Dentist Dr Surina Sehgal has taken to social media to share what type of toothbrush you should be using to avoid unwanted trips to the dentist and keep your smile bright
Everyone knows you should brush your teeth twice a day – but the type of toothbrush you use can also have a big impact on your overall oral hygiene.
In a bid to help people avoid dental issues, expert Dr Surina Sehgal shared the best types of toothbrushes to use to keep your mouth clean and avoid any painful trips to the dentist.
In a TikTok video, she asked: “Have you ever wondered whether an electric toothbrush is better than a manual toothbrush? I’m a dentist and here’s my take on this.” To start, she urged people to think about when they brush their teeth – with this usually being first thing in a morning and last thing at night.
She added: “These are the times you are most tired and not likely to be focusing so much. With a manual toothbrush, it is all about rotating, applying pressure, angling just right and avoiding scrubbing.” In contrast, she said: “But an electric toothbrush does all the work for you. Just hold it and let it work its magic.
“Don’t get me wrong, a properly used manual toothbrush is amazing but the ease of an electric toothbrush is just hard to beat.” Commenting on her video, one happy viewer said: “This was my sign. I’ve been contemplating on getting electronic one.” However, another complained: “Electric toothbrush gets mouldy at the base after a while.”
Others asked her for recommendations for electric toothbrushes – but while she didn’t provide an answer, many dentists recommend brands such as Philips, Oral B and Spotlight. Most toothbrushes cost around £30-£100, but you can spend extra for additional features including timers, additional accessories and a longer battery life.
It comes after Dr Sehgal shared the two things she would never do as a dentist in another TikTok video. These included brushing her teeth after eating breakfast and rinsing her mouth out with water after brushing. Her advice sparked a debate in the comments, with one user saying: “I’m brushing after breakfast, ain’t no way I’m smelling a peanut butter after breakfast.”
Another user added: “But the breakfast will taste bad if you brush before breakfast.” One more user said: “Shouldn’t I brush after every meal? Why is breakfast different.” A fourth user added: “But the food taste horrible right after brushing the teeth, so that’s why I do it after eating. I don’t understand how you can eat right after brushing.” Another user said: “It should be before breakfast to clean your mouth before eating and for the rinse, because rinsing right after will take away the effect of toothpaste.”
