Electric Toothbrush vs. Manual Toothbrush: Which Is Better? (2024)

With an ongoing pandemic and surging social unrest dominating the news, a new toothbrush is probably the last thing on your mind.

But improving your oral hygiene is an important way to boost your immune system during these stressful times.

And every time you look at the sadly frayed bristles on your current brush, you remember that you are, indeed, due for a new one.

So now you’re wondering: is an electric toothbrush worth it? Should you take the plunge and buy one or just stick with your tried-and-true manual brush?

Heavily marketed, recommended by dental professionals, and decked out to look fancier than a smartphone, it’s no wonder that electric toothbrushes carry a hefty price tag.

Is a powered toothbrush such as the Philips Sonicare toothbrush just some sort of marketing gimmick? Do these gadgets really work better than regular brushes?

Most electric toothbrushes are much bigger than manual brushes because they have extra space built into their handles for housing the electrical components. This makes it fairly easy to notice the difference between electric toothbrushes vs regular ones.

Here are some of the other ways powered toothbrushes differ from their traditional counterparts:

Now it’s time to tackle the big question: are powered toothbrushes really the best choice?

A 2014 Cochrane Review concluded that “powered toothbrushes reduce plaque and gingivitis more than manual toothbrushing in the short and long term.”

So do electric toothbrushes clean your teeth better than regular ones? Clearly, yes.

But does that make them the better choice?

That answer is less clear.

What scientific studies haven’t yet figured out is whether or not that extra bit of cleaning power makes a difference.

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), dental diseases like periodontitis, gingivitis, and dental decay are caused by dental plaque. Plaque is a soft, sticky, and naturally occurring substance that contains different kinds of bacteria including, those that cause cavities and gum inflammation.

Therefore, keeping your mouth healthy all comes down to how well you can remove that plaque from your teeth with frequent brushing.

Scientists and dentists don’t know for sure exactly how much plaque it takes to start dental problems.

But what we do know is that both manual brushing and brushing with an electric toothbrush remove enough of that plaque to keep your teeth and gums in good condition.

Does the fact that an electric toothbrush can whisk away the plaque that a regular brush misses make that much of a difference?

Not really, according to a dentist in this article by Consumer Reports.

It’s a very tricky parameter to measure. Not everyone’s body responds the same way at the same time to the same amount of dental plaque.

All this is to say that we can’t definitively tell you that a powered toothbrush is any better for you than a manual one. Both brush types work perfectly well, and the secret lies simply in brushing your teeth regularly.

However, this doesn’t mean that electric brushes are useless. In fact, they have many important benefits.

One of the main reasons people are drawn to electric brushes is because they’re shiny little gadgets with neat bells and whistles.

Investing in a new oral hygiene tool that feels more like a self-pampering toy can increase your motivation to brush your teeth regularly. You’ll definitely want to get your money’s worth after splashing out on an electric toothbrush!

Additionally, positioning your sleek new electric toothbrush on your bathroom countertop communicates a statement of luxury. If you’re someone who likes to keep up with people like, say, the Kardashians, then you might want to try a brush like the (literally!) Kardashian-approved BURST toothbrush. In fact, now it’s the time to try it because they have a BURST promo code available.

Besides looks alone, powered brushes offer several other significant benefits. After all, they are good at getting rid of plaque. Some of these benefits include:

• Less gum bleeding and inflammation
• Lowered risk of tooth decay
• Brighter teeth
• Fresher breath

Most importantly, powered toothbrushes deliver a key benefit that other brushes cannot: improved mobility.

If you have no trouble brushing your teeth with a regular brush, then it’s easy to take this daily chore for granted. But it’s a different story for folks who have a limited range of motion in their hands, and for them, using a brush that does all the cleaning for them can make a world of difference in their oral health.

So far, we’ve established that while electric toothbrushes do clean better than manual ones, the difference is a slight one that might not affect your oral health.

However, there are groups of people who absolutely do stand to benefit from a powered toothbrush.

Even if you don’t fall into any of these categories, you might simply be curious to discover whether or not a powered toothbrush can really make your teeth feel cleaner.

You don’t have to break the bank to satisfy your curiosity; the Quip toothbrush is an affordable option that starts out at just $25.

Objectively, yes, the data we’ve reviewed indicates that electric toothbrushes are technically better at cleaning. But so far, that fact doesn’t really matter as no studies are proving that electric brushes are superior in the long term.

So there’s no need to worry if you don’t yet have an electric toothbrush. The most important thing is to pick a brush that works for you, and that makes you want to brush your teeth!

• Do you always forget to buy replacement brush heads for your electric toothbrush or to replace your manual brush every three months? Try a toothbrush subscription.
• Before purchasing a powered brush, remember to check out our electric toothbrush reviews to help you find the right one.
• An electric brush is most helpful to those who have trouble thoroughly brushing their teeth with a manual brush.
• Contact your dentist for a personalized toothbrush recommendation.

Have you discovered a healthier smile after switching to a powered toothbrush? Or did you find that an electric brush didn’t make that much of a difference?

Share your experience with us below!

• Elkerbout, TA, Slot, DE, Rosema, NAM, Van der Weijden, GA. How effective is a powered toothbrush as compared to a manual toothbrush? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of single brushing exercises. Int J Dent Hygiene. 2020; 18: 17– 26.
• Jain Y. (2013). A comparison of the efficacy of powered and manual toothbrushes in controlling plaque and gingivitis: a clinical study. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dentistry, 5, 3–9. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCIDE.S40656
• Plaque - American Dental Association. (2020). Retrieved 4 January 2021, from https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/p/plaque
• Yaacob M, Worthington HV, Deacon SA, Deery C, Walmsley AD, Robinson PG, Glenny AM. Powered versus manual toothbrushing for oral health. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD002281. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002281.pub3.