The Best Electric Toothbrush For Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in adults.  And shockingly, 70% of adults over the age of 65 have some degree of this gum problem.  Luckily, periodontal disease is preventable and curable with proper oral hygiene.  

Brushing and flossing your teeth well makes a big difference in fighting periodontal disease. It is important to use a good toothbrush for it to be effective. Read on to learn about improving your oral health by using the best electric toothbrush for periodontal disease.  

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What is Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease, also called gum disease, is a condition in which the gums surrounding your teeth are infected. It starts off with mild inflammation, and if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss.

Gum inflammation is called gingivitis.  Gingivitis forms as a result of the bacteria in plaque build up.  If you have gingivitis you may notice that your gums bleed easily during brushing.  

If the inflammation gets worse, gingivitis can progress to periodontal disease.  This means that at this point, the gums and bone have begun to pull away from the tooth.  This forms a pocket between the teeth and gums, which can trap bacteria and become further infected.  

The plaque will enter the pockets and spread beneath the gum line.  Over time, the bacteria in plaque produces toxins that break down the bone and tissue that hold the tooth in place. 

If left untreated, the pockets worsen, and eventually result in tooth loss.  A recent report stated that 47% of adults over age 30 have some form of gum disease.  In adults over 65, 70% have periodontal disease.  That is why periodontal disease is the number 1 cause of tooth loss in adults. 

Signs of Periodontal Disease 

• Red or swollen gums
• Bad breath
• Bad taste in mouth
• Bleeding after brushing teeth
• Receding gums
• Shifting teeth

What Causes Periodontal Disease?

A big cause of periodontal disease is poor oral hygiene.  That includes not brushing and flossing daily.  Bad habits, such as smoking is also a contributing factor to developing gum disease.  Smoking prevents the gum tissue from being able to repair itself. 

Other things such as illness and medications are known to cause a role in periodontal disease.  People with cancer and diabetes, for example are at higher risk of developing periodontal disease.  

Many medications cause dry mouth and lessen the production of saliva.  This tends to cause issues with cavities and gum health. Periodontal disease is also thought to be hereditary, so if your parents have gum disease, you may be susceptible to it as well.

How to Treat Periodontal Disease

In order to treat periodontal disease you need to shrink the pockets around the teeth, reduce swelling, and help the gums reattach to the tooth.  Treatment depends on how bad the gum disease is.  

Minor cases can be treated by a professional teeth cleaning, or by scaling and root planing.  Scaling and root planing is a procedure in which the dentist or dental hygienist scrapes away plaque from below the gum line.  This provides a clean surface for the gums to reattach to.  

Advanced cases of periodontal disease may require surgery.  There are several different surgeries that can help periodontal disease.  Bone grafts and surgery help with bone loss, while soft tissue grafts and regeneration help with gum growth.  Pocket reduction surgery is done to close up the pockets where bacteria can grow. 

How To Prevent Periodontal Disease

Of course all of those treatments sound rather uncomfortable, if not painful.  Therefore, it is much better to prevent periodontal disease all together.  Luckily, there are several things you can do to prevent getting periodontal disease.  

• Brush your teeth for 2-3 minutes after meals
• Brush your tongue, or use a tongue scraper
• Floss daily
• Use mouthwash nightly – Mouthwash can reduce plaque by 20% 
• Avoid smoking
• Have a healthy diet – Reduce starchy and sugary foods, as they create more plaque
• Get your teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year

Best Electric Toothbrush for Periodontal Disease

Since maintaining good oral hygiene is a huge part of preventing periodontal disease, it’s important to use a good toothbrush.  Electric toothbrushes are great because they do a good job of removing plaque right up to the gumline. See below to find the best electric toothbrush for periodontal disease. 

Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 5100 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush

Features

• Improve your gum health up to 100 percent with a safe and gentle experience vs. a manual toothbrush
• Protect your teeth with a pressure sensor that gently pulses to alert you when you’re brushing too hard
• Always know when to replace your brush head for an effective clean with the brush head replacement reminder
• Personalize your brushing experience with 3 modes: Clean, White and Gum Care
• 2 minute Smartimer with QuadPacer helps ensure Dental Professional recommended brushing time and a consistent, clean throughout your mouth

This electric toothbrush from Philips Sonicare is perfect for someone trying to prevent or combat periodontal disease. In fact, this brush claims to “improve your gum health up to 100% vs a manual toothbrush.” 

The bristles of the Sonicare electric toothbrush are densely packed, yet gentle enough to use on the gumline. I particularly liked the curved tip that makes reaching the back of the mouth easier.

The brush uses sonic technology to clean between teeth and also has 3 different brushing modes to choose from.  The pressure sensor is helpful in making sure that you do not brush too hard. 

Overall, there is really not much more you can ask for in an electric toothbrush. It’s easy to see why many people, dentists included, consider this the best electric toothbrush for periodontal disease.  

Oral-B Pro 7000 SmartSeries Electronic Power Rechargeable Toothbrush with Bluetooth Connectivity

Features

• Real time feedback with the Oral B app focuses brushing on your most important areas, tracks habits over time, motivates with helpful oral care tips, and senses when you brush too hard. 
• Made of different high tech materials like silicon. Cross action round brush head with a perfectly angled bristles for a precise clean
• Clinically proven superior 3D cleaning oscillates, rotates and pulsates to break up and remove up to 100 percentage more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush
• Rechargeable with 6 modes: Daily Clean, Gum Care, Sensitive, Whitening, Deep Clean, and Tongue Cleaner
• Speed up to 800 brush movements per second; Features: Specially designed seals and gaskets keep the Oral B 7000 water tolerant to 500 millibars of pressure and it removes 300 percentage more plaque along the gum line than a regular manual brush

This electric toothbrush has a lot of features that can combat periodontal disease. The brush head is the round cross action style, which has angled bristles for precise cleaning.  The brush oscillates, rotates, and pulsates to remove up to 100% more plaque than a manual toothbrush.

I like that this electric toothbrush has 6 modes, including gum care, deep clean, and tongue cleaner.  A cool feature that this toothbrush has is that it uses an app that tracks your brushing and gives you real time brushing feedback.  

This is a really great electric toothbrush, especially for anyone concerned about periodontal disease.  If you would like to track your brushing habits, this is definitely the best electric toothbrush for periodontal disease. 

Summary

Periodontal disease is a gum problem that if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss. Good oral hygiene plays a big factor in preventing periodontal disease.  The best electric toothbrush for periodontal disease will be able to remove plaque from the tooth’s surface and gumline.