Boka Toothbrush Review

Disclosure:
Ask the Dentist is supported by readers. If you use one of the links below and buy something, Ask the Dentist makes a little bit of money at no additional cost to you. I rigorously research, test, and use thousands of products every year, but recommend only a small fraction of these. I only promote products that I truly feel will be valuable to you in improving your oral health.

A good toothbrush is a important part of any effective dental hygiene routine. And while I am firm believer that electric toothbrushes are the best options for fighting stains and plaque buildup, some people have avoided them due to cost.

Now, thanks to new electric toothbrush brands like Boka, you can purchase directly from the manufacturer, getting the same value at a much lower price.

In fact, Boka offers an entire oral care subscription that includes regular delivery of replacement heads, all-natural floss, and a first-of-its-kind, fluoride-free toothpaste (more on that below). After all, keeping your teeth clean and your mouth healthy is much easier when everything you need is shipped straight to your door.

I’ve used the Boka toothbrush personally and have written this review to share my thoughts.

SPOILER: If you’re concerned about plaque buildup and typically forget to replace your brush or brush head, Boka may be the toothbrush for you!

Should You Buy an Electric Toothbrush?

Before I get to the details about Boka, I want to answer this common reader question. Truthfully, I recommend that most people use an electric toothbrush for the following reasons:

You’re probably not brushing your teeth the right way

Even if you follow all of the standard recommendations to brush twice a day and change your toothbrush every three months, the reality is that you probably still don’t know how to brush your teeth the right way.

Proper brushing technique involves time, pressure, and motion. Specifically, you should:

Brush your teeth for at least two minutes: Brushing in the morning and at night is important, but you should also brush 30-45 minutes after eating a meal that contains anything acidic, sugary, or processed. This window is important because acidic and processed foods can make enamel more vulnerable to erosion if you brush immediately after eating.

Brush your teeth gently: There’s a misconception that brushing harder is more effective in removing food debris and harmful bacteria, but that’s not the case. And if you brush your teeth with the same intensity you use to scrub soap scum from your shower, you could be creating microscopic abrasions that allow more bacteria into the teeth. Irreversible gum recession can also occur.

Brush with a circular, sweeping motion: Don’t saw back and forth in straight lines, as this can create those abrasions on teeth even if you apply gentle pressure.

The point of brushing is not to coat the teeth with toothpaste. It is simply to disorganize the biofilm on the teeth. By disorganizing this bacteria, you stop it from building up and causing tooth decay. Brushing also supports a healthy oral microbiome, which further contributes to a cavity- and gum disease-free mouth.

We’ve been lead to believe that toothpaste keeps our teeth clean, but the real work of disorganizing the dental biofilm is achieved with the brushing motion. (Though some toothpastes can be helpful, especially if you’re working to reverse any existing cavities).

I recommend electric toothbrushes because they are designed to make an ideal brushing motion without any additional work from the user. They are also more efficient in removing stains and plaque buildup on the teeth.

Now that you know why I like electric toothbrushes, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the Boka toothbrush.

Boka Toothbrush Pros

Boka allows you to “buy direct”

Large companies like Proctor & Gamble and Phillips serve as “middlemen” for the toothbrush industry. They manufacture their products and then sell them to retailers like Walmart and Target at a wholesale rate. These stores then sell the products to consumers at a much higher retail price and keep the difference as profit.

On the other hand, Boka (along with other newer toothbrush brands, like Goby) have developed a direct-buy service. This means you avoid retail markups and save money by buying directly from the manufacturer. Plus, you never have to leave the comfort of your home!

Boka uses sonic, high frequency vibrations that remove tons of plaque

As a high-quality alternative to a SoniCare toothbrush, Boka’s sonic technology is ideal for plaque removal. The Boka toothbrush is particularly beneficial for people over age 40 who need to closely monitor plaque buildup in order to prevent tooth decay.

Boka uses charcoal bristles to deodorize and fight bacteria

Activated charcoal is a known detoxifier that is popping up everywhere in wellness-related products, including toothpaste. Boka has jumped onto this trend by adding charcoal bristles to their electric toothbrushes.

According to the website, the activated charcoal in the bristles prevents bacteria from growing on your toothbrush head (which can help you avoid any yucky smells as a result of lingering bacteria).

The Boka toothbrush has multiple speed settings

90 percent of the time, a “low” setting on your electric toothbrush works just fine. But if you’re a mouth breather, need to remineralize cavities, or are worried about your teeth staining, you can benefit from a faster speed. Boka offers low, medium, and high settings.

