The best toothbrushes

With a SmileMakers Pre-Pasted Disposable Toothbrush, all you need is water to have a great tooth-cleaning session because the toothpaste is preloaded onto these single-use brushes.

Is a disposable toothbrush going to clean your teeth as well as one designed to be used for months at a time? Not so much. But is it about a hundred times better than not cleaning your teeth at all? Absolutely.

You probably won't use these toothbrushes regularly, but rather will keep them at the ready for unexpected occasions. After you get a 144-pack of SmileMakers Pre-Pasted Disposable Toothbrushes, you can keep a dozen or so tucked into the linen closet and ready for house guests. You can also tuck a few into your glove box and stick a couple more in your briefcase. Leave some at work, and stash a few more in an emergency kit. You'll still be left with plenty of pre-pasted toothbrushes at the ready, and toothbrushes that actually have rather soft bristles and sturdy, textured handles that work together to make the brushing experience much better than you'd expect.

With more than 230 reviews posted on Amazon, the SmileMakers Pre-Pasted Disposable Toothbrushes is listed as Amazon's Choice for "prepasted toothbrushes individually wrapped." I must note, though, that many customers who were satisfied with the construction of the toothbrushes still complained about the diminutive amount of toothpaste that came on each brush. You can always just add more, of course.

Pros: Excellent convenience, affordable price, individually wrapped units

Cons: Not enough paste on the brushes

When ordered in a 12-pack, the Colgate Premier Extra Clean Toothbrush is a real bargain.

A Colgate Premier Extra Clean Toothbrush has a long, broad head with bristles of varying length and angles so that the overall shape of the toothbrush provides maximum coverage. On the backside of the brush head is a textured surface you can use as a tongue and cheek scraper to remove plaque adhering to these soft surfaces of the mouth. The firm plastic handles have a slight curve near the brush head that makes applying pressure and proper positioning easy, and the handles are textured for grip down below.

And that's about all there is to say about the design of these toothbrushes, which are well-made but not marvels of modern oral hygiene technology. They are, however, really inexpensive. While these toothbrushes are about 12 times less expensive than the priciest model on our list, they are certainly not 12 times less effective. The low price makes the Colgate Premier Extra Clean Toothbrush a great choice for a large family, as does the fact that they come in four different colors, which helps everyone keep their toothbrush separated.

Pros: Great low price tag, handles come in different colors, tongue scraper on back of head

Cons: Bristles too hard, handles a bit small

The unique tri-sided design of the Fridababy SmileFrida Toddler Toothbrush allows a caregiver to clean all sides of a young child's teeth with a single pass of the brush.

The Fridababy SmileFrida Toddler Toothbrush has four things going for it that make it a great choice for brushing a little kid's teeth. First and foremost, that tri-sided design helps brush the top and both sides of a child's teeth at the same time, meaning more coverage in less time, which any parent with a fussy child will tell you is a real positive.

Second, the soft but sturdy bristles of this toddler toothbrush are designed to bend but not to break off when bitten down on, so you don't have to worry about your kid ingesting or choking on loose bits of bristle. Third, the handle is made of a soft material that won't hurt little teeth or gums. And finally, the toothbrush is sized perfectly for a small mouth. Try using an adult-size toothbrush in a kid's mouth even once and you'll see how important that is.

A review from EntirelyBaby called the Fridababy SmileFrida Toddler Toothbrush a great way to "cut down on the time [parents] have to spend" on the often fraught task of brushing a young kid's teeth," adding that the safety factor of "bristles [that] will bend, not break" was quite welcome.

Pros: Multisided brush design, bristles won't break off, soft and ergonomic handle

Cons: Hard to brush up and down or in circular pattern