It’s easy to agree no one likes going to the dentist, right? After all, between the scraping, whining drills, and all that grinding, it’s rarely a relaxing experience. Even so, dentists have been telling us all for years that those visits will be less stressful if we take better care of our teeth, and today’s smart toothbrushes and gadgets aim to make it easier than ever. Oral B is one of the biggest names in toothbrushing technology, and as part of CES 2022 it announced new brushes and a new gadget that’s akin to having a dentist pop a connected periscope into your mouth.
Oral B launched the new Oral B iO10, as well as two more wallet-friendly brushes: The iO4 and iO5.
Oral B iO10 is a rechargeable, electric toothbrush with a companion app that provides real-time insights, plus what the company calls “live coaching” directly on the iOSense Charger. This displays your brushing time, pressure, and total tooth coverage. This is a bit of a switch, since it means you no longer need to bring your phone into the bathroom, which a lot of folks found to be just a bit too connected. Even so, when you’re done, your brushing data syncs to the Oral-B app, so you’ve got a full report. Pricing has not been shared yet, but the iO9, for example, sells for about $299.
The other two brushes in the lineup, the iO4 and iO5, use the same technology with presumably fewer bells and whistles, though exactly what’s missing isn’t detailed in the company’s CES press release. Oral B does say that there are multiple brushing modes, plus the small digital display screen on the brush handle and “rainbow celebration lights,” so you can party like it’s 1999 when you’re done brushing.
Priced for less than $100, both budget brushes will be offered in a handful of colors including white, black, pink, blue, and lavender.
Also announced today, Oral-B is partnering with Grin, a “teledentistry platform” that will hook up professional consultations on the state of your chomper.
Grin consists of a small scope that clips onto any smartphone and allows an orthodontist to capture high-resolution images of your mouth and send those dental scans to any provider for an at-home consultation. This in turn means dentists and orthodontists can “transition patient check-ins from in-office to remote, including monitoring teeth movement, gum health, and oral hygiene,” according to the press release. This is no small task, as we are still dealing with pandemic planning and working out how to handle mundane tasks virtually. Oral-B says the Grin partnership means orthodontists can now virtually make recommendations, particularly for kids, where catching and fixing problems early can help prevent longer treatments or extra office visits. More details are promised in the coming months.