Hi-tech Toothbrushes and Gadgets to Get your Smile Glimmering
In our electronic info-world, engineers have added features to existing toothbrushes and created new models. Today, Bluetooth as well as GPS have been added to many toothbrushes. They connect to a smartphone or tablet and guide you through an efficient, full-mouth cleaning. These toothbrushes have downloadable apps that vary in the information given and collected, and the variety is quite interesting. In these apps, the user can personally program problem areas, and the dentist—who can be allowed access to the user’s data—can keep tabs on the patient and be sure there is compliance
Keep in mind that some of these toothbrushes are more focused on technology and the app than on design and research, so be sure to question manufacturers as you start using them.
Kolibree’s Smart Toothbrush
Kolibree’s smart toothbrush uses tech to teach good brushing habits. It takes sensor tech to a place that it’s never been before – the inside of your mouth. The idea is that with better metrics on the quality of your brushing, you’ll be able to keep your teeth healthier.
To use it, simply download the Kolibree mobile app on your smartphone and sync it with the brush via Bluetooth. After that, every time you tend to your pearly whites, the brush will log data from your session. When you’re done, just pop open the app and it’ll display all the data in a simple visual format. The app can even record data from multiple brushes, so if any of you parents out there have ever wanted a way to make sure your kids are brushing every night (and avoid a massive dentist bill), this thing might be well worth the $150 investment.
GlareSmile
The creators of this high-tech toothbrush claim it can clean your teeth in 10 seconds flat. Don’t have time in this busy, busy world to spend four minutes per day on dental hygiene? Not a problem, says dentist and inventor Aldo Dominici. Together with friend and entrepreneur Niccolò Cerizza, Dominici has created GlareSmile: a slightly ominous-sounding smart toothbrush — complete with touchscreen — which promises to fully brush your teeth in just ten seconds.
Unlike your regular boring single-head toothbrush, GlareSmile has three rotating brushes that allow it to clean every dental surface at the same time; brushing teeth simultaneously with oscillation and rotation motions. The easily-guided rotation movement from bottom to top reportedly removes plaque in the same way a manual or standard electric toothbrush would — but in a toothpaste-spitting 2.5 seconds per quadrant of your mouth.
The GlareSmile brush will be available some time in 2017 and eventually set customers back $169.00, but early bird backers can get their hands on it (complete with USB cable) for $112.
The 7 Overall Best Electric Toothbrushes
If the Kolibree Smart Toothbrush or GlareSmile are too expensive or too “techy” for you, then consider investing in an electric toothbrush – it’s an easy way to step up your oral hygiene game. These gadgets power away plaque better than manual brushes, and that two-minute timer keeps you brushing as long as you should. But with so many models on the market (and a wide range of prices), finding the right one is a challenge.
One company – Reviews.com – researched the top 70 electric toothbrushes, doing side-by-side comparisons and hands-on testing. After weeks of research, Reviews.com said the top choice was clear —they found the best electric toothbrush of 2016 is the Oral-B Black 7000. This toothbrush not only keeps your teeth clean, but also includes six different modes and advanced features, like a pressure sensor, to give you a truly customized brushing experience.
Here’s their top 7 electric toothbrushes in order of how they finished. (Prices are from Reviews.com research).
Oral-B Black 7000 with SmartGuide – $143.99
- Real-time feedback with the Oral-B app focuses brushing on your most important areas, tracks habits over time, motivates with helpful oral care tips, and senses when you brush too hard.
- Cross Action round brush head with perfectly angled bristles for a precise clean.
- Clinically proven superior 3D cleaning oscillates, rotates and pulsates to break up and remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush.
- Rechargeable with 6 modes: Daily Clean, Gum Care, Sensitive, Whitening, Deep Clean, and Tongue Cleaner.
- Included in pack: 1 rechargeable toothbrush handle, 1 Cross Action brush head, 1 Pro White brush head, 1 Sensitive brush head, 1 charging station with brush head storage, wireless SmartGuide.
Oral-B ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000 with SmartGuide– $108.00
- Electric toothbrush with Bluetooth communication between brush and smartphone provides real-time feedback on brushing habits, helping you achieve amazing results.
- Floss Action round brush head with micropulse bristles fora superior and interdental clean vs. a regular manual toothbrush.
- 3D cleaning action oscillates, rotates, and pulsates to break up plaque and remove more plaque along the gumline than a regular manual toothbrush.
- Pressure sensor lights up on brush and smartphone if you brush too hard.
- 5 modes: Daily Clean, Gum Care, Sensitive, Whitening, and Deep Clean.
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean– $153.98
- Removes 100% more plaque than a manual toothbrush in hard to reach areas. Includes 2 DiamondClean brush heads.
- Whitens teeth in just 1 week, Healthier gums in only 2 weeks.
Oral-B ProfessionalCare 1000 – $41.97
- Remove 300% more plaque along the gum line than a regular manual toothbrush.
- Clinically proven superior 3D Cleaning Action oscillates, rotates and pulsates to break up and remove more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush.
- Rechargeable with 1 mode: Daily Clean.
Philips Sonicare Flexcare Platinum – $159.99
- Patented sonic technology delivers 31,000 brush strokes per minute
- Includes Sonicare intercare brush heads to remove up to 7x more plaque between teeth than a manual toothbrush. Includes 2 InterCare brush heads
- 3 modes combine with 3 personalized intensity levels to adapt to your brushing needs
- Helps prevent gingivitis and gum recession. Built-in pressure sensor alerts you when brushing too hard
Philips Sonicare Essence – $53.57
- Up to 2x better plaque removal versus a manual toothbrush
- Includes soft-grip handle designed for comfort and control, 1 contoured brush head, charger base, and travel case. Includes 1 e-Series brush head
- Patented sonic technology – dynamic cleaning action drives fluid between teeth and along the gum line to gently remove plaque
- 2-minute Smart Timer ensures dentist recommended brushing time
Oral-B Deep Sweep 5000 with SmartGuide – $92.99
- The world’s first toothbrush of its kind with Bluetooth communication between brush and smartphone. Real-time feedback with the Oral-B app focuses brushing on your most important areas, tracks habits over time, motivates with helpful oral care tips, and the pressure sensor senses when you brush too hard. The Deep Sweep brush head sweeps side to side so you can brush as you would with a regular toothbrush, but with the superior benefits of power. Clinically proven superior 3D cleaning sweeps side to side and pulsates to break up and remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush.
Sources: SwissDentalCenter.com, DigitalTrends.com, Reviews.com, Amazon.com
