When will we have a time when everything in our home will be smart? Does being smart really have a limit? Let’s talk about a section that may not be what you traditionally think of as a smart device – a toothbrush.
I’m all for having smart health products and having the best technology in our hygiene products (like Bidet), but I haven’t thought too much about how or why my toothbrush is. It’s time to dive into it and see if it’s even worth it.
What is a smart electric toothbrush?
First, what makes a toothbrush smart? This category varies, but a smart electric toothbrush usually has Bluetooth technology and sensors for data tracking. These sensors can track things like time, habit tracking, gentle pressure support and other things. Some smart toothbrushes may even connect to your phone’s app to display data.
There are multiple brands of smart toothbrushes, such as Oral-B’s iO, Sonicare’s DiamondClean Smart, Colgate’s hum and Quip Smart. For clarity, I have a Quip toothbrush, but this is not their new smart model.
What is professional?
Some of the major benefits of using a smart toothbrush include notifications and reminders, rewards and data. The American Dental Association says you should brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes. Most of these smart toothbrushes have a built-in timer that either helps you go to different parts of your face or stop brushing altogether. These usually include notifications and reminders sent to your phone telling you when to brush or replace your brush head.
Some companies reward you for brushing regularly for the allotted time. These rewards usually include discounts on other dental hygiene products or products that access your toothbrush. For example, Quip pays for new brush heads and travel tote.
After all, the most beneficial benefit of using a smart toothbrush is that it collects and shares data. You can get data to find out where you are missing or where you can brush extra on your face. Evidence, for example, shows that most people brush more on the side of the mouth than on their main hand, and that dogs are often under-brushed regularly. Data and mapping can help you identify and correct these behaviors.
What about cons?
The disadvantages of smart toothbrushes are similar to the disadvantages of all emerging technologies: cost and usability. Cost is easy to measure. The price range of a basic toothbrush can range from single and double digits and an electric toothbrush can cost you $ 100 or more. Smart toothbrushes can easily cost 300 or more – that’s five times the average standard electric toothbrush!
Notifications can be more annoying than helpful. Personally, I don’t want any more messages on my phone or tablet. When I see them from unwanted apps, I usually mute or delete them Data overload is a real thing.
The next is utility, and this is where people will have different opinions. Even dentists don’t decide if you should invest in one. On the one hand, smart toothbrushes provide data that you won’t find anywhere else, but they won’t brush for you. They can’t, for example, adjust the pressure or improve the strategy – they can tell you to do it.
So, should you buy a smart toothbrush?
Smart technology is at its best when it does a job for you. Take the smart robot vacuum; Because they are so tempting that they vacuum so you don’t have to. Smart lighting lets you turn on, dim and change color without changing the bulb or adjusting the wiring. This feature is something that a smart toothbrush can’t do right now. Also, paying five times the price for an equally effective electric toothbrush seems ridiculous.
I recommend getting a decent or average smart toothbrush with a built-in timer, interchangeable heads and motor functionality; For example, the Oral-B Smart 1500. Then, ask your dentist about the right strategies and how you can improve your dental hygiene. Lastly, if you are looking for the best of the best in smart toothbrush care, check out Sonicare DiamondClean Smart.
Technology and smart devices are advancing at a rapid rate, and it will not be slow anytime soon. What’s great about the data provided by these devices is that companies can see how we use certain devices. This can help in making more practical advances in information technology. For example, smart toothbrushes will one day be ideal and you will not want to live without it. Maybe one day, we might have an intelligent home robot that manages all our hygiene and decorations like Jimmy Neutron.
Smart toothbrushes are still in their infancy and the benefits are often no more than the cost. As technology continues to advance, the technology will become more prevalent and useful – but for now, a standard electric toothbrush may be a better alternative than a smart toothbrush.
Editors’ recommendations
