The GUM Technique Deep Clean combines advanced bristle design with a patented thumb pad for optimal access and cleaning.
Sunstar Americas attributes the superior performance of its new GUM Technique Deep Clean manual toothbrush to its advanced design. The brush features bi-level, ultra-tapered angled bristles for superior penetration and access, and a patented thumb pad designed to ensure proper positioning.
Fourteen hygienists evaluated Sunstar’s GUM Technique Deep Clean after using it on themselves, rating such features as ability to reach hard-to-access areas, ease of use, and plaque removal.
Access to Difficult-to-Reach Areas
Extreme tapering of the bristles (the upper 6 mm tapers to a rounded 0.01 mm end) enables penetration 2.8 mm into the sulcus, along the gingival margin, and interproximally for access to areas not reached by conventional brushes. The GUM Technique’s angled bristles optimize interproximal penetration and cleaning by striking the surface in different directions.
The compact tapered brush head’s ability to reach hard-to-access areas was rated as excellent by 6 evaluators, as very good by 5, and as good by 3. One evaluator called the head “the perfect shape for easy access to molar areas” and another noted that “ease of reaching the lingual areas of the mandibular posterior teeth was my favorite thing. The tapered bristles slipped easily into the sulcus of this difficult-to-access area.”
Ease of Use
The Quad-Grip thumb pad of the GUM Technique intuitively helps guide the hand to hold the brush at 45 degrees in all quadrants. This enhances ease of use and ensures proper positioning of the bristles at the sulcus.
Ease of use was rated as excellent by 8 evaluators, as very good by 4, and as good by 2. The comfort of the brush and handle was rated as excellent by 8 evaluators, as very good by 2, as good by 3, and as fair by 1. An evaluator who called it much better than similar brushes described it as “easy to hold and use at the gum line.” Three evaluators cited the handle as their favorite feature—1 called it “easy for elderly people to grip” and another said it “felt comfortable but the Quad-Grip wasn’t in the right place for me and got in my way.” One evaluator suggested “a more ergonomic handle.” “I really liked the handle grip,” noted another evaluator. “It felt very comfortable and stable in my hand.”
Cleaning and Plaque Removal
The GUM Technique’s bi-level bristles enable multi-level cleaning, effectively cleaning below the gum line and exposed tooth surfaces. The tapered bristles’ ability to reach below the gum line was rated as excellent by 8 evaluators, as very good by 4, and as good by 2. One evaluator “got a scratchy feel from the longer bristles and wasn’t convinced they were going any deeper than others.” Another evaluator said she “felt the bristles going subgingivally and my gums felt massaged. Thank you!”
Ten evaluators rated plaque removal with the GUM Technique as excellent and 4 rated it as very good to good. When asked about the ability to make gums feel and look healthy, 6 evaluators rated it as excellent, 6 rated it as very good, and 2 rated it as good. The evaluator whose daughter “feels it cleans excellently and stimulates her tissues” also said she felt it “didn’t remove plaque well in my own mouth.” One evaluator “was able to remove plaque easily” and another was “very satisfied with the effectiveness.” “I’ve always been a fan of sonic and electric brushes,” said 1 evaluator, “but after using the Technique I felt my teeth were as clean as if I’d used a sonic because of the overall shape of the head as well as the bristles.”
Overall Satisfaction
Twelve evaluators said they would definitely or probably recommend the GUM Technique and 11 would definitely or probably purchase it. Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 6 evaluators, as very good by 5, and as good by 3. One evaluator called it “an outstanding brush…the best I’ve tried in a long time.” “I’ve al ready been recommending it to my patients,” said another evaluator.
