What is the best toothbrush money can buy? Not a money-waste, but genuinely the best for a gum disease sufferer!

[Hellohello45]

I have a Philips electric toothbrush that I bought maybe four years ago and it was crazy expensive at around £60.

But my gum disease is pretty serious and I was wondering if I could do better?

I see my hygienist often (which I HATE - any tips on this also appreciate!) and floss and use teepees every day, plus a tongue scraper.

But wondering what the absolute and utter gold standard of eveyrhing would be to give me the best shot at keeping it at bay?

Whoops I meant an oralb toothbrush not Philips

Have you asked your hygienist what they recommend? I found a phillips sonicare made a real difference - it's one with a gum health programme i.e. 2 mins standard brushing followed by a minute in a gentler mode for cleaning along the gumline. I think previously I wasn't quite getting the bottom edge of the tooth fully clean (which of course cleaning between the teeth doesn't help) and so paying extra attention to the gumline made a big difference for me.

A dentist friend always says that Colgate is the best.

Ask your periodontist but depending how far advanced the gum disease is it might need some further treatment before a toothbrush will get it under control. I think mine's an oral b but I could probably upgrade as its been a few years now.

My hygienist recommends a small manual toothbrush not electric for gum disease.

I have this water flosser and it has made a big difference to my gum health
www.amazon.co.uk/Waterpik-WP250-Nano-Water-Flosser/dp/B005CMH44Q?tag=mumsnetforum-21

My hygienist recommended the Oral B, which I already use. She said the best way to use it was to rest the head on each tooth in turn at about 45degrees for 4 seconds per tooth. Then use a teepee interdental brush between each tooth. She said I had the beginnings of gum disease and agreed that Oral B pro-Expert toothpaste was ideal. I had been trying to get used to Corsodyl, I was pleased to give that up!
My gums have virtually stopped all bleeding after adopting her method, I'm about a month in.

Yes my hygienist said Oral B, but she’s quite brusque so I’m not sure she was willing to entertain other stuff. Was so scathing about both mouth wash and water pik - despite everything I’ve read about how good both can be.

I have had the scaling and planing but my plaque levels - when I brush on my own - are 15-20% still and they should be under 10%. I swear I do everything asked and try soooo hard!

The sonicare sounds good with the gumline setting! Even though I angle it properly, I think the gum line is my problem.

I’m genetically predisposed and really young to have it, apparently.

My partner just bought the oral b 9000 and it's expensive at £100 but it's supposedly less than half price and it really is amazing. I suffer with gum disease too and it's fantastic. It comes with a sensitive head which I think has made the difference for me plus my teeth really do feel super clean. The app that you can use with it's a load of rubbish and very time consuming but I would really recommend the brush itself.

We all have these, not cheap but no oral health issues in this house.

www.philips.co.uk/c-p/HX9331_04/sonicare-diamondclean-sonic-electric-toothbrush

I've stopped using an electric toothbrush (irritated gums) and now use a manual toothbrush, Curaprox. It will be interesting to see what the hygienist says regarding my gums when I go next month having used a manual brush for six months.

Interesting that professionals differ in advice. DS (21) has some gum inflammation. One dentist told DS he should use an electric toothbrush and another said he must stick to manual. They do all agree that mouthwash is Bad and OralB pro expert is Good.

I have gum disease. My hygienist recommends a bog standard oral b electric toothbrush. No to mouthwash after brushing. Water flosses are a waste of time apparently. Dental floss and teepees and brushing after meals (so 3 x per day for me).

I agree about Oral B Expert toothpaste for gum disease - the one with the green flash. My dentist gave me a sample. I've had excessive plaque all my life and this is the first remedy that's made any difference. Whatever toothbrush I use, the interdental brushes find something I've missed.

My (wonderful) hygienist recommended an oral b and TiPi brushes. I am having ongoing treatment for gum disease.

With regard to hating the visits - I try to do deep breathing to relax my whole body - I'm sometimes so relaxed I have to be reminded to keep my mouth open. I also try to think of it as a spa treatment, not always comfortable by worth it for the results.

@Hellohello45
In the OralB elec TB range, don't buy anything less expensive than the OralB 2000. You need a rotating & oscillating round TB head as minimum.
Use in conjunction with ideally TePes for daily Interdental cleaning; floss or tape as an alternative if the interdental spaces are too tight for the smallest TePe -pink-brush. Only use TePes, the other brands are a poor substitute. Ideally your hygienist would "size you up" TePes and the different spaces.
Your plaque scores are really good at 15-20% ! Under 30% is doing well. To reduce even further, 2 things:

1. google modified bass technique
2. disclosing-Vaseline your lips, chew up half a disclosing tablet & then rinse out with water..... then use your electric toothbrush to remove all the stains. Mouthwash.... if you really want to but make sure it's at a different time of day to brushing. Negates Fluoride toothpaste efficacy. Electric v Manual toothbrushes : no evidence which is of more benefit but not everyone has perfect manual dexterity, in which case electric TB is the way forward. The electric TB does the rotation action of the modified bass technique automatically, so saves your wrist..