Oral hygiene is important for both adults and kids, but it is a habit that must be cultivated from the early years. After all, brushing your teeth is not something incredibly fun, but it’s less painful for both kids and parents than going to the dentist to fix cavities.
The good thing is that electric toothbrushes took a lot of the responsibility put on kids to brush their teeth correctly.
You no longer have to watch them carefully, or teach them about the number of strokes per side, or how to move the toothbrush in their mouth, to make sure they got every tooth.
Nowadays it’s enough to move the toothbrush from one side to the other and keep it in long enough to do its job.
Even better, electric toothbrushes for juniors can be quite fun as they are colorful and present a certain level of interest (at least at first).
And, hopefully, by the time your little ones will get bored with it, they would have already formed a habit.
Now, not all electric toothbrushes for juniors were designed to be fun and helpful, which is why we did a bit of browsing and chose the best designs for you and your young ones.
List of 2 Best Kids Toothbrush
Foreo ISSA Mini 2 Sensitive – Editor’s Choice
Highlights:
- Super soft silicone bristles
- Powerful Sonic Pulse technology for plaque removal
- Keeps charged for 265 days
Our Rating: 9.8/10
The toothbrush comes in two vivid colors (summer sky and wild strawberry) that look amazing even for adults. Furthermore, the bristles are designed to clean the teeth without hurting the gums – this way, even a child with sensitive gums can use it.
The tiny bristles are made of silicone in order to protect the tooth enamel in youngsters, which is softer than adults’ enamel.
The toothbrush is thorough and lets the kids know when brushing is over by signals that light up.
For instance, if you’ve brushed for 2 full minutes, a happy face will show up on the handle, but if you were impatient and stopped brushing sooner, you’ll see both a happy and a sad face.
Finally, if your kid forgot to brush for 12 full hours, you’ll see the sad face light up so there will be no way to lie to you about this.
Philips Sonicare – Best Value
Highlights:
- Improved brushing experience
- 2-minute timer
- Sonic technology with 500 strokes per second
Our Rating: 9.5/10
Philips worked with specialists in dentistry to create this amazing toothbrush for juniors and the result is impressive! Besides being colorful and easy to use, the brush also connects to an app that can be installed on both Android and iOS devices, transforming brushing into an interactive game.
According to reviews received from parents everywhere, due to the app that guides younglings through the brushing process, the little ones are more invested in actually following the instructions and brushing for the recommended amount of time.
The toothbrush is equipped with a timer, that lets your child know when the 2 minutes are up and an alert that lets the brusher know when to move to the next quadrant of their mouth.
It’s just like you would have a dentist in your home, explaining tooth brushing for your youngsters!
What Age Should Kids Start to Brush Their Teeth?
All parents know they must take care of their little ones’ denture, but most of them don’t really know when it’s the right time to start brushing.
According to specialists, good dental care starts even before your baby starts teething, by cleaning the gums with a clean washcloth. This removes any bacteria that may be harmful to the denture and allows the 20 primary teeth to grow healthy and strong.
Brushing should start as soon as the first teeth come out, using an infant toothbrush, water and a bit of toothpaste (we recommend using only ADA approved products). You can also begin flossing as soon as the kid starts getting toothier.
Your toddlers will need assistance while brushing, until the age of 4, but you should teach them to spit the toothpaste when they reach 2 years old. This is a work in progress, but with a bit of patience, they will soon learn that toothpaste shouldn’t be swallowed.
At the age of 6, juniors should know how to correctly brush their teeth by themselves, using an electric toothbrush. Regular ones are more difficult to use and don’t look so attractive to a child. Not to mention, there’s no way of telling for sure if your child actually brushed.
It’s also important to pay regular visits to a dentist specialized in working with kids, as they will be able to tell you more about brushing techniques and general measures to take in order to keep your young ones’ denture healthy and strong. A specialist can also guide you in choosing the highest quality toothbrush for your kids’ needs.
We also had a chat with some of the top specialists in oral hygiene for youngsters, and put together a comprehensive guide to help parents choose the most excellent product per their needs. Below, you can see the features you need to consider when you’re making this choice.
Top Things to Look for In an Electric Brush for Kids
Cleaning Effectiveness
Any electric brush is more effective than a manual one due to increased power and more strokes per second. However, when you compare one electric toothbrush to another, you’ll usually find there are differences in tempo and power.
The cleaning effectiveness is measured in speed and the possibility to reach difficult places such as the far corners of the mouth. It’s also important to find a brush with a small head that will fit a child’s mouth just right.
Finally, it’s important to get a product with a durable battery that will last longer, so you won’t have to think about this aspect too much.
Sensitivity
The teeth and gums of our juniors are more sensitive, which is why it’s important to make sure the brush (actually the bristles) won’t damage the enamel or the gums. For this, many producers ditched the standard bristles and replaced them with silicone ones.
Still, if you really want a brush with standard bristles, make sure to get one with soft ones. The number of strokes per second and the power of the brush will compensate for the softness, keeping the teeth clean while protecting the gums from bleeding.
If your child still has problems with a soft brush, make sure to ask for your dentist’s opinion. A trained professional will be able to offer on-point advice and let you know if you need to look for a different product.
Consider the Age of Your Child
As we mentioned above, juniors should have their teeth brushed as soon as they start to come out. However, they need to be a little older before you can entrust them with the task of using an electric toothbrush and taking care of their oral hygiene.
According to specialists, any child below 3 years old should not be left alone with an electric toothbrush, so make sure to take this into consideration. Furthermore, producers create their brushes with a certain age group in mind, meaning that the size of the brushing head, power, and even handle will be different according to each age’s needs.
Our Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, it’s important to understand that oral hygiene is important from infancy and our little ones should be accustomed to it from an early age. The toothbrush industry has evolved considerably in the last few years, and producers create a wide range of brushes that make the activity more interesting and enjoyable for juniors. After all, even as an adult you may find it boring to manually brush for several minutes!
The best electric brushes took most of the responsibility of our shoulders, but we still have to make sure youngsters follow a rigorous brushing schedule and understand the importance of it.