It is the live stream you never wanted to see but may find impossible to resist: rolling footage beamed live from inside your mouth while you are cleaning your teeth.
Dyson, the home appliance maker that made its name inventing bagless vacuums and bladeless fans, has turned its attention to oral hygiene with a £420 all-singing, all-dancing toothbrush that can clean, floss and even spray tiny jets of mouthwash.
In simpler times, a handle and bristles were enough, but the Dyson toothbrush, which took six years and the brainpower of 661 engineers to develop, has a “100k pixel macro lens camera” and an “anti-gravity (mouthwash) tank” on board.
Dyson put earlier prototype models of the toothbrush on display at the launch event in Paris. Photograph: Doug Peters/PA
The camera functions as a “high-quality endoscope”, according to the company, enabling users to “see what their dentist sees”. The brusher can watch “live cleaning footage” on the MyDyson app and get feedback on their cleaning regime.
On Tuesday, James Dyson, the company’s founder and chief engineer, launched the hi-tech toothbrush at an event in Paris.
Engineers and scientists at the company – which despite the billionaire inventor’s support for Brexit moved its corporate base to Singapore in 2019 – had “spent well over a decade understanding oral care regimes and how nasties build up in the mouth”, Dyson explained. The rigorous process included developing a “proxy plaque” so it could test plaque removal accurately.
Flossing was an “awkward and time-consuming chore” and “few of us do it even though we know we should”, he said. “Our research has shown that people consistently miss the areas where plaque forms: the gaps between teeth.”
And while you will be familiar with the process of moving a toothbrush up and down with your hand, Dyson explained that by “combining a camera, machine learning, precision fluid dynamics, advanced brushing technologies, connectivity and wifi” the toothbrush offered an “entirely new way to keep your mouth healthy”.
When the camera detects gaps between teeth, the jet on the stem releases a burst of mouth rinse to remove plaque as you brush, while the brush head cleans along the gum line and lifts surface stains. The brush claims to remove “up to 72% more plaque than market leading electric toothbrushes”.
skip past newsletter promotionFree newsletter | Every weekday
Sign up to Business Today
Get set for the working day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning
after newsletter promotion
No dental routine would be complete without toothpaste, and Dyson’s claims to be a “complete dental system” with a non-foaming toothpaste and mouth rinse (so as not to obscure the camera lens) that each cost £8.50.
Dyson is entering a crowded market as there are already dozens of ultra-advanced toothbrushes, including smart models with apps, that promise everything from plaque and stain removal to tongue cleaning. The Phillips Sonicare DiamondClean, for example, which is available in Boots and John Lewis, comes with a £600 price tag.
If you don’t have a big toothbrush budget, the good news is that the British Dental Association (BDA) says you don’t need one. You just need to follow your dentist’s advice and brush twice a day.
Eddie Crouch, the BDA’s chair, said: “Patients shouldn’t be lulled into thinking the latest gizmos will solve all their oral health problems. Big brands with high price tags are no substitute for a proper routine.”
