Philips' New Bluetooth-Enabled Sonicare Toothbrush Connects to Your iPhone

[C DM]

You are trying too hard to justify this gadget. Of all the complicated skills humans learn over the course of a lifetime, holding a brush to ones teeth and going up and down is not one of them. Now I agree, some people are using the wrong brush, esp. if they have a small month, but that's a different issue with an inexpensive solution: use a compact brush. If one is dedicated to correct dental hygiene they'll figure out the right way to brush, and their hygienist will certainly tell them areas they need to better hit. They don't need an expensive, complicated BT toothbrush for that in 2016 any more than in 1940.

Gadgets are fun, but, yes, it gets to a point where they interfere with life more than enhance it. This is one of those gimmicks that really is overkill for the consumer market. Now maybe as a teaching tool in a professional office, sure. But any competent, conscientious person can certainly brush correctly w/o a screen telling them where to brush.

Just pointing out the reality rather than trying to make fun of it. While what you say is true in the overall sense, it doesn't cover most of what I mentioned for a lot of people who don't even know any better, even after they get information about it all a whole two times a year (assuming they even make those appointments). So, sure, many don't need anything like that, while many could certainly benefit from it. But, again, certainly more fun to try to have some fun at its expense just because.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Just pointing out the reality rather than trying to make fun of it. While what you say is true in the overall sense, it doesn't cover most of what I mentioned for a lot of people who don't even know any better, even after they get information about it all a whole two times a year (assuming they even make those appointments). So, sure, many don't need anything like that, while many could certainly benefit from it. But, again, certainly more fun to try to have some fun at its expense just because.

No, not "just because." If a product is overdone, it's overdone & deserves mocking.

If someone has brushing issues AND wants to fix them they don't need a $200 toothbrush to make adjustments, they just have to be motivated. Dentists will give patients plaque detection chew tablets for free.

And if someone isn't getting a professional cleaning 2x year then they probably don't care much about dental hygiene in the first place.

 

[wlossw]

Agree with that - since having my Fitbit, plus the app and MyFitnessPal app, I actually managed to lose a significant amount of weight that I'd half heartedly tried to lose before, but never gotten very far.

Of course, that doesn't mean Fitbit etc is for everyone, but as far as i know a good number of people have had good results with it. As you say above, I found having the data right there that I could track a very powerful motivator.

We have a Sonicare brush, and its pretty great really. Probably won't rush out and buy one of these, but if the one we had dies, we probably would - I know every time I go to the dentist / hygienist I haven't been doing as good a job on the teeth at the back of my mouth compared to the front, and even though I know that, and know what I need to do, something like this could potentially be a good motivator in the way that Fitbit and the apps are. I didn't really need them to know that smaller portions and a bit more exercise would result in weight loss, but nonetheless making use of those tools is ultimately what I found gave me that extra motivation to really stick at it.

I lost 80lbs with fitbit and my fitness pal a few years ago... true story.

 

[johngordon]

No, not "just because." If a product is overdone, it's overdone & deserves mocking.

If someone has brushing issues AND wants to fix them they don't need a $200 toothbrush to make adjustments, they just have to be motivated. Dentists will give patients plaque detection chew tablets for free.

And if someone isn't getting a professional cleaning 2x year then they probably don't care much about dental hygiene in the first place.

Yes - some people need to be motivated. But different people are motivated by different things.

So if something like this can motivate some people, then surely that's all to the good.

Just as some people need to be motivated to lose weight, will be motivated by different things.

Its absolutely possible to lose weight without using something like FitBit and smartphone apps to keep a close eye on relevant data. But that doesn't mean using those apps and data can't be a great motivational tool for many people.
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I lost 80lbs with fitbit and my fitness pal a few years ago... true story.

Good job! - I got rid of about 30lbs.

 

[C DM]

No, not "just because." If a product is overdone, it's overdone & deserves mocking.

If someone has brushing issues AND wants to fix them they don't need a $200 toothbrush to make adjustments, they just have to be motivated. Dentists will give patients plaque detection chew tablets for free.

And if someone isn't getting a professional cleaning 2x year then they probably don't care much about dental hygiene in the first place.

Right, the "don't care" part of what I mentioned at https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...onnects-to-your-iphone.1976542/#post-22987067

 

[IJ Reilly]

Your hygienist will let you know a couple of times a year. Seems like time between those times kind of matters too. Your hygienist will also not be there to reinforce what was mentioned just those couple of times a year to make sure the right parts are getting the right focus.

Once was enough for me. She told me where I was missing, and I made the adjustment. The next time she told me my work looked fine. The point of all this isn't to tell anyone that they should not go for the high-tech version if they like that sort of thing, but to say that you don't really need to spend that kind of money to get the benefit. The Sonicare they sell for under $100 will improve your gum health substantially over a regular toothbrush, whether you use it to perfection or not.

 

[C DM]

Once was enough for me. She told me where I was missing, and I made the adjustment. The next time she told me my work looked fine. The point of all this isn't to tell anyone that they should not go for the high-tech version if they like that sort of thing, but to say that you don't really need to spend that kind of money to get the benefit. The Sonicare they sell for under $100 will improve your gum health substantially over a regular toothbrush, whether you use it to perfection or not.

And this could do it even more which might be something important enough or that would make enough of a difference for some. Why does it matter for someone if someone else might find something useful in some way, even if might be pricey? So many things like that in life that are useful in one way or another to someone and are completely unnecessary for others. Doesn't make it useless or pointless, just that way for those who would find it that way, but that means absolutely nothing to someone else who would find it useful, for whatever reason.

 

[IJ Reilly]

And this could do it even more which might be something important enough or that would make enough of a difference for some. Why does it matter for someone if someone else might find something useful in some way, even if might be pricey? So many things like that in life that are useful in one way or another to someone and are completely unnecessary for others. Doesn't make it useless or pointless, just that way for those who would find it that way, but that means absolutely nothing to someone else who would find it useful, for whatever reason.

Somebody might have said that, but it wasn't me.

 

[bsolar]

Well you'll have to chastise my dentist then. Also sparse # fillings and beautiful gums, so whatever I'm doing, it's working.

What you described is not the correct way to brush teeth, but it doesn't mean it's completely ineffective nor that your dentists needs to be chastised. It might be that in your case a subpar or mediocre quality of brushing is enough, but other cases might require a much higher standard to avoid problems.

If it works for you and your dentist is happy, no problem, but don't assume that since it works for you it must work for everyone.