Do you need a toothbrush with a social media following?
HOW do you brush your teeth? It’s a simple task but if you believe the hype, you may be doing it wrong. Toothcare has become an aspirational activity with celebrities taking to social media to show off their high-tech brushes. Supermodel Kendall Jenner shared a sultry black and white snap of herself with a £50 Moon toothbrush captioned ‘Brushing better’. her sonic brush has five different cleaning modes including ‘white’, ‘polish’ and ‘massage’.
But what exactly does an ‘elite toothbrush’ do, and can it really give your smile extra gleam? Could the extra bells and whistles convert you to a celebrity brush? SARAH RAINEY gets ready to say cheese . . .
DAWN TO DUSK SPEED Floe Electric Brush, £100 (getfloe.com)
INVENTED by a British duo, Floe’s trendy brushes come in black and turquoise, are made from oxidised aluminium and have two modes: ‘ Dawn’, which vibrates slightly faster (37,000 times per minute) than the ‘Dusk’ mode (35,000 per minute). BRUSH TEST: The bristles are nylon rather than the usual polyester, are gentle on my teeth and the sonic vibrations feel like they’re cleaning without abrasive scrubbing. My only moan is the Dusk toothpaste is a combination of lavender and mint which tastes like perfume.
VERDICT: Like a deep-clean from the dentist — at home.
5/5
KIND OF BUZZ Ordo Sonic+ Toothbrush, £49.99 (ordolife.com)
FANCY toothbrushes vibrate thousands of times a minute, so the best brush of all must vibrate even more, right? That’s what the team at ordo must have thought when inventing the Sonic+. It vibrates at 40,000 pulses per minute and has four modes: ‘ clean’, ‘ white’, ‘massage’ and ‘sensitive’. BRUSH TEST: My toothbrush comes in a social-media friendly shade of ‘ Pearl Violet’. I opt for the ‘white’ mode and regret it: the brush buzzes so fast inside my mouth that I scale it back to the gentler ‘sensitive’ setting, but then it doesn’t feel like it’s doing much.
VERDICT: Looks great on the sink but my teeth have felt cleaner.
2/5
TOOTHPASTE TABLET? Brushd Sonic Electric Toothbrush, £59.99 (brushd.co.uk)
BRUSHD have won over celebrity fans with their bamboo brushes and chewable tablets replacing toothpaste and mouthwash. There are three modes — ‘cleaning’, ‘sensitive’ and ‘ whitening’. There’s even a magnetic wireless charger to stick onto your sink or mirror.
BRUSH TEST: I love the ethos behind this brush, but though its bristles are lovely and soft, they don’t feel like they’re doing much to keep my teeth or gums in check. VERDICT: It might save the planet but I’m not sure about my smile.
3/5
DENTISTS’ DESIGN Spotlight Toothbrush, £71.50 (uk.spotlightoralcare.com)
MADE by dentists Lisa and Vanessa Creaven, this is less snazzy than some rivals. It has three modes — ‘ sensitive’, ‘clean’ and ‘white’ — and a top speed of 48,000 pulses a minute. BRUSH TEST: This is pricey so I’ve high expectations and I’m not disappointed. The bristles are medium-soft, gently curved to reach gaps and awkward teeth and even the lowest setting feels like it’s doing good. The brush comes with nine months of replacement heads and a travel case. VERDICT: An excellent clean. 4/5
NO NOISY MOTOR Suri Sustainable Electric Toothbrush, £95 (uk.buymeonce.com)
The British creators claim Suri will be ‘ the last toothbrush you’ll ever buy’. Its recyclable heads are made of corn starch and the bristles from castor oil. The brush vibrates at a speed of 33,000 pulses, thanks to an ultra- quiet sonic motor, and it boasts a uV charging case said to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria.
BRUSH TEST: This slim toothbrush feels elegant and is remarkably quiet. But the proof is in the clean: my smile is sparkling after a couple of uses, with the clever w-shape of the bristles removing plaque and tartar from my teeth. VERDICT: I’d swap my regular brush for this in a flash.
5/5