What 4 Dentists Have to Say About Dyson’s New $499 Toothbrush
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Oral healthcare doesn't often make the global news cycle, but earlier this week Dyson added a new gadget to its product lineup that inspired a flurry of headlines. And no, it's not a mini vacuum for your teeth (although… Are you reading this Sir Dyson?). The engineering behemoth announced it would be adding an electric toothbrush to its high-tech offerings, called the CameraJet. Oh, and it costs $499.
For those whose feeds have not been inundated with details of this toothbrush this week: The CameraJet simultaneously brushes and flosses by emitting a fan-like spray of mouthwash (or water) directly into the gaps between your teeth as the brush head continuously oscillates. The flow of the liquid is not constant, however, as it usually is with a water flosser. Underneath the jet nestled underneath the brush head is a 100mm-pixel macro lens the size of a pencil tip that captures 28 images per second. Those images let the brush detect when it's arrived at a space between your teeth and trigger the jet accordingly. You need to use a toothpaste and mouthwash (if you don't use water) that are SLS-free because anything that foams up could interfere with the camera and make its gap-detection less precise. Dyson has also made their very own CameraJet-friendly toothpaste and mouth rinse (as they say in the UK), but they aren't available just yet.
Last spring, we were the first to behold the CameraJet when Allure 's executive editor Jenny Bailly traveled to the company's labs in southwest England and swore herself to secrecy. Dyson operates like the CIA or NSA in terms of its commitment to need-to-know-culture—until just before launch we were only referring to the CameraJet by code name in our communications with the brand. So we were unable to include independent expert opinions in our initial story because we had agreed not share any information about this device until it was announced to the public on September 1.
And when it was, people had a lot to say—especially on Dyson's post announcing the launch. "For $500 it better take X-rays and straighten my hair," one person commented, while another said, "oh great, another camera I'll have to put tape over." Several shared this sentiment: "Overstimulated but very intrigued." Even Listerine weighed in on Instagram with their own post that read simply, "Friendly reminder: Listerine reaches your teeth, gums, tongue, cheeks, and everything in between to complete your oral care routine. No cameras. No fancy tech. Just a simple swish for a whole mouth clean." (For the record, according to dentists, Listerine kills germs and freshens breath, but it's an add-on not a replacement for brushing or flossing—either with water or a string.)
In the last couple of days, our feeds have been filled with content from non-dentist influencers who were gifted a toothbrush by Dyson, but our team as a whole has so far seen only one "I tried it" video from a dentist, a group that perhaps didn't get the same level of seeding just yet. So this week—once the CameraJet was out of the bag—we called four dentists to get their thoughts on the most expensive toothbrush in the 5,000-year history of oral hygiene. None has received a toothbrush from Dyson to test (or decided to invest just yet) so they are speaking only from what they have seen and read about the device.
What are dentists saying about Dyson's new CameraJet?
The dentists Allure spoke with were on the whole intrigued and/or impressed by the CameraJet. "Anything that can make patients more consistent with their oral hygiene gets my attention," says Brian Kantor, DDS, a cosmetic dentist at Lowenberg, Lituchy & Kantor in New York City. "The idea of combining brushing and interdental cleaning into one routine makes a lot of sense, particularly because one of the biggest problems we see is that patients brush but don't consistently floss." Dr. Kantor won't be recommending the CameraJet to his patients just yet though: "I want to see how it performs in the real world over time before I tell patients they need to go out and buy it."
Dr. Vanna