What's the difference between 早いほうがいい and 早いほどいい


I know what they mean; however, I'm not sure what the difference is. Does the
difference have anything to do with formality?




I assume that「早いほどいい」 is 「早ければ早いほどいい」, so:

  * 早いほうがいい: it should be early/soon; if not early/soon, it's not really good.
  * (早ければ) 早いほどいい: as soon as possible, not early is OK.

For example:

  * 「あなたは 歯医者へ行くのは 早いほうがいい。」: You should go to the dentist soon, if you not, your teeth will be more hurt.
  * 「あなたは 歯医者へ行くのは 早ければ 早いほどいい。」: You booked a date to go to the dentist, the dentist says you should go as soon as possible (it depends on your schedule).

