Top 5 Best Extra Soft Manual Toothbrush 2024
Dentist Tested and Reviewed
Toothbrushes have significantly evolved from simple toothbrushes with uniform bristles to rechargeable ones that pair with your phone.
Brushing habits are essential to promote healthy teeth and gums and prevent tooth decay.
Periodontal disease occurs when bacteria localize deep below the gum line leading to gum inflammation and bone loss.
This process is irreversible, so it’s essential to prevent this from occurring or arresting the disease process before tooth loss occurs.
As an experienced dentist with years of experience, I’ve tested and evaluated 300+ dental products. I strive to find the best products for achieving excellent oral hygiene, so let’s take a closer look at the Best Extra Soft Manual Toothbrush from a dentist’s perspective.
Recommended Reading: Read more about Periodontal DiseaseBuying Guide
- Best Overall: Dr. Collins PERIO Supersoft
- Best Gum Care: Oral-B Gum Care Compact Extra Soft
- Best Budget: Colgate Gum Health Ultra Soft
- Best Complete Care: Colgate 360 Sensitive Extra Soft
- Best Sensitivity: 4-Pieces Soft Micro-Nano Extra Soft
Effects of Periodontal Disease
Unfortunately, gum disease becomes more prevalent as we age.
As a result, oral health care companies have designed specialized extra-soft toothbrushes to eliminate gum disease-causing bacteria while minimizing gum recession and tooth irritation.
When bone loss occurs, the gum tissue follows, exposing a hypersensitive area of enamel or cementum along the root surface. These extra-soft toothbrushes are beneficial to patients in their fight against periodontal disease.
Key Factors
- Gum recession
- Irreversible bone loss
- Tooth sensitivity
- Bad breath
- Inflamed gums
- Teeth mobility
- Tooth loss
- Increased bacteria
- Correlation with systemic health issues
Evaluation Criteria
I test each product for 7-14 days, detailing its pros and cons, and rate it from 1 to 5 in four key areas.
- Effectiveness: Is the toothbrush effective at removing plaque? Did the brush head design translate to improved results?
- Comfort: Were the bristles comfortable on the gums and teeth? Was the brush head comfortable to use? Is the toothbrush comfortable to grip?
- Features: What features are unique to toothbrushes? Are the features effective and do they translate to improved oral hygiene?
- Likeability: Is the toothbrush likeable and enjoyable to use?
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1. Best Overall | Dr. Collins PERIO Supersoft
Dr. Collins is “bringing smiles to life.” They offer multiple oral care products, including toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, and whitening products.
The PERIO Toothbrush is their #1 product and features polyester bristles to minimize bacterial growth. The bristles are treated with a patented tapering technique and are less porous than ordinary nylon bristles.
Their slim and supersoft finish allows further bristle penetration between teeth and gums. In addition, their PERIO line includes PERIO Floss and other periodontal disease-focused products.
Highlights
- Elongated neck for easy reach
- Supersoft polyester bristles
- Feathered bristle tips
- Large brush head
Results
Best for patients with larger mouths and sensitive gums.
Dentist Review
The Dr. Collins toothbrush has an adequate handle size and grips to limit slipping.
The curved end of the handle allows you to rock the toothbrush around hard-to-reach areas.
It’s comfortable to hold and very lightweight as well. The oval-shaped brush head is wider in the middle to wrap around taller teeth. The feathered polyester bristles are incredibly comfortable on the gums and slide easily between the teeth.
There is a wide range of bristle densities between the toothbrushes being reviewed.
Dr. Collins has the right amount of bristles to flex around teeth without collapsing easily. The cleaning effectiveness was excellent, and it was enjoyable to use.
Cons
The oval-shaped brush head is more prominent than expected; however, it became more comfortable each time we used it.
Also, it would have been nice to have a tongue and cheek cleaner on the brush head.
2. Best Gum Care | Oral-B Gum Care Compact Extra Soft
The Oral B Gum Care Extra-Soft Compact Head Toothbrush improves your gum health with ultra-soft bristles, which gently clean along the gumline and multilevel bristles clean deep between teeth. It has a compact head for superior reach to your back teeth.
The ultra-soft bristles are five times more gentle than a regular soft toothbrush and are perfect for those with sensitive teeth and gums.
Highlights
- Compact brush head
- Multi-level bristles
- Ultra-soft bristles
- 5x more bristle tips
- Designed with dentists
Results
Best for patients desiring more clean and less comfort.
Dentist Review
Oral-B designed a great toothbrush with multiple tufts of soft bristles.
Its tiny brush head was comfortable around hard-to-reach areas. The handle was extremely comfortable to grip and eliminated unnecessary rotation or slipping.
The multi-level bristles are a unique design feature that helps clean away plaque between the teeth.
Cons
The extra soft bristles felt stiff and unforgiving at times, most likely because of how tightly packed they are within each tuft.
Also, the tufts prevented the brush from gliding over the teeth comfortably. Lastly, a tongue and cheek cleaner would have been an excellent addition.
3. Best Budget | Colgate Gum Health Ultra Soft
Colgate seeks to develop products that promote healthy smiles. They’ve been in the oral health care industry for over 145 years and offer a range of oral care products.
Colgate also offers many educational resources to the public and dental professionals. They have an extensive line of manual, battery, and electric toothbrushes. This ultra-soft toothbrush features ultra-slim floss-tip bristles that provide “300% better gum health improvement”.
