Electric toothbrushes do a much better job cleaning teeth than old-style manual brushes. This is especially important for kids, who need to build habits for a lifetime of good dental health. I have been using electric toothbrushes for a long time, so I decided to make a buying guide to help you choose the best electric toothbrush for your kids.
There are many electric toothbrushes on the market now, and it’s hard to know which one is right for you.
The major manufacturers each have quite a few models and it’s often difficult to tell how one differs from the next. In this section, I will talk about the different features and aspects of electric toothbrushes and discuss how important they are in terms of overall performance.
Electric toothbrushes can get expensive, so you need to be informed before you make a decision.
Our Favorite Electric Toothbrushes For Kids
Who Can Benefit From An Electric Toothbrush?
In addition to their deeper clean, electric toothbrushes have a few extra features that manual ones lack. The most important of these is the two-minute timer, which helps you brush for the right amount of time.
Before I got an electric toothbrush I thought I hit that time, however it turned out I was falling short at less than one minute. Your children are likely to be similar – they aren’t brushing for as long as they should.
Of course, everyone benefits from better brushing – it prevents cavities and expensive root canals, which are a kid’s (and parent’s) nightmare!
What Electric Toothbrushes Do
There are two main ways to categorize these brushes – those which use disposable batteries and those which are rechargeable.
Each has their own advantages. The rechargeable kind is useful because you don’t need to buy replacement batteries, however you do need to remember to charge it.
Brushes with disposable batteries present an ongoing expense as you need to replace the batteries on a regular basis.
In any case, the power source drives a motor, which rotates and vibrates the head of the brush. This gives you a better clean than manual brushes.
Most brushes also have some other features that use the power, such as a timer, sound and lights. Brushes that have more features tend to use more power, so you will need to charge or replace the batteries more often.
All of these features can be overwhelming at first, but you use an electric toothbrush just like a manual one. All you have to do is turn it on and brush as you would normally. Most designs nowadays have on/off switches instead of buttons which must be held down.I really like that because it’s just easier. The electric ones tend to be a little heavier, which might be a surprise to kids if they are not expecting it.
Be aware that they could drop the brush. I have selected sturdy and robust brushes that won’t break to help deal with this issue.
How To Brush Your Kid’s Teeth With An Electric Toothbrush
How To Choose An Electric ToothbrushThere are a lot of things that differentiate the electric toothbrushes on the market. First of all, there’s price.
The cheapest decent models start at around $50, and they go up from there with higher-end models reaching the hundreds. If you have more than one child, then you are going to want to take this into account.
You also need to think about replacement brushes. Just like manual brushes, the heads on electric toothbrushes need to be changed because the bristles wear down. I usually replace mine about every 3 months. Every model and brand has different brushes.
Pro Tip
Change your electric toothbrush heads every 3 months. After that time if you brush your teeth several times daily, they stop being effective. (source)
If you have a favorite kind of brush, then you will want a toothbrush that can load the appropriate head. Sometimes this is more than just a personal preference. If your kids have braces, then you will want a softer set of bristles. The same goes for if your children have sensitive teeth.
Battery life does not differ a whole lot between the main brands. You can usually get at least a week out of one charge or one set of batteries. Remember that for rechargeables, you need to run the battery all the way down at least once every six months.
Think about the features you really need, because they are a big contributor to the price. For example, some higher end brushes have multiple cleaning speeds. I don’t think these are hugely important, but again if you are dealing with sensitive teeth, a lower speed might help.
The timer is the most important feature. Lights, music, and so on are all extras – the timer is essential.
Next up, I will review five brushes so that you can see what to look for in the best electric toothbrush for kids.
Our Favorite Electric Toothbrushes For Kids
Conclusion
Out of all of these five, I like the Philips HX6311/07 as the best electric toothbrush for kids. I think it has the most value and is lacking only the app, which I find superfluous.
It has soft bristles, a timer, a strong motor, a decent price, and a durable case.
The price point is not bad either, especially if you share one base between multiple children and just swap heads.
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