Electric Toothbrush VS Manual Toothbrush – Which is Best?

Have you ever wondered what’s better between an electric toothbrush VS manual toothbrush? What are the pros and cons of each? Should you have both? All these are great questions. Not that long ago you didn’t really have a choice. In fact, the first toothbrush patent was granted to H.N Wadsworth in 1857.

However, humans have been using some form of toothbrush since around 3,000 BC. Further, before nylon toothbrushes were introduced, people used toothbrushes where the bristles were made of boar’s hair.

Eventually the first electric toothbrushes were made in the 1930’s. Originally, they were designed for patients with limited motor skills. Then the first mass produced electric toothbrushes came about in the 1960’s. Groovy right?

But which toothbrush should you use and why? Let’s dive into some pros and cons. First, we’ll start with electric toothbrushes.

Pros of Electric Toothbrushes

When it comes to an electric toothbrush vs manual toothbrush, the electric toothbrush has many advantages. For example, since around the 1980’s many dentists agree that electric toothbrushes are more effective than manual toothbrushes.

Below we have listed a few more pros for electric toothbrushes:

We have already discussed that electric toothbrushes are more effective at removing plaque.
Electric toothbrushes are also better for certain people with physical disabilities or challenges.
They have built in timers to notify you when it’s time to switch to a different quadrant.
They may help produce less waste since you’re only switching your brush head and not the whole toothbrush.
Kids seem to find them more fun than your traditional toothbrush.

Electric Toothbrush VS Manual Toothbrush – Electric Toothbrush Cons

So, great we’ve talked about some pros, but what are the cons? Are there any cons? The answer is yes. One con that is pretty obvious to most parents is the price. Kids have very little knowledge of money. They think it grows on trees. However, if you’re a breadwinner than you know you need to stretch every dollar.

One reason a lot of people will forgo electric toothbrushes is the fact that you can buy a several dozen manual toothbrushes for the price of one electric toothbrush. Secondly, another con is the battery. This is a con because if you’re traveling and unable to charge your toothbrush then you’re out of luck.

Also, imagine traveling to your destination only to realize you forgot your charger! Or returning home and realizing you left your charger at a hotel or family member’s home. This leads us to our next con. Traveling is not optimal for electric toothbrushes. Not just traveling from place to place but think about camping.

If you’re planning to go camping for a few days, it’s hard to take an electric toothbrush with you. Sure, if you’re in a cabin or some place with outlets then it can be easy, but if your accommodation is limited to a tent then that’s no good.

Electric Toothbrush VS Manual Toothbrush – Pros of Manual Toothbrush.

To start, you can never go wrong with a manual toothbrush. There are many pros to this toothbrush. For example, durability. We should have listed this as a negative for electric toothbrushes but here we are. If you drop an electric toothbrush, you can damage it. However, you can drop a manual toothbrush from a tall building, and it will be ok. Just make sure to clean it.

Below we have a few more pros:

I would say cheap but that’s so negative. Anyone on any budget can afford manual toothbrushes to contribute to healthy oral hygiene.
I have seen plastic toothbrushes, bamboo ones, there’s different colors and materials. You can buy Barbie ones or superhero ones.
They always work. They don’t need batteries to work. No charging required.
Can be used anywhere. You can go hike the tallest mountains, you can be stranded on an island, you could accidentally step into a time machine and end up with the dinosaurs and your toothbrush will work the same. You’ll just need toothpaste.

Speaking of being stranded or ending up with the dinosaurs, you could use your manual toothbrush as a tool. You can shave into a hook for fishing or some other creative tools to help in your survival. So, it looks like there’s a ton of pros for manual toothbrushes, what are the cons?

Manual Toothbrushes – Cons

Honestly, there aren’t too many cons but here are a few. First, manual toothbrushes are not as effective as electric ones. However, that doesn’t mean that they’re bad. But have you ever noticed that dentists use similar instruments to brush your teeth? Electric toothbrushes will remove more plaque with less time and effort.

Secondly, manual toothbrushes may prove challenging to certain people with physical limitations. Using a manual toothbrush effectively may prove to be burdensome to those with limitations and disabilities.

Lastly, a con for manual toothbrushes are the timers built into many electric toothbrushes. I have to admit that I don’t count to thirty when brushing my quadrants. However, I know when to switch when using my electric toothbrush because it stops and vibrates three times to let me to move on.

Electric Toothbrush VS Manual Toothbrush – Which One Do You Buy?

This is a pretty simple answer. For starters, if your budget is tight then don’t worry, go with a manual toothbrush. Remember to floss and buy yourself a tongue scraper. However, if your budget allows for it, definitely purchase both.

See, if you can afford an electric toothbrush, then you should certainly have a manual toothbrush as well. It’s great to have both because electric toothbrushes perform better. However, as we discussed there are times when you can’t use your electric toothbrush, and that is when you use your manual toothbrush.

Electric Toothbrush VS Manual Toothbrush – Conclusion

To conclude, we talked about the pros of an electric toothbrush VS manual toothbrush. We also talked about the cons of an electric toothbrush vs manual toothbrush. Both work well but the electric toothbrush is more effective. However, the manual toothbrush works anywhere and all the time. If your budget is tight then buy a manual toothbrush. Remember to buy floss and a tongue scraper to get the best results.

On the other hand, if you can afford an electric toothbrush without breaking the bank, we encourage you to buy a manual toothbrush as well.

In fact, if you want to look at some great dental products like electric toothbrushes or tongue scrapers, you should check out our products page. Here you will find some of our recommended products.