By now, everyone who is familiar with artificial intelligence knows its immense applications in healthcare. Making its way through one’s body, AI has now reached the human being’s mouth. AI already demands a certain amount of data to work better. Now, apart from data like fingerprints, retina scans or X-rays the AI will now have the chance to look at your teeth and everything inside your mouth using the smart toothbrush. Colgate and Oral-B’s showcased this idea of oral hygiene with their smart toothbrushes at the ongoing CES 2020.

This AI-based system will let the user know that there is something stuck in between their teeth, by telling the user that they missed a spot.

Colgate’s Smart Toothbrush

Colgate’s smart toothbrush has been trained to get paired with one’s smartphone. Colgate’s new Plaqless Pro smart toothbrush, which is an electric type, has tiny sensors embedded that can detect the plaque build up inside the user’s mouth before one starts brushing.

One needs to pair their toothbrush to smartphones via Bluetooth, and the Colgate app analyses the mouth and the data for the user. This analysing and deciphering will be unique to each user’s mouth. The data collected and analysed will give details about whether the user’s brushing technique is a viable one and whether the individual has terrible brushing techniques, and all this analysis will be delivered in real-time on the Colgate application. This app will also tell the user if they have missed a spot and even the history of their brushing techniques along with customised oral care tips. 

According to Colgate’s Chief Dental Officer, Dr Maria Ryan, “Plaqless Pro also coaches the users to brush better, helping both the patient and the oral care provider to build an even stronger partnership in achieving optimal oral health.”

Oral-B iO

Oral-B too has introduced their version of the smart toothbrush. The brush is called Oral-B iO, which acts a motorised brushing mechanism. P&G said that the design of Oral-B iO is intended to combine oscillating, rotating movements with micro-vibrations to ensure super clean teeth and gums. Oral-B has been part of Proctor and Gamble since 2005.

The Oral-B iO consists of bimodal pressure sensor which is embedded inside the toothbrush, and this sensor tells the users how much pressure must be applied while brushing. Like Colgate, Oral-B too has an app that can be downloaded on your smartphone, which will also be giving out information in real-time. This real-time information includes individual coaching and tracking thanks to the AI. This AI, which gives personal feedback, is trained on thousands of sessions of brushing. The app consists of 7 cleaning modes which include daily clean, sensitive, and whitens — it’s like a washing machine for your mouth.

Are Colgate & Oral-B The Pioneers?

Oral-B iO isn’t the first time smart toothbrushes were introduced. Oral- B, in 2014, has introduced a toothbrush which used Bluetooth and was programmed with the help of a dentist. In 2016 Oral -B has launched a line of Genius toothbrushes, but these needed a smartphone camera in front of you when you brush.

Philips Sonicare and Kolibree have also offered toothbrushes like Oral-B’s Genius X. Kolibree has turned brushing into a game, and Onvi’s toothbrush live-streamed whatever was going inside the user’s mouth while brushing.

Outlook

Not laying more emphasis on how many areas AI is affecting — this new introduction feels more like breaking and entering. AI’s application with toothbrushes shouldn’t be surprising, rather what one should be looking at is how much more comfort will human beings try to achieve in the name of technology. Though one can present facts and numbers when it comes to oral hygiene’s importance, a $220 (Oral-B iO) toothbrush might not be a flexible option — what good is the technology when everyone can’t afford it?