I haven't had any gum problems in decades since I started storing my toothbrush in a glass of Hydrogen Peroxide.

I'm an orthodontist and have always felt selling extra stuff through my practice is kinda tacky but I know a lot of guys that do it. Some put on a hard sell and I think it makes some patients feel like they need to buy in order to keep the dentist happy and consequently treat them "right". IMHO nobody needs an electronic toothbrush if they know how to brush their teeth right and take the time to do it properly.

I have dental implants as well as Sjogrens (dry mouth). The dental hygentist, the 1st time I visited her here, recommended an electric toothbrush as well as a water-pik. I have both!! The next time I saw her she told me the difference was nearly night and day. In the beginning apparently I had early signs of gum disease and more. I really feel a difference myself--my mouth feels so much cleaner!! Anything we can do to have good mouth-health is very important. It can be life-threatening as there's a coorelation of mouth issues with heart issues.

Oh...I bought my items at the drug store and not from the dentist!!!! So it wasn't a "money making" deal for him!!

I've used the Braun Oral B electric for years & it has made a huge difference with my dental issues. Bought it at Walmart for approx $30- $35. It has the 2 minute timer and a charging base. Use to use a waterpik until I was told it was not a good thing for me since I have advance gingevitis. Good luck in your decision

It is nice that the Dentist introduced patients to these toothbrushes.

Many Moons ago.........
My Dentist GAVE the Electric brushes to everyone in
my family and all my relatives and in-laws.
We all were patients there.
.....Of course that Dentist and myself have been friends (continously)... ...........since 4th grade.

Do not know if he sold them to others...
..but about 14 units were free for our extended family.

..... Several years later...
Moved to New area.....I bought 2 from the new dentist.

Several years later.....
Moved to Villages...New Dentist here sold them and I bought another.

Sounds like some Dentists have them available, as a convenience
to their patients.

My Newest unit is the $99 super-duper from Sams Club.
Santa brought this one.
I found it odd that Santa and Youngblood (SON) have
identical handwriting.

I'm glad to hear that you like your Oral-B brush. A few years back when CD rates were up around 5.5%, a local bank gave me a "free" Oral-B brush as a gift for opening a new account. (Boy, those days are long gone!) Anyway, I could never get used to it. The round head just didn't seem to work well in my mouth. I still have it but it's not doing me any good.

What I like about the Philips Sonicare (FlexCare+) is that the brush itself is shaped like a regular toothbrush. It's difficult to explain but it just seems to work better for me.

Yes, I like the dentist too, and the hygienist. And now that I have visited Walmart, I think I will most likely keep the Sonicare electric I bought from the dentist. I wouldn't save much by changing to the Sonicare Essence. And the more I use my Sonicare (FlexCare+) electric the more I like it.

Bill,

I did use a Water Pik for several years; it was one that I bought at Walmart. Eventually, it broke and, at that time, Walmart didn't stock them anymore. I thought that was odd. But now it seems they have them again. Next time I go to Walmart I'll look them over.

One thing I wonder: Does anyone know if dentists/hygienists recommend them?

Our dentist here in Ahia recommended the Water Pik for me. From my experience in using it, I feel it does a good job. The dentist's hygienist agrees. They don't sell such things in their office - they recommended several places locally where they could be purchased.......so they had no skin in the game.

Bill :)

I think we have the same dentist. Although the hygienist did recommend and offer the Sonicare I knew I could get it cheaper at SAMs Club and said so. There was no pressure. As a tip, I occasionally add hydrogen peroxide to the water in the water pic. Makes my mouth feel really clean!

Can you believe it? Three pages on tooth brushes!

It becomes a little more important than it used to be.

Teeth problems appear right along with arthritis as people get older.

I am blessed not to have arthritis but I have more crowns than the entire British Royal family!

I forgot to mention there's no taxes when you buy from the dentist and I sent in a form to the company for a ten dollar rebate. So, it will actually cost me 89 dollars.

Let's make it 4 pages! :thumbup:

I have one crown and two missing teeth. We are both lucky when you consider that about 1/3 of all people over 65 have no remaining natural teeth.

P.S. It seems to me that crowns are very much like natural teeth. You don't have to take them out at night and soak them in a glass of water.