One data point. I have had difficult to control plaque for at least two decades. According to my dentist others have continuing problems with cavities. I don't.
For the past three years I've used an Oral B electric toothbrush without any improvement.
And then last January I made two changes that have made a huge change in my plaque situation (verified by my hygenist of three years).
First I upgraded my electric toothbrush to the Oral B 4000, which has noticeably more power, at Christmas. And second I changed my brushing technique. Instead of brushing flat against my teeth I now brush the gum line at my teeth and rotate the brush head to a 45 degree angle down at the gums. I then move the tooth brush back and forth over sections of teeth. Typically side or front though the backs if the front teeth require a slightly different approach.
After these changes my hygenist noticed a big improvement in my gums. I also reduced my flossing but when I do floss now theres very little pain, bleeding or swelling unlike before.
Your mileage may very but if you have plaque problems you might save on hygenists.
This is an excellent anecdote for exactly why we are building Bristle. We're finding more and more that oral health is not a one-size fits all. I'm glad you've been able to find something that works for you.
If you look closely at the data from the blog, there are flossing "responders" and "non-responders". I'll have some follow-up data published about this soon, but we've been able to define oral microbiome archetypes that we're using to predict which oral health regimens may actually work for you. There are some people who never floss and still never get gum disease or caries, and unfortunately some who do everything they can with no improvement.
For the past three years I've used an Oral B electric toothbrush without any improvement.
And then last January I made two changes that have made a huge change in my plaque situation (verified by my hygenist of three years).
First I upgraded my electric toothbrush to the Oral B 4000, which has noticeably more power, at Christmas. And second I changed my brushing technique. Instead of brushing flat against my teeth I now brush the gum line at my teeth and rotate the brush head to a 45 degree angle down at the gums. I then move the tooth brush back and forth over sections of teeth. Typically side or front though the backs if the front teeth require a slightly different approach.
After these changes my hygenist noticed a big improvement in my gums. I also reduced my flossing but when I do floss now theres very little pain, bleeding or swelling unlike before.
Your mileage may very but if you have plaque problems you might save on hygenists.