Beyond the camera, Dr. Wei isn’t too sure about the rest of the gadget’s offerings. “It seems that many other features may have been added for the sake of making the most luxurious and up-to-date toothbrush, which may cause this product to become more of a fad than an everyday item,” he says.
There are also understandably some concerns about the surveillance aspect of a toothbrush with a camera. None of the dentists we spoke with touched on this, but some of the consumer feedback on the tool refers to it as “invasive” and “a privacy nightmare waiting to happen.” According to Dyson, though, the content taken of the inner workings of your oral cavity are not stored on its app or in the cloud.
Does the Dyson toothbrush replace flossing?
Every dentist Allure spoke with said this device should absolutely not take the place of regular flossing. “If teeth are tight or crowded, you need traditional floss,” says Dr. Stone. “You really need to snap that floss between the teeth [to remove plaque].” And then there’s this: A post from an Irish dentist who tested the CameraJet this week and says that there was both plaque—and some chicken—between her teeth after using it. She had done exactly what Dr. Stone recommended to us as a testing technique: Use regular floss after completing your two minutes with the CameraJet and then pull out the old-fashioned string—is there anything on it when you’re done? So far the CameraJet has passed this test for the Allure editors who have been using it this week (no chicken), but we don’t have the “plaque disclosing tablets” that Dr. Bronagh Keane used in her trial. And our testers have agreed that their teeth do feel very clean, even pristine, after using the new Dyson tool.
The CameraJet also shouldn’t take the place of regular water-flossing, says Dr. Stone. She recommends water-flossers like the Waterpik not for cleaning between the teeth, but for patients who have pockets under their gums, or bridges or crowns that make an area inaccessible for a brush or floss. You need a stream of water to clean them out. From what she knows so far about the CameraJet, it doesn’t seem designed to address that need, it’s made only to clean in between the teeth.
Though impressed with the CameraJet, Dr. Kantor still considers traditional floss the gold standard for cleaning teeth, with an important caveat: for someone who flosses properly every day. “For the enormous number of patients who simply don’t floss consistently, a device that automatically cleans between the teeth every time they brush could potentially be a significant improvement over what they’re currently doing,” he says. And for patients, often older patients, who have lost dexterity in their hands that makes it impossible to use traditional floss, the CameraJet could be a great option, says Dr. Stone.
Is the $500 price tag for the CameraJet worth it?
Let’s run the numbers: For $500, you can purchase approximately 360 basic Colgate toothbrushes, the ones with zero bells and whistles and most definitely no cameras. If you replace your toothbrush every three to four months, as most dentists recommend, that stash would last you… almost 104 years. But most dentists recommend electric toothbrushes, which run you anywhere from $20 to $380 for the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush. (Last year’s Best of Beauty Winner, the Oral-B iO Series Electric Toothbrush, costs $99.) Dr. Stone says even an electric toothbrush on the pricier end can be worth it, though, “because they can last you almost a decade.” The CameraJet has a two-year limited warranty (like most of its competitors) so you’re on the hook for a new one if anything happens after the initial 730 days.
