It’s time to admit that toothbrushes are not what they used to be. From the time they came out, they have changed and advanced—from bristle styles to softer brush heads to electric toothbrushes—so much so that they are definitely not your grandmother’s toothbrush anymore. But what exactly have we incorporated into our twice-daily ritual of tooth brushing?
Beam Brush—Bluetooth Technology
At a mere $29, the Beam brush is accessible to just about everyone that has an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. It is designed for all age groups and connects to an app that records data of your dental hygiene habits via Bluetooth. The app doesn’t need to be open for the information to be transferred; your daily tooth brushings are automatically recorded. The app is designed to get you to brush better and be more informed, accountable, and in charge of your dental health.
Oral B’s Smartseries—Bluetooth with Extras
Oral B’s Smartseries not only sends and records data to its app, but it also records how many brushstrokes you make and offers tips to do better next time. This toothbrush and its app are paramount on user interaction, and have solutions for your dental health that are based on actual data from your brushing. It finds areas that are problematic and then allows you to follow routines for brushing that are customized just for you to better your brushing. It works with iPhone or Android. Track your progress, get guidance in real time, and don’t brush too hard—there’s a sensor that will stop the brushing when you do. Prices range from $120-160.
UltraBlu—Blue Light Technology
Proven to kill bacteria that can be harmful to your mouth, blue light technology steps in to be a part of your toothbrush! This toothbrush has the same light that is used by dentists for teeth whitening and dental fillings. Provides immediate benefits at home rather than trips to the dentist and is safe for use to both whiten teeth and kill bacteria. Damaging bacteria are killed, yet it allows good bacteria to increase. With a built-in two-minute timer, you can be sure you won’t brush more than you need to with this manual toothbrush. $24.95 includes additional brush heads.
Misoka—No Toothpaste Required
Japanese designer Kosho Ueshima created this sleek toothbrush with nanotechnology. Nano-sized mineral ions cover the brush’s bristles to ensure that your smile is clean by removing stains and making a protective coating on the enamel. The design helps to get into tight spots in your teeth. The brush will need to be replaced every 30 days as the healthy mineral ions are used up by this time. This brush is not yet available in the United States and just recently hit Europe for sale. No prices available at this time.
Technology today has a larger role to play in our brushing habits than ever before. With all this technology focused on the consumer taking more responsibility for their dental health, hopefully this means our smiles will be brighter and healthier in the future!
