 7-8). These spots are foci of low enamel mineralization with calcium, and are nothing more than the initial stage of caries (caries in the white spot stage). The enamel in such areas is very fragile and porous, but does not yet have visible signs of destruction (defect).
Multiple foci of enamel demineralization in the form of whitish spots Multiple foci of enamel demineralization in the form of whitish spots
Inexperienced dentists often have the following situations: when removing dental deposits from a patient, they touch an ultrasonic nozzle to such an area of fragile demineralized enamel and lead to the destruction of its surface layer. In this place, the unevenness of the enamel immediately appears, its defect. So, the daily use of ultrasound for cleaning teeth can cause gradual destruction of such areas of enamel, which will lead to the need to fill the tooth. But, if the tooth is completely healthy, then the use of ultrasound is safe.
3. Exacerbation of chronic foci of inflammation at the tops
teeth -
There is such a disease as periodontitis. With this disease, purulent sacs (cysts) form at the tops of the roots. They contain pus inside. Periodontitis can be asymptomatic for a very long time (for years), and only with a decrease in immunity can there be pain when biting on a tooth, swelling of the gums, and fistula formation.
In the presence of such foci of chronic infection at the tops of the roots of the teeth, the use of ultrasound will contribute to the exacerbation of the chronic process, which will lead to the appearance of pain, swelling of the gums in the projection of the diseased tooth. Considering that more than 70% of patients have such chronic foci of inflammation, as a dentist, I cannot recommend the massive use of ultrasound.
4. Exacerbation of inflammatory diseases of the gums (gingivitis and periodontitis) -
The use of ultrasound in the acute period of gum inflammation (when there is pain, suppuration, swelling, edema, bleeding) is categorically contraindicated. This commonplace truth is written in any physical therapy manual. This is due to the fact that the use of ultrasound in the acute period causes the spread of infection. But in the presence of chronic gingivitis and periodontitis, when the symptoms are not so pronounced, the use of ultrasound in some cases may be justified.
The use of ultrasound for chronic gingivitis -
Gingivitis (fig. 12,13) is caused by soft plaque and hard tartar. The capabilities of an ultrasonic toothbrush to remove hard dental plaque are rather limited. Strengthening blood circulation in the gums under the influence of ultrasound (while preserving the microbial flora in the form of dental plaque) - will cause the spread of infection in the gums and increase the swelling of the gums, bleeding and other symptoms.
Acute catarrhal gingivitis Chronic catarrhal gingivitis
Therefore, before using an ultrasonic brush, you need to take a course of professional hygiene with a dentist and remove all pathogenic microbial flora. Thus, the ultrasonic brush can only be used after removing dental plaque and relieving acute events through anti-inflammatory drug therapy.
The use of ultrasound for chronic periodontitis -
With periodontitis (Fig. 14,15), using an ultrasonic toothbrush is generally evil - even if all dental deposits have been removed. The fact is that with periodontitis, periodontal pockets are formed in the gums, the processes of destruction of bone tissue and its replacement with granulations are active. Bone tissue in the area of periodontal pockets is not simply destroyed, but replaced by soft granulation tissue. These granulations, by the way, are removed during flap operations, which is the main method of treating periodontitis.
Periodontitis Chronic generalized periodontitis of moderate severity Deep periodontal pocket with periodontitis
Granulation tissue contains a large number of osteoclasts - cells that actively absorb bone tissue, as well as pathogenic microbes.
In Fig. 16 you can see that with periodontitis (with an outwardly good gum contour) deep bone pockets are hidden under the gum mucosa. These pockets are filled with granulation tissue, subgingival dental plaque and, in general, infection.
Under the influence of ultrasound, the activity of osteoclasts in the granulation tissue increases, which leads to an increase in the rate of destruction of bone tissue. That inevitably brings the emergence of mobility closer, and then the loss of teeth. Therefore, all assurances that ultrasonic toothbrushes are very useful for periodontal diseases are very far from the truth. And if you have periodontitis - think about it.
5. Not recommended for pregnant women, people with pacemakers -
Dental treatment in the first trimester of pregnancy often causes spontaneous abortion. That is why dental treatment in the 1st trimester is not recommended. At the moment, there is no evidence that the constant use of ultrasound for cleaning teeth can provoke the same. However, doctors do not recommend using such toothbrushes for pregnant women.
6. Contraindicated in the presence of neoplasms -
If there are benign and malignant neoplasms (tumors) in the oral cavity, as well as diseases of the mucous membrane associated with a violation of the process of keratinization of epithelial cells, then the use of an ultrasonic toothbrush is categorically contraindicated.
When the ultrasonic brush won't do harm
When there are no fillings, crowns, veneers, etc. on the teeth.
When you have no dental plaque, especially subgingival
When you do not have gingivitis and periodontitis
With periodontal disease -
Periodontal disease "differs from periodontitis and gingivitis in that bone resorption during periodontal disease is associated not with inflammatory changes in the gums, but with dystrophy processes (without any signs of inflammation). In this case, improving microcirculation in the gums may be beneficial. However, 99.99% of human cases of gum disease are associated with poor hygiene, infection and inflammation, not dystrophy.
The future belongs to atomic toothbrushes
You probably already understood from the title that it was written with irony. In the modern world, unfortunately, everything is tied to money and trade. It can already be predicted that in the next few years there will be "atomic toothbrushes", "magnetic resonance toothbrushes", as well as other goods with artificially developed demand, the purpose of which is only one thing - to make money by introducing another useless "novelty" ".
5 years ago, such a novelty was the electric tooth. brushes with rotating heads. Then toothbrushes appeared, "working" on sound and ultrasound. The fact is that the toothbrush market has one feature that is characteristic of mass-market products - toothbrushes are a product with a short life cycle. That is why manufacturers of such products constantly release new items to the market so that the buyer makes a choice in favor of their new product.
In fact, all this all intersecting bristles, all sorts of rubber tentacles on toothbrushes, sound, ultrasound, all sorts of indicators and other crap are invented by manufacturers in a fit of competition in order to draw attention to their product. Trading in general is based on massive consumer deception by creating demand through advertising for something - in most cases, completely useless.
To date, nothing has been invented better than a conventional manual toothbrush. But if you really want to play a little with a fashionable device, as well as diversify your oral hygiene, then we advise you to purchase an electric brush with a rotating head
The article was written by a dentist-periodontist with over 10 years of experience.
