Who writes Bristle Bench, and how

Bristle Bench is written by the Bristle Bench editorial team. We are not dentists or hygienists, and no dentist writes, reviews or approves what we publish. That is the single most important thing to know about this site, and it is why every page carries a note saying so near the top.

What we do is narrower and, we hope, useful: we read what toothbrush makers, regulators and health bodies publish, date it, and set it side by side so you can compare brushes without opening a dozen tabs.

What we compare, and what we don't

We compare published specifications. For each brush we record, from the maker's own product page, how the head moves, whether there is a two-minute timer and a 30-second pacer, whether there is a pressure sensor, how long the maker says a charge lasts, and the maker's own store price on the day we looked. If a page does not say something, we write "not stated" rather than filling the gap.

We do not test brushes. Nobody here has measured plaque, timed a battery or compared the feel of two heads, and we never describe a brush as though we had. We do not repeat makers' "more plaque than a manual brush" figures as facts; we quote them as the makers' own claims, measured on their own terms.

Where our facts come from

Health guidance comes from the American Dental Association and the NHS. Evidence on powered versus manual brushing comes from the 2014 Cochrane review by Yaacob and colleagues. Travel rules come from the TSA and the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Product details come from each maker's own US pages.

Each page says when we read its sources, and the sources are named in the text. Prices change often; when a price on this site and a price in a shop disagree, trust the shop and tell us.

How we are paid

Some links on this site are affiliate links: if you buy through them, we may earn a commission. The programmes, and the brushes and tools we recommend that pay nothing, are listed on our page about how we get paid. Commission never decides which brush we recommend first, and the brush we most often recommend first — a soft manual one — earns us nothing at all.

Corrections

If you find a figure that is wrong or out of date, write to us through the contact page. We check the source again and correct the page. We would rather be corrected than be confidently wrong.

What this site is not

It is not dental or medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Only a licensed dentist who has examined you can tell you what your teeth and gums need. If you have facial swelling, a fever with mouth pain, or trouble swallowing or breathing, get urgent help from emergency services or an urgent-care centre rather than reading about toothbrushes.