Give your teeth an ultrasound with a new type of toothbrush

If you haven’t updated your toothbrush in the past year, it might be time for a trip to the dentist, as well as a replacement for that instrument in your home, and while that new brush probably looks like your old one, a German company has a solution that is sure to make you say “aaaaaahhhh.”

The new toothbrush is a little unorthodox compared to the regular type of brushes we see on the market, even in a world where electric brushes can have multiple settings, such as the Philips DiamondClean brand which has around six different cleaning modes.

Instead, Germany’s Emmi-dent tries something different, and lacks an electric head, or at least in the sense many of us are used to.

Different from any other toothbrush we’ve seen, Emmi-dent has turned to a sound wave technology commonly used to check on pregnancies. You’ve seen it before, but you’ve probably never considered that ultrasounds could be used to clean your teeth. We sure hadn’t.

Shaped liked a brush, the Emmi-dent 6 might surprise you given that you don’t use it like a regular brush. We’re told you hold the brush head over the tooth and let it go to work, sending sound waves down for between five and ten seconds before you move onto the next tooth.

Without brushing, this unique toothbrush manages to do away with any damage that brushing brings into the picture, sterilising with ultrasound rather than scrubbing particles away.

“After trying various other clinical techniques and oral hygiene products, this new device has definitely made the difference to achieving periodontal health, as evidenced by the absence of gingival bleeding,” said Dr. Ian Lamattina, a Perth-based dentist.

The Emmi-dent 6 Professional does come with its own toothpaste, which lacks abrasive particles and has been developed specifically for the ultrasound toothbrush. That said, the special toothpaste isn’t a requirement and it can work with any toothpaste available.

Emmi-dent’s ultrasound brush is available in Australia for $235 RRP online, and while we’re not sure if it will be the traditional toothbrush killer it’s promising, will be putting our mouths on the line when we put it to the test shortly.