Recently, I recommended a powered toothbrush to my patient,
Mr. S. A few hours later, he frantically called me from the drugstore.
There were nearly half a dozen toothbrushes on the shelf that met the description
of the one I recommended. Was it the one with the three-minute timer, the
easy-grip handle, the two-minute timer, the water-jet attachment? I calmed
him, provided him with the advice he needed, and chuckled to myself as
I hung up the phone. When I started practicing 20 years ago, a trip to
the drugstore to buy a toothbrush was one of life’s simple chores. Today,
it can be a daunting experience. As a consumer, I too, find myself bewildered
and almost immobilized by the choice of consumer dental products. There
are motorized brushes, manual brushes, round ones, rectangular ones, sonic
brushes, toothpastes that fight plaque, whiten teeth, and reduce tartar—not
to mention flossers, water jets, dental picks, and an ocean of mouth rinses.
What is even the most well-educated consumer to do?
Commercial
Dental Products
