In addition to the Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush they announced a while ago, Philips also revealed a new alternative to the traditional waterpik flossing (or interdental) system called the AirFloss. Deep down we all know we should be flossing our teeth every day to clean places our brushes can’t reach, but dental floss isn’t always the easiest tool for the job. And everyone knows that ease of use makes a big difference.
So the AirFloss is roughly the size of your standard electric toothbrush, a much improved design over the waterpik which usually requires a fairly hefty reservoir of water sitting on your bathroom counter. And instead of requiring gallons of water to clean your mouth, the AirFloss uses just a single teaspoon of water for two one-minute cleaning sessions. Meaning the unit, including its reservoir, can be completely self contained. By blasting the spaces between your teeth with a mix of air and water droplets traveling at speeds of up to 45mph, the AirFloss is not only easier to use than string floss, but apparently far more effective. At ~$90 it’s unfortunately quite a bit more expensive than a spool of floss, but what good is going the cheaper route if you never actually end up using it?
So that’s $300 for a fancy chrome plated contraption to squeeze every last drop of toothpaste out of the tube. You know you need this because it’s: 1) Made in Italy. 2) Handcrafted. 3) Has a base made of Perspex (what the heck is that?). 4) Will one-up your friends in a way that’s always made you such a lovable character.
You could of course accomplish the same thing with this inexpensive looking alternative but that would inevitably kick your pompous factor down a few notches.
What’s most surprising about Catherine Werdel’s tube squeezing toothbrush design isn’t that it took so long for someone to come up with such a simple solution, but the fact that it still hasn’t been made a reality. Well, I guess it’s not that surprising. The two largest toothbrush manufacturers here in North America, Colgate & Oral-B (Crest), both also make toothpaste. So helping consumers get every last drop out of a tube is only going to hinder their sales. Clearly a conspiracy. So until some third-party brush maker steps in to shake up the industry, you’re probably better off just taking a router to your toothbrush and cutting your own groove in it.
I’m not sure if ‘bathroom counter aesthetics’ is a real roadblock when it comes to people choosing to use or not use an electric toothbrush. But I have to admit, many of the rechargeable options I’ve seen have base stations that end up needing a good chunk of counter space. Philips’ new DiamondClean electric toothbrush solves this in a unique way.
First of all it can be charged via USB while in its included travel case, making it ideal for use at home or abroad. But what we like most is that the charging base station for home use looks like a regular drinking glass. In fact, it can even be used for drinking or rinsing. So I’m assuming a clever decision to use inductive charging plays a big part in making this possible. And like previous Sonicare models, the new DiamondClean features multiple modes for different levels of cleaning (Clean, White, Polish, Gum Care and Sensitive) as well as timers and indicators helping you develop an effective brushing routine. The downside? You’ll be dropping close to $410(£250) on a toothbrush.
*Update: Sources in the know have told us that the £250 price point we originally reported was incorrect. The DiamondClean will actually sell for $220 in the U.S. A bit more reasonable, but still keeping it on the high end of electric toothbrushes.
Ideally we should all be brushing our teeth after every meal, not just at the beginning and end of the day. But slipping away to brush at work or when we’re away from home isn’t always convenient or practical, so a Japanese company called Yumeshokunin has developed the Misoka toothbrush which they claim only needs to be used once in the morning.
So how do you avoid tooth-rot with such a lackadaisical approach to oral hygiene? Well the tips of the bristles are coated with a specially developed nanomineral coating that serves to make the surface of your teeth hydrophilic after brushing. So the saliva in your mouth tends to stick to your teeth, making it difficult for dirt and other materials to cling to their surface. As a result not only do your teeth stay clean all day, but your mouth as well reducing the bad breath typically associated with a lack of brushing.
It’s a ridiculously simple idea, and one that seems totally obvious now, but for some reason it’s taken until the year 2011 for mankind to come up with the Toepener. It’s nothing more than an extra handle that sits at ground level allowing you to open a door with your feet. Besides the obvious health benefits of being installed on a public bathroom door saving you from having to touch a germ-ridden handle with your bare hands, the Toepener looks like it would also make doors easier to open when your hands are full. And it’s just $49.95, so really no public facility has an excuse not to install these.
I find it hard to justify the cost of even the cheapest of nail clippers when I have a set of perfectly good teeth always available, but for some reason I find myself drawn to the Klhip with its high-tech looking “falling rate cam” design which puts the pressure directly over the nail. The matte finish surgical-grade stainless steel looks pretty futuristic too, and apparently the use of a single cutting blade results in cleaner nail cuts that don’t even need to be filed afterwards. It even comes with a lifetime warranty which normally I would consider above and beyond the call of duty, except for the fact that the Klhip will set you back $70, or $95 if you opt for the fancy leather carrying case.
Not convinced when your young’n tells you they’ve properly washed their hands or brushed their teeth? Just install this Wash & Brush Timer from TrendyKid in your bathroom and there’s a chance they just might do a good job at either task for once. The timer features a couple of easy to understand buttons that start an invisible countdown, 2 minutes for teeth brushing and 20 seconds for hand washing. While the counter is running a green light flashes faster and faster until it’s about to expire, at which point it turns red letting them know they’re done, or at the least can stop making brushing and/or washing sound effects to fool you. It’s powered by 3xAAA batteries, can be easily stuck or screwed to the wall and runs ~$8 (£4.99) if bought directly from TrendyKid.
It seems the people of Japan are far more conscientious about their scalps and haircare than I am, because the thought of holding a webcam against my head to see what’s really going on up there has never occurred to me. Also the fact that my only webcam is embedded above the display on my laptop makes for a few logistical issues when it comes to analyzing my follicles. Not any more though, because a company called Spec Computer has created the Scaloupe, which is a USB webcam with a macro lens and a miniature white LED-illuminated ‘softbox’ that lets you get up close and personal with whatever scalp conditions you’re looking for.
It lets you examine the top of your head via a live feed displayed on your PC, and if you’re particularly proud or worried about a certain spot up there, you can snap a photo for further analysis. However, since the Scaloupe is not a medical instrument it’s advised against using it for official self-diagnosis. Available now for ~$96 (¥7,980) presumably only in Japan.
Related Tags: Hygiene
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