Smart Phones, Tablets, TVs…
how about a Smart Toothbrush?!
We live in a smart world. We have smart phones, tablets, TVs, and more that keep us connected and plugged in 24/7. In today’s day and age, we can expect a multitude of new additions to our “smart” gadgets. So, why not the toothbrush? Why not a smart toothbrush?
But what exactly, you may be asking, is a smart toothbrush? Right now, there are several options to choose from. Continue reading and we help you understand the features of the smart toothbrush.
Oral-B Bluetooth Connected Toothbrush
Oral-B has created several versions of the electric toothbrush with Bluetooth connectivity. The smart toothbrush connects to the Oral-B app on your smartphone or tablet, then provides real-time feedback on how you are brushing your teeth. It provides a timer to ensure that you have brushed long enough, and senses when you brush too hard with a pressure sensor alert. It offers several modes – whitening, gum care, deep clean, tongue clean, and sensitive to further customize your brushing adventure. A new feature taps into the camera of your smartphone, using video recognition to identify the position of your hand relative to your face, accurately assessing brushing habits. The Oral-B Genius gives visual feedback on overall brushing habits, tracking progress with graphs and charts. And if multi-tasking is your thing, Oral-B has included a news feature so you can read the news while brushing…and brush for the full two minutes.
Kolibree Toothbrush
The Kolibree smart toothbrush is an interactive sonic toothbrush that gives real time data about your brushing habits, and turns tooth brushing into a learning experience. Kolibree is “gamifies” brushing with multiple applications to make brushing fun. Kolibree provides a wealth of information about your brushing habits, and each family member can create a unique profile. 3D motion sensors on the brush head allow the toothbrush to navigate where it is in your mouth and collects real-time data on how well you are brushing each area of your mouth.
The Kolibree smart toothbrush comes with a Coach app (designed for adults) that uses captured data to interact with and analyze brushing to teach you how to improve your oral hygiene routine. For kids, the Go Pirate! game provides real-time gaming interaction to track brushing behavior. The smart toothbrush interacts with the game like a joystick, so kids actually play the game while brushing their teeth. It teaches children to brush all areas of their mouth thoroughly and all surfaces of their teeth. Better yet? Parents can monitor brushing and data can be shared with dentists!
Rainbow Tooothbrush
The Rainbow Smart Toothbrush made by Switzerland based Vigilant, helps children learn the perfect brushing technique recommended by dentist by combining high-tech and fun. First released in 2014, and one of the first smart toothbrushes on the market, Rainbow has motion and 3D sensors that track brush positions and movements. It then transmits brush motions to an interactive smartphone game. Kids will have fun while learning proper brushing techniques as well as improving oral hygiene and it encourages good habits. Parents can check their children’s brushing habits on their smartphone, and know how well they are brushing!
G.U.M. Play
This smart toothbrush is not actually toothbrush, but rather a Bluetooth connected attachment. The G.U.M. Play is a thimble-shaped gadget that attaches to the end of a manual toothbrush and connects to smart devices via Bluetooth, adding smart device functionality to your oral hygiene routine. Children can play games and adults can listen to the news while brushing. With the Mouth Band app, built-in motion sensors trigger a range of musical sounds that change pitch as you brush – so your brushing translates into music. G.U.M. Play goes on sale in Japan Spring of 2016, and will expand to other countries afterward the Japanese launch.
The smart toothbrush should make 2016 an interesting (and yes, exciting) year in dental health. But remember. While all this new technology is cool, it doesn’t matter really whether you decide to brush the old-fashioned way or decide to use a smart toothbrush…just brush (and don’t forget to floss)!