Users of electric toothbrushes see themselves as superior to people who have to move their wrist backwards and forwards each morning and evening. Today’s smart toothbrushes – which interact with mobile apps – are the new premium home dental cleaner, and you’ll find excellent examples from major brands such as Oral-B and Philips, and newcomers such as Kolibree. We tested a range of products to find the best electric toothbrush – paying particular attention to the smart, app-connected brushes.
Toothbrushes have come a long way since man started taking care of his teeth. We started with chewing twigs and stayed that way for about 1,000 years before the Chinese invented the first proper brushes (using the bristles from pigs’ necks) in the 15 th century. It wasn’t until 1938 that nylon bristles appeared to create the first modern toothbrush. And in 1960 along came the first electric toothbrush.
Aside from these developments, and advances in toothpaste, the evolution of brushing teeth has been very slow.
Most toothbrushes these days aren’t significantly different from ones used over 50 years ago. In the same time man has walked on the moon, cured killer diseases, and rediscovered the Pokemon craze.
Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 countless industries and tools have been revolutionised by smartphone apps, but again it took a long time for toothbrushes to catch up.
The currently available smart toothbrushes aren’t a giant leap forward in dental hygiene just because of the app integration. Other less smart but still technological advances in brush handles and brush heads have moved mouth cleaning on far more than using an app while you’re brushing, but what we like about these smart brushing apps is that they focus the user on properly cleaning his or her teeth and other areas of the mouth.
You don’t need an app for that, but used correctly we think such apps will significantly improve your dental hygiene regime.
The vast majority of electric toothbrushes aren’t “smart”, in that they don’t come with a dedicated app.
