Seeking currently available toothbrush as practical as before

[Breathiness]

Over the past decade or so, I've found that toothbrushes have become more and more exotic, taking on all sorts of colourful and riply shapes, with rubber bits here, grip treads there, etc.  I have also found them to be increasingly inferior in terms of ease of manipulation to get the recommended flicking action.

I've tried various models from the pharmacies, but it started to look like I'd have to go through countless models before *possibly* finding one that is actually designed with practical usage in mind. I don't know what's driving this gamififcation of toothbrushes, but I was alarmed about the fact that I would no longer be able to get a useful working toothbrush.  So I stockpiled.  Then I ran out.  

I thought that I was lucky that the model I stockpiled still seemed to be available.  But even though it *seemed* to be the same model, they had changed the design.  The neck was pathetically flimsy, so you couldn't actually control the flicking action.  I contacted the manufacturer, and they basically were not making the old versions anymore: http://i57.tinypic.com/6drgw4.jpg.  The left diagram is the new fangled useless one while the right diagram is the bygone useful one.  Both Buttler-Gum/Sunstar model 461, but that's irrelevant now.

My dental hygenist was not able to recommend a good one.  They don't actually control the supply side.

I was wondering if anyone else noticed the decline of toothbrushes, and whether they know of a decent one that is still on the market?  I should add that if the response is that I should move to a electric rotar brush, I use both.  I would like to continue using both.

[Breathiness]

Just an update on the toothbrush saga.  After trying the Curaprox brush and not being satisfied, I tried the Gum Classic SKU# 311PC-C at http://www.gumbrand.com/classic-toothbrush-311pc-c.html.  I ordered 20 in order to get free shipping.  What I did *not* notice was that when I selected the compact head and soft bristles options, the title at the top changed to sku# 409PC (though the URL remained 311pc-c!!).  So I ended up ordering skads of huge-headed toothbrushes.  Fortunately, they accepted them back and sent me the right ones.

Unfortunately, the 409PCs aren't quite as good as I recall.  The brush handles are too short.  They might be for kids.  And they aren't quite as easy to manipulate as I seemed to recall, at least for all areas of brushing.  For my use, they are not better than the toothbrushes that I want to replace (the model that started this topic).  

Oh well.  I thank all those who chimed in.

[Breathiness]

Here's the saga so far.  I picked up a curaprox toothbrush in a neighbouring province.  The verdict?  It does not address my problem of rotating the toothbrush in the recommended manner (sweeping motion from the gumline toward the biting surface).  It still feels awkward, as if I have very little levearage and control.  I should clarify that I find this problem specifically when brushing the inside surfaces of teeth on the lower right jaw.  (I'm right handed).

However, I found a solution.  Simply use the left hand.  I found that this doesn't take too much effort to get use to.  In fact, maybe this was the intent of modern day toothbrush designers.  And it is apparently good for staving off dementia to get out of one's congitive comfort zone.

Having found this solution, I don't think it will be necessary to follow up with the Butler Gum Classic toothbrush.  None of the pharmacies in my hood are able to order them anyway, and I didn't much like the idea of paying an order of magnitude more than the cost of a toothbrush to ship it to my home.  And that's just to test it and determine whether they are as good as I remember.

Thanks to everyone who contributed their input into my posting thread.

[Breathiness]

After confiding with my dental hygenist with my forlorn situation, she recommended Curaprox. I never heard of it before, and for good reason. It's not on the shelves either, and it's not even clear that I can have them ordered. I will find out tomorrow. And to be sure, even if I can order them, I don't know whether I will like the design. I will likely find out in a few weeks time when I get my hands on one.