As an added bonus, the Boka electric toothbrush also has a two-minute timer to help you track how long you’re brushing.

You can get a subscription for a Boka oral care plan

Electric toothbrush heads should be replaced every 2-3 months, at least. I actually recommend replacing them every month. By subscribing to Boka’s oral care plan, you don’t have to remember when it’s time to replace your brush head—whether you choose to replace your head ever quarter or more frequently.

Boka’s toothpaste is the best for reversing cavities

In addition to getting new toothbrush head, Subscribing to Boka’s oral care plan also means that you’ll receive what I consider to be the best toothpaste for healing and preventing cavities.

Instead of fluoride, Boka’s Ela Mint Toothpaste uses nano-hydroxyapatite particles—similar to the substance that teeth are made of—to support the natural process of repair and rebuilding. We have known for some time that fluoride is a toxin, and nano-hydroxyapatite particles are a safe and effective alternative.

Boka Toothbrush Cons

Boka is more expensive than other options

Because you get more each quarter than with, say, Goby, it makes sense that you pay extra for a Boka subscription. If you’re being frugal, this option may not be best (especially if you don’t need a remineralizing toothpaste).

Boka is not ideal for removing stains

For people under age 40, removing and preventing stains is more of a concern than plaque removal. And a brush that uses oscillatory motion, like the Goby toothbrush, is better at stain removal than Boka.

Final Thoughts on the Boka Toothbrush

The Boka toothbrush is one of my favorite brands on the market. By utilizing a direct-buy method, Boka gives you a reasonably priced product that’s still high quality.

Getting a Boka toothbrush means:

  1. You’ll get rid of plaque buildup, which is vital if you’re over 40.
  2. The bristles of your toothbrush will fight bacteria.
  3. You can choose the speed of your brush, depending on what your unique needs.
  4. You never have to remember when it’s time to replace your toothbrush head.

The cons to Boka are cost and limited stain removal, but these are minor compared to the benefits. I’m confident you’ll be happy with this brush!

read next: Goby, Boka, or Quip? A Dentist Reviews and Compares

The post Boka Toothbrush Review appeared first on Ask the Dentist.



from Ask the Dentist https://askthedentist.com/boka-toothbrush-review/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help! My Child is Terrified of the Dentist

Image
If you’re the parent of a young child, you know their brains are similar to sponges that soak up everything around them—especially in their first five years, which neuroscientists say is when they’ll do the most learning and developing in their entire life. At this formative time, your child may amaze you with what they notice: your facial expressions, the different tones of your voice, and your habits. If your habits include regular dental visits and an excellent oral hygiene routine, they’ll notice and want to emulate you. If you happen to feel anxious about your dental visits, or you groan when you’ve got to floss and brush, they may synchronize and feel your dread. This could lead to dental fears that stick with them for years—potentially a lifetime! Kids Can Be Courageous If you’re feeling guilty right now, go ahead and put that away as it won’t serve you or your little one. Everyone has some room for improvement, and Coastal Pediatric Dentistry® is here to help show you an
Read more

Going for the Gold?

Image
On the left is the older allow, on the right the new one that my lab has chosen to use The cost of a penny weight of pure gold is currently $79.53. The cost of a penny weight of pure palladium is $130.6. It used to be that palladium was added instead of gold to the precious metals often used for pfms, but now laboratories are finding that palladium is no longer affordable. The lab that I am using has just changed the formulation of the metal it's using to one that has more gold than palladium. I really do not mind, but metals with more gold are softer and often easier for a dentist to accidentally polish off delicate margins. It is important when polishing "higher gold" formulations to exert less hand pressure when performing the final polishing of the crown's margins. Other wise there should be no problem with this change. Traditionally labs have chosen alloys with higher gold percentages for optimal esthetics, since alloys with higher concentrations of
Read more

Tongue Ties: What Parents Need to Know

Image
For a long time, people just didn’t seem to know much about tongue ties. In the early years of my practice, few of my patients had ever heard of a tongue tie. When I pointed out that they or their children might be tongue tied, I was often the very first practitioner who’d mentioned it to them. When I told them that a tongue tie might actually be the root cause of their oral myofunctional issues, or even their sleep apnea , I’m sure that some of them thought I was crazy. But in the last few years, things have changed so much! Initially, there was a small increase in the number of patients who were contacting me specifically about tongue ties. Dentists and orthodontists also began reaching out more frequently to discuss the application of myofunctional therapy exercises to tongue tie treatment. But in the last year or so, that little bit of interest has become a surge of awareness. Tongue ties and their effects on health and craniofacial development are finally becoming mainstream.
Read more