In order to keep our trips to the dentist down, many of us have decided to use electric toothbrushes on a regular basis to give ourselves a dentist-quality cleaning without the fear of a drill. Using every technique a dentist normally recommends, i.e. flossing, using mouthwash, etc. can be extremely time consuming on a busy schedule, so using an electric toothbrush can bring down the time you spend on your teeth quite a bit.

However, electric toothbrushes tend to be a bit more complicated (obviously!) than the normal types of toothbrushes many of us have grown up with. In this article I'll describe some of the things you'll want to look for in an electric toothbrush to help you become familiar with its operation.

A typical electric toothbrush comes with a rechargeable battery. You should try to stay away from electric toothbrushes that use AA or AAA batteries, simply because the cost involved with using the toothbrush is going to quickly add up with constant battery swaps. Rechargeable units are typically more expensive than the conventional battery types, however, they tend to last much longer and have fewer parts that may need replacing down the road.

Before you take an electric toothbrush home with you, look at some of the features that may come along with it. If your gums are sensitive, try to get a toothbrush with multiple speed settings that'll allow you to vary how fast the brush moves against your gums. Other types of high-end toothbrushes include the use of sound waves to help break down plaque and tartar without the discomfort of digging down into your gums. These are called "sonic" electric toothbrushes, and usually come with a hefty price tag. However, these often give superior cleaning to your teeth and gums, and may just keep you away from the dentist until your next (hopefully healthy!) check-up.

One of the down-sides about using an electric toothbrush is the noise. Electric toothbrushes tend to be very loud, simply due to the fact that they use an electric motor to rotate the brush head. Before you leave the store, see if you can't turn one on to see how much noise it makes. A word of caution: Many of the "sonic" brands tend to have a higher-pitched sound than the conventional types. Keep this in mind before spending the money; you wouldn't want to wake your Significant Other with a simple toothbrush!

I hope that this article has given you a good idea of what to look for and expect with an electric toothbrush.