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Power toothbrush

To many people, the prevention of cavities in teeth is of utmost importance. The most common treatments for preventing cavities include brushing the teeth, flossing, and using fluoride rinses. Of these treatments, brushing the teeth is most common. Toothbrushes provide many oral hygiene benefits. For example, toothbrushes remove plaque and food debris to help avoid tooth decay and disease. They remove stained pellicle from the surface of each tooth to help whiten the teeth. Also, the bristles combined with the brushing motion massage the gingival tissue for stimulation and increased health of the tissue. Manual toothbrushes have dominated the toothbrush market for many years. Recently, power toothbrushes have increased in sales. The implication is that power toothbrushes may clean the teeth better than manual brushes. Powered toothbrushes have advantages over manual toothbrushes in that they impart movement to the bristles at much higher speeds than possible manually. They also may impart different types and directions of motion. These motions, generally in combination with manual movement of toothbrush by the user, provide superior cleaning than manual toothbrushes. Typically, powered toothbrushes are powered by disposable or rechargeable batteries that power an electric motor that in turn drives toothbrush head. Power toothbrushes generally provide a better and more reliable cleaning action than manual toothbrushes and accordingly are generally preferable in order to maintain good dental hygiene. Power toothbrushes are electrically driven, utilizing either a rotary electric drive or a form of reciprocating, vibratory drive. Many of these toothbrushes are powered by a self-contained DC battery. The driving arrangements include various motors which produce a variety of brushhead motions, including rotary and back-and-forth actions, as well as other arrangements using magnetic drivers. The frequency of the brushhead action of these toothbrushes varies considerably, typically from a few Hertz to several thousand Hertz and, in some cases, ultrasonic frequencies.

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