There’s a new trend in the world of oral hygiene in the form of a silicone toothbrush. These toothbrushes are becoming increasingly popular, but are they any good in comparison to traditional toothbrushes?
Modern toothbrushes have come a long way from chewing on sticks or using a boar’s wiry hairs as bristles. But, since electric toothbrushes came on the scene, there hasn’t been much in the way of innovation for a good few years.
Silicone toothbrushes have been around for a little while, and are most commonly used as toothbrushes for babies and children. But recently companies such as FOREO have brought innovative silicone technology to the oral hygiene market in the form of silicone electric toothbrushes.
We will discuss everything you need to know about silicone toothbrushes and see if they are worth all the hype, including the following topics:
- Do silicone toothbrushes work?
- How do silicone bristles compare to traditional ones?
- What is the best silicone toothbrush for adults, children and babies?
So let’s get started and see which are the best silicone toothbrushes for you and your family to try. The following table is a quick summary of some of our top picks that we will discuss in this article:
Best Silicone Toothbrushes | ||
FOREO ISSA 3  |
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Soft Silicone Nano Bristles Toothbrush  |
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FOREO ISSA Kids  |
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Jack N' Jill Stage 3 Silicone Tooth and Gum Brush  |
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FOREO ISSA Baby  |
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Green Sprouts Silicone Baby Toothbrush  |
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In This Article
What is a silicone toothbrush?
A silicone toothbrush, is, put simply, a toothbrush made from silicone. Or to be more specific, a toothbrush with bristles made from silicone, rubber or any other similar material instead of nylon.
Many silicone toothbrushes are made completely from silicone or synthetic rubber, including not only the bristles but the brush heads and the toothbrush body. And you can choose from both electric silicone toothbrushes and manual silicone toothbrushes.
Silicone or rubber toothbrushes are generally more aesthetically pleasing than traditional toothbrushes. And they come in all sorts of different colours, shapes and sizes.
How are silicone toothbrushes different from regular ones?
The most obvious differences between silicone toothbrushes and more traditional style toothbrushes are that they are made from different materials, and in some cases, can have different designs.
Silicone toothbrushes have either silicone or synthetic rubber bristles, and traditional toothbrushes, both electric and manual, have nylon bristles. Some silicone toothbrushes have a mouthpiece design, whereas others have a similar design to the conventional manual or electric toothbrush.
While both types of toothbrush function very similar to each other in terms of brushing your teeth, there are some key differences.
Silicone toothbrushes have larger, and much more gentle bristles which are incredibly soft in your mouth and on your teeth. And although silicone bristles are much softer than nylon bristles, you don’t have to replace them anywhere near as often.
The drawback of using a silicone toothbrush instead of a nylon toothbrush is that the bristles are wider and flatter so they may take some time to get used to. Some people never really do get used to the different shapes and sizes of bristles.
Are silicone toothbrushes more hygienic?
Silicone toothbrushes are considered much more hygienic than traditional brushes because the material is non-porous and therefore harbours fewer bacteria, and is easier to clean after use.
As well as being more hygienic they are also more durable which means that you don't need to replace them as often. This makes them a much more environmentally friendly option than those you have to replace regularly.
Are silicone toothbrushes any good?
The main benefit of silicone toothbrushes is that they are much more gentle on gums, enabling you to thoroughly clean your teeth and mouth. This may give you added protection against gingivitis.
There are studies showing that silicone bristles are more effective against plaque than regular nylon bristles. However, it is unclear if nylon bristles may be more effective at reaching some of the harder to reach areas in your mouth.
This study compared the effectiveness against plaque and found that patients with early gingivitis would benefit from using toothbrushes with silicone or rubber-tipped bristles.
Who should use a silicone toothbrush?
People with sensitive mouths and gums should use a gentle toothbrush, and would most likely benefit from using a silicone or rubber one. The bristles on a silicone toothbrush are extremely soft, and therefore don’t irritate the gums, enabling you to thoroughly clean your mouth and teeth.
Which toothbrushes are silicone?
There are a few different types of silicone toothbrushes on the market that we will discuss, including:
- FOREO ISSA
- Jack and Jill Silicone Toothbrush
- Green Sprouts Silicone Baby Toothbrush
- VTRETU Ultrasonic Kids Electric Toothbrush
Silicone toothbrushes were originally designed for use on babies and children, but in recent years they have grown in popularity with adults.
The most well-known silicone toothbrush on the market is the FOREO ISSA toothbrush. FOREO is a Swedish company that focuses on using silicone technology for wellness and beauty solutions for everybody.
They have a few different models in their range, including a couple of choices for adults, as well as toothbrushes suitable for both children and babies.
What is the best silicone toothbrush for adults?
As we already mentioned, silicone toothbrushes were originally more commonly used with babies and young children. However, as they have grown in popularity with adults one brand, FOREO has really taken the lead in the market.
Let's take a look at some of the best silicone toothbrushes out there for adults, children and babies, including both manual and electric silicone toothbrushes.
FOREO ISSA
The FOREO ISSA range has something for everybody, from adults that fancy a high-end silicone electric toothbrush, to budget options like the ISSA Mini, to babies needing a small and gentle silicone toothbrush. These silicone toothbrushes come fully made from silicone and in a range of beautiful bright colours.
The newest addition to the FOREO ISSA range is the ISSA 3 which comes in four colours: fuchsia, mint, pink and black. It also boasts a huge battery life, lasting for 360 uses, or twice a day for 6 months. Let’s take a closer look at some of the ISSA 3 features:
- Bacteria-resistant, medical-grade silicone and PBT polymer bristles
- Hybrid wave brush heads
- Full mouth cheek and tongue cleaning with ridges on the back of the brush
- Travel
- Lock
- Timer
- Battery-life indicator
- Waterproof
The FOREO ISSA electric toothbrush range is our top pick for the best silicone toothbrushes for adults. But let’s see which other silicone toothbrushes for adults are available in the UK.
Click below to get 10% off for a limited time on a FOREO ISSA silicone toothbrush!
Silicone Nano Bristles Toothbrush
While we may be discussing innovative new technology in the oral hygiene market, the original manual toothbrush design is still a very effective way to clean teeth. So we have included a manual toothbrush with the addition of silicone bristles.
This brush has all the great functional traits of a conventional toothbrush, but with the added benefits of silicone bristles. Manual silicone toothbrushes are great for sensitive teeth and gums and are the cheapest choice if you're on a budget.
If you're trying a silicone toothbrush for the first time, you don't have to go with the most expensive choice. Try a cheap silicone toothbrush first, and then if you like it and want to try an electric version, take a look at the FOREO ISSA range.
SALOVE 360° Intelligent Automatic Toothbrush
Although not technically a toothbrush in the traditional sense, these silicone mouthpieces are indeed for cleaning your teeth. However, they are not necessarily the best toothbrushes for cleaning teeth if we look at this study.
We have included it in this article as there are a lot of these toothbrushes on the market, and they may be a good choice for those with reduced mobility.
The SALOVE 360° Intelligent Automatic Toothbrush just slots into your mouth and the sonic vibrations help to remove plaque and clean your teeth. It utilises the following features to thoroughly clean your mouth and achieve a deep, whitening clean:
- Rapid vibration of the brush head
- 4 modes – strong, comfortable, oral care and whitening
- 60 minute charging time
- Waterproof
The box itself includes the following:
- Toothbrush main body
- U shaped brush head
- User manual
- USB charging cable
Silicone toothbrushes for kids
Silicone toothbrushes are already extremely soft, so there is no need to find one with softer bristles for children. However, while some children may love the idea of cleaning their teeth with a silicon or rubber toothbrush, some may not like it at all.
Most silicone toothbrushes designed for adults are far too big for children to comfortably use and brush their teeth. So the ideal silicone toothbrush for children is similar to that of an adult but smaller in brush head size. It is an added bonus if the toothbrush has a fun design, or is brightly coloured to help convince children to clean their teeth.
The first toothbrush that we will talk about is another silicone brush from the FOREO ISSA range, the ISSA Kids which is very similar to the ISSA 2 & 3 but smaller in size.
FOREO ISSA Kids
The FOREO ISSA kids toothbrush is very similar to the ISSA 2 Mini which is a smaller version of the ISSA 2 & 3. The main difference is that comes in fun packaging with each colour associated with a character.
This toothbrush is the perfect size for small children to brush their teeth. It is soft and gentle to children’s teeth, and the silicone bristles can make brushing teeth a fun experience. The main features include:
- Material: Medical grade silicone and PBT polymer
- Brush head flexibility: Medium
- Number of intensities: 1
- Battery life: 265 uses on a single USB charge
If you are considering buying a FOREO ISSA kids toothbrush, remember you can get 10% off for a limited time, just click below!
Jack N' Jill Stage 3 Silicone Tooth and Gum Brush
The brand Jack N’ Jill has silicone toothbrushes suitable for every stage of your child’s life. The stage 3 toothbrush is for children aged two to five years old and is a manual toothbrush with a silicone handle and mouthpiece.
