As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't take very good care of my teeth as a kid. I had a few cavities and ended up costing my parents a small fortune since neither of them had a dental plan. One such cavity ended up requiring a root canal and gum surgery in my adult years. In hindsight, I can better appreciate the gift my dad bought us for Christmas many, many moons ago - an electric toothbrush. Several years ago, I made the switch back to an electric toothbrush and my dental hygienist has noticed a difference, as have I. Today, in an effort to get my kids to enjoy brushing their teeth regularly, I have tried both electric and battery-operated toothbrushes. They couldn't quite get used to them, my daughter especially, but now that they are a little older, they agreed to try out some new brushes by Oral-B.

The New Power Brush User Oral-B Vitality Sensitive Electric Toothbrush has extra gentle bristles and a round, compact brush. Given that my daughter tends to 'delicately' brush her teeth, this one was perfect for her. She hasn't picked up a manual toothbrush since so I say she likes it. She really, really likes it! It is rechargeable and includes a charger.

Unlike my daughter, my son has been using battery-operated toothbrushes for a few years and so, to match his bold approach to dental hygiene, he tested out a super cool Star Wars toothbrush. And now, with the brilliant Disney Magic Timer App, he can invoke the force to help count to two minutes of successful brushing. The app is free and provides additional motivation by rewarding him with virtual stickers for his sticker book collection. He can choose from a variety of avatars and Disney themes. Funny enough, he was born a Star Wars baby (May the Fourth) so guess which one he chose!

April is Oral Health Month and during the next thirty days Crest is supporting Dress for Success in its mission to "promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life." Of course, a confident smile always comes in handy, too, which is why Crest is dedicated to creating products that improve your smile and promote oral health. 

Ever since my children were able to brush their own teeth, I would often buy Oral-B Stages manual toothbrushes since they loved all of the fun characters they could choose from. When I made the switch to using an electric toothbrush, they were curious to try one as well but found past electric toothbrushes a little too intimidating. It wasn't until I received the Oral-B Pro-Health For Me to try out as part of the P&G Mom program that my children reconsidered making the switch. They found the brushing experience to be quite gentle and they found it easier to use the on/off switch. I personally like that it has a built-in two-minute timer.

When I took the kids to their dental checkup during the March Break, I was so happy to learn that both kids were cavity free. While I was there, I asked the dentist which electric toothbrush he would recommend for the kids and he did not hesitate when he stated his preference for Oral-B. Having noticed the benefits of using an electric toothbrush myself, I was a little surprised to learn that, according to the third annual Crest and Oral-B Great Canadian Smiles Survey, 72% of Canadians were still using a regular manual brush as of 2011.

With the advances in technology comes a whole new design in electric toothbrushes. The Oral-B Professional Deep Sweep + SmartGuide brings you 40,000 pulsations and 8,800 oscillations per minute, five customized brushing modes, a professional timer and a really cool wireless SmartGuide that smiles at you once you've brushed for the dentist-recommended two minutes. The SmartGuide also doubles as a clock to help keep you on schedule.