So, who are the one out of five dentists who don’t recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum?

I don’t know because I’m not a dentist. But, I do use an electric toothbrush (specifically a Quip which is a glorified manual toothbrush that vibrates a bit). Is it worth it? Do electric toothbrushes work better?

Unsurprisingly, studies by Oral-B and Waterpik (both of whom make electric toothbrushes) find that electric toothbrushes are superior to manual ones. WebMD and Consumer Reports, based on reviews of studies, find that manual toothbrushes are as effective as electric toothbrushes so long as you brush with appropriate form.

What really matters is the amount of time spent brushing. If you brush your teeth for 2 minutes, get all areas of your teeth and don’t use too much pressure the studies find it doesn’t really matter which type of toothbrush you use. The studies do note that if the use of an electric toothbrush make brushing more enjoyable, leads to brushing for the full 2 minutes or improves technique then an electric toothbrush is the way to go.

Personally, I find the timer on my Quip to be quite useful in helping brush for 2 minutes (it buzzes every 30 seconds). Some electric toothbrushes connect to apps via bluetooth to help ensure you’ve brushed your entire tooth surface.  Some have sensors that make noise or stop if you are using too much pressure.

The bottom line appears to be: if an electric toothbrush helps you brush longer and use the appropriate amount of pressure then they are beneficial.