Highlights
- 300% reduction in gingival bleeding
- Less than 0.01 mm ultra-soft bristles
- Cleans 2.4X deeper between teeth
- Deep clean bristles for sensitive gums
Results
Best for patients with sensitive gums and larger mouths.
Dentist Review
The Colgate Gum Health Ultra Soft Toothbrush effectively eliminates bacteria along the gum line and between the teeth.
The bristles are feathered and flexible to bend around tall teeth. The bristle density is also well-designed and comfortable along the gum line.
The handle features a comfortable grip to minimize slipping; however, we would have appreciated a slightly thicker handle.
Cons
In our opinion, the brush head was too long and narrow.
However, we became more comfortable with the length the more we used it.
4. Best Complete Care | Colgate 360 Sensitive Extra Soft
Colgate 360 Sensitive has “48% softer bristles” and gently cleans sensitive teeth and gums. The brush head also features a cheek and tongue cleaner to remove odor-causing bacteria comfortably.
Highlights
- 48% softer bristles
- Cheek and tongue cleaner
- Polishing cups to remove stain
- Raised cleaning tips
- Cleans hard-to-reach areas
Results
Best for patients that desire round rotating, oscillating brush head.
Dentist Review
This toothbrush was by far the most comfortable to hold and maneuver.
The brush head is a perfect size with evenly spaced bristle tufts. The bristles had great flex to clean around teeth and gum lines. The polishing cups were a great feature to clean away stains and polish the teeth. A tongue cleaner was included and effective.
Colgate did a great job designing the bristle placement with the tooth’s shape in mind.
Cons
The bristles were soft but not as soft as Dr. Collins PERIO toothbrush.
5. Best Sensitivity | 4-Pieces Soft Micro-Nano Extra Soft
4-Pieces is a popular e-commerce product line with an impressive 20,000 extra soft micro-nano bristles.
This toothbrush features a sleek brush handle and a small brush head to clean hard-to-reach areas. Also, it has multi-level bristles to clean deep within the grooves of the teeth.
Highlights
- 20,000 soft bristles
- Sleek design
- Micro-nano technology
- Multi-level bristles
- Small brush head
- Tongue and cheek cleaner
Results
Best for patients with small mouths and hard-to-reach areas.
Dentist Review
It’s easy to forget you’re even brushing your teeth when using this toothbrush.
4-Pieces are incredibly soft and gentle on the teeth and gums.
The staggered bristle height was effective around the gum line to fit between the teeth.
The 20,000 ultra-soft bristles packed tightly into this small brush head deserve kudos!
Also, the tongue and cheek cleaner was a great addition to remove odor-causing bacteria.
Cons
Individually the soft bristles are exceptional; however, because they are packed so tightly, there’s minimal give around the teeth limiting the ability to clean around all aspects of the teeth.
The handle is sleek and smooth.
However, it does slip around when wet.
Also, the bristles are prone to bacteria because of their inability to dry out between uses.
Overall Champion | Dr. Collins PERIO Supersoft Toothbrush*
Dr. Collins is “bringing smiles to life.” They offer multiple oral care products, including toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, and whitening products.
The PERIO Toothbrush is their #1 product and features polyester bristles to minimize bacterial growth. The bristles are treated with a patented tapering technique and are less porous than ordinary nylon bristles.
Their slim and supersoft finish allows further bristle penetration between teeth and gums. In addition, their PERIO line includes PERIO Floss and other periodontal disease-focused products.
Final Thoughts
Dr. Collins PERIO and Colgate 360 received a perfect 20/20 score.
Both brushes provided an exceptional clean with extra soft bristles easily flexing around the teeth. Also, both toothbrushes were lightweight and comfortable to hold.
Dr. Collins edged Colgate 360 because the bristles were thinner, feathered, and more comfortable along the gum line. Colgate 360 is still a superior toothbrush and best for people with stains with its unique polishing cups.
Colgate Gum Health placed third but had the second-best comfortable bristles. Oral-B and 4-Pieces round out the final two and are best suited for individuals with small mouths or hard-to-reach areas.
Final Rankings
- Dr. Collins PERIO Supersoft Toothbrush 20/20
- Colgate 360 Sensitive Extra Soft Toothbrush 20/20
- Colgate Gum Health Ultra Soft Toothbrush 18/20
- Oral-B Gum Care Compact Extra Soft Toothbrush 16/20
- 4-Pieces Soft Micro-Nano Extra Soft Toothbrush 15/20
* My Dental Advocate product reviews are based on individual experience and your results with the products may vary.
Need a second opinion? We can help! Learn more. Knowledge is power when cultivating healthy dental habits. The more informed you are, the better positioned you'll be to prevent avoidable and potentially costly dental procedures for you and your family. Watch for future blog posts, where we'll continue sharing important information, product reviews and practical advice!
About the Author
Dr. Matthew Hannan, also known as “Dr. Advocate,” is a board-certified dentist on a mission to provide accurate dental patient education. He attended Baylor University before completing dental school at UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry. He now lives in Arizona with his beautiful wife and 4 kids. Dr. Hannan believes everyone should access easy-to-read dental resources with relevant, up-to-date dental research and insight to improve their oral health.
Connect with Dr. Hannan!
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