The brush that thinks it’s a car wash!
Everything is smart now. From lawnmowers to our thermostats and even our kettles, our lives are becoming more and more connected. The idea is that they, the machines and us, get more efficient at whatever task is at hand. What about the twice-daily ritual of keeping your teeth shining – can the toothbrush successfully get a smart makeover?
Oral-B has been making smart toothbrushes for a while but its latest top-of-the-range Genius 9000 is something completely new. Unboxing the Genius 9000 reveals an array of bits and pieces including the stylish looking electric toothbrush and four brush heads that vary depending on the type of clean you prefer.
There’s also a useful brush head case to keep the bathroom tidy and a charging stand. Also included is a sleek white travel case with room for the brush and two heads. The case has a USB socket on it, for charging a phone or other device if you’re travelling. Finally, there’s a suction mount clip that looks like a GPS mount for a car. You have the option to attach your phone to this for some extra smart features.
All the accoutrements make this sound like fuss but, if you like, you can just charge up the brush, attach a head and off you go. However, it’s the smart features of this gadget that make it as much about fun as it is a talking point.
The new, free Oral-B app is available for iOS or Android and once downloaded I set about connecting the brush via Bluetooth and then setting up ‘position detection’. This feature uses the front-facing camera to monitor you as you brush.
The idea is that you use the suction mount on your bathroom mirror every morning and night to analyse six sections of your mouth. As you brush, little stars float away on the app for the sections completed and the app records in your history brushing time and also if you’ve applied too much pressure. I found the position detection to be remarkably accurate and while you can brush without using the position detection, this gamification feels worthwhile, and a little addictive.
There are various brush modes like Daily Clean, Pro-Clean, Sensitive, Whitening, and even one for Tongue Cleaning. I’m used to using an electric toothbrush but the first time I used the Genius 9000 I felt as if my teeth had been through a car-wash, in a good way.
This is a remarkable gadget for a number of reasons. It brushes like there’s no tomorrow and if you combine a flossing brush-head with a pro-clean setting it really felt like I’d just been to the dentist. I’m not a slacker when it comes to brushing my teeth but, as you get older and the evenings get longer, it’s easy to cut things short. This gizmo has changed that.
This brush is expensive but if you can spot a deal online or at your local pharmacy you should think about it. Battery life is good, the design is great and the end result is astonishing.
This is more than clever tech – it’s fun for all ages; it’s a talking point, and the results are brighter than white.
‘I felt as though my teeth had been through a car wash, in a good way’