The Jack N’ Jill stage 3 has very soft and gentle silicone bristles that are sensitive to small teeth and gums. Some of its other features include:
- Bpa and PVC free
- Percent medical and food-grade silicone
VTRETU Ultrasonic Kids Electric Toothbrush
The VTRETU silicone sonic toothbrush is another mouthpiece style toothbrush, but this one is electric.
It is important to note that this type of brush is not as effective as a standard brush which you move around each tooth. However, they can be the next best thing for children who can't tolerate a regular brush for some reason.
The body comes in a cute cartoon design and the mouthpiece is a silicone tray with silicone bristles. Some of the features of this silicone mouthpiece include:
- Waterproof
- 3 modes – massage, gentle and cleaning
- Portable and compact
- 2-year warranty
- Wireless charging
- 3-4 hours charging time and lasts up to 10 days
- Smart timing
What is the best silicone baby toothbrush?
FOREO ISSA Baby
The FOREO ISSA Baby is similar to the ISSA Kids, except it has a round brush head like that of the Oral-B range of electric toothbrushes.
The bristles on the ISSA Baby are extremely soft, yet durable to be able to resist chewing. This electric toothbrush comes in 5 colours, with different characters from the ISSA Kids toothbrush, including:
- Kiwi green panda
- Bubble blue dino
- Sunflower yellow squirrel
- Strawberry rose lion
- Pearl pink bunny
Click below to get 10% off for a limited time only!
Jack N’ Jill Kids Stage 1 Silicone Finger Brush
The Jack N’ Jill Stage 1 Silicone baby finger toothbrush is for babies aged six to 12 months. It is a slip-on silicone finger brush that you can wear on your finger to brush your babies teeth gently.
On the outside of the silicone finger toothbrush, there are small and soft silicone bristles on one side and dimples on the other. The dimples are good for massaging gums during teething and the bristles are for gently cleaning your babies teeth.
Green Sprouts Silicone Baby Toothbrush
The Green Sprouts Silicone Baby Toothbrush looks a little different from the conventional silicone toothbrushes and mouthpieces.
Like any other silicone toothbrush, it has a handle and silicone brush head with soft silicone bristles. But it also has a protective guard below the brush head which keeps the baby from choking on the toothbrush.
It is a simple manual toothbrush that is safe for babies, and gentle on their teeth and gums. Many of the reviews for this brush are positive, and say that babies love to use it.
Silicone toothbrush reviews
We found a few silicone toothbrush reviews, so you can see what other people have to say about these toothbrushes. The following video is a review of the FOREO ISSA Play.
The next silicone toothbrush review is on the Jack and Jill silicone finger toothbrush. Risma Christanty unboxes the finger brush and reviews it on her YouTube channel alongside the Jack and Jill children's toothpaste.
Conclusion
Silicone toothbrushes are a new trend that is steadily becoming more popular. And some studies do show that silicone or rubber toothbrushes are better than traditional nylon toothbrushes at breaking down plaque.
This style of toothbrush is considered more hygienic because they are less porous, leaving less room for bacteria to gather. This also means that they are more eco-friendly than conventional nylon toothbrushes and brush heads because you don’t have to replace them as often.
The popular silicon toothbrushes on the market are from the FOREO ISSA range, and the FOREO silicone toothbrush is our top pick for the best silicone toothbrush on the market. This is because of its sleek, ergonomic and functional design, and the fact that they have a toothbrush for everybody.
If you want to look at other high-end electric toothbrushes regardless of whether or not they are silicone, check out our article on Sonicare's sonic toothbrushes or compare Sonicare to Oral-B.
Or if you are on a budget or are looking for a manual silicone toothbrush, there are plenty of others on the market that you can try such as the FOREO ISSA Mini, or any other manual silicone toothbrush. For children and babies, you can try the Kid's Edition UBrush, or one of the Jack and Jill silicone toothbrushes.
The silicone mouthpieces are an interesting design, but research shows they are not as efficient as a normal style toothbrush. But if you are interested to try something different for children that really struggle to use a toothbrush, take a look at the VTRETU Ultrasonic Kids Electric Toothbrush.
If you want to check out what we think is the best silicone toothbrush on the market, head to the FOREO website to learn more or read our full FOREO ISSA silicone toothbrush review here.
As an aside — if you are looking for a more natural electric toothbrush for adults or kids, you can check out our bamboo electric toothbrush review.
Be sure to click below to get 10% off for a limited time only on any toothbrush in the FOREO ISSA range.
IJCPD. Effects of Rubber-Tipped Toothbrushes on Plaque and Gingivitis. Consulted 6th October 2021.