Smart technology is changing the way we do every little thing, it seems. We have apps to keep us on time, to prevent us from getting lost, and now an app to help us navigate the ways of brushing our teeth.
Oral care products manufacturer Oral-B announced the launch of its app, simply named the Oral-B App, which offers users some tips and guidance on how to do a proper brushing.
Perhaps it seems silly, but believe it or not, not everyone brushes effectively. The keys to proper tooth brushing are frequency, thoroughness, and pressure. Let’s face it – most of us give a quick go around and spit. Oral-B’s app is like having a dentist as part of your morning and nightly routine, as it offers a timer function with a quadrant guide so you don’t miss a spot. It also has an auto-activated brush timer so you know not to cut your teeth cleaning session too short or, conversely, make it too long. And if that wasn’t enough, this handy app tracks your progress. It’s kind of like gamifying your hygiene, except the prize is a cleaner, healthier mouth.
Image via Shutterstock
“Our goal for this app was to make the invisible visible by helping users quantify and visualize the quality of their brushing sessions,” said Stephen Squire, global marketing director of Procter & Gamble Oral Care, in a statement. “We know that power brush users strive to stay on top of their oral health, but they don’t always know what they’re doing is sufficient between dentist appointments. Now, with this data, they can feel more confident about their oral care regimens. We like to call it ‘a personal trainer for your teeth.’”
This app joins a line of smart technology designed to help us live smarter lives, like Beam’s smart toothbrush that has a Bluetooth interface to tell your phone all about your brushing habits. Connected to its app, this brush can build up a profile based on your brushing and tell you how well or poorly you’re doing.
Smart technology certainly has its place, but sometimes technology is being used in place of good common sense. Then again, if we’ve been cleaning our teeth improperly all along, perhaps this app is designed to save us all a few bucks at the dentist’s office and get us into better practices when it comes to keeping our pearly whites just that.
After all, poor dental care can lead to myriad other health problems, so instead of waiting for that twice-a-year cleaning (for those of us who actually go), a little assistance from technology isn’t so terrible.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
