Admit it. You know that you’re supposed to brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day. And you’re supposed to floss.
But most of the time, you do a half-hearted scrub around your mouth, think ‘yep, that’s done’ once your mouth tastes of toothpaste, and merrily go to bed.
There are toothbrushes with timers to help you out, but after the first few weeks of commitment we tend to go right back to just turning off the brush the second it ‘feels’ like it’s done (usually only halfway through).
Could a hands-free toothbrush that cleans your teeth in under three seconds be the answer to our truly shoddy teeth-cleaning habits?
The Unico is a ‘smartbrush’ created by Nicola Nichele, 28. Basically, it’s a mouthguard fitted with oscillating bristles that clean each one of your teeth simultaneously, meaning your full set of gnashers can be cleaned in 1.87 seconds. Whoa.
It’s not as expensive as you might think. For $99 (£75), you’ll get two units that connect to a smartphone, allowing you to control how fast and how long you’d like the cleaning cycle to be.
As it gets to work, the Unico squeezes spots of toothpaste into the centre of each brushhead, using cartridges fitted into the pack.
All you have to do is pop it in your mouth and tap the power pack to get started. Your hands remain free to do any other important errands you need to do in under three seconds, and you cut a massive chunk of time off your getting ready for bed routine.
Well, that’s what the creator claims, anyway. We reached out to some dentists to see what they think, and the reviews were mixed.
Dr Raha Sepehrara of Dental Suite clinics told us that while the Unico could be effective at cleaning the teeth, she’d question spending a significant amount of money just to save a few minutes.
‘I have come across a few of these new toothbrushes online lately aimed at cutting down toothbrushing times,’ Raha told metro.co.uk. ‘The recommend toothbrushing with a normal (electric or manual) toothbrush should be at least 2 minutes, which is not that long.
‘Is it worth spending that extra money to reduce your toothbrushing time? I feel good toothbrushing can be achieved with our ordinary shaped toothbrushes.
‘So my personal preference would be to stick with my normal toothbrush as I can control the angle of the bristles and ensure I can brush all the different surfaces of my teeth.
‘If someone has missing teeth, would that toothbrush be cleaning around the gaps as well as a normal toothbrush? Another concern is what If someone’s teeth and jaw are not exactly the right shape?
‘This idea is interesting but I am sceptical and would like to see more scientific studies showing its effectiveness at cleaning, especially around the gum areas and in the areas adjacent to the gaps left by missing teeth.’
Raha did say she could see the benefits of the Unico for those with disabilities or issues with manual dexterity (such as arthritis), so while it may not be a worthwhile investment for the majority of people, it could make a huge difference for those who genuinely struggle with brushing.
Dr Lisa and Dr Vanessa Creaven, founders of Spotlight Whitening, have concerns over how the Unico could end up damaging your teeth.
They explain that to get a really good clean, the brush would need to be going at a huge speed – which could cause abrasion.
‘This new concept looks as though it could reach all areas,’ they told metro.co.uk, ‘but the speed would have to be huge to achieve what you would in the recommended 3 minutes of brushing with a standard electrical toothbrush.
‘If this is the case I would be concerned about the pressure or power and the possible abrasion of the gum or tooth enamel.’
Nicola says he was inspired to invent the Unico after finding a manual brush ‘terribly annoying’ back in 2007, but was only able to get started with the product in 2016 thanks to 3D printing and crowdfunding.
‘Unico is the first patented smartbrush in the world that can perform tooth brushing perfectly in just three seconds,’ he says.
‘It’s evening and you are completely relaxed on the sofa watching a movie. The movie ends, you are sleepy and you just want to go bed… but before you have to wash your teeth.
‘I do not know if it is so for you, but for me that feeling is terribly annoying, so I invented Unico.
‘Your time is precious and should not be wasted!’
He explains that while the Unico is able to work in 1.87 seconds to achieve the same cleaning results as three minutes of manual brushing, he upped the total time to three seconds to make it more effective – and give you time to do your hair or spray perfume while it’s in action.
‘The difference compared to other existing toothbrushes and smartbrushes is that Unico multiplies the effect of a single ultrasonic electric toothbrush for each single tooth portion exposed,’ says Nicola.
‘The mouth unit comes with ergonomic and flared brushes that allow you to reach all the exposed surfaces of the teeth and the interstices between one tooth and the next one without damaging the enamel of the teeth and the gums.’
The product’s currently in the crowdfunding stages, so if you fancy backing it and having a shot at getting your own speedy teeth-cleaner, you can do so through Kickstarter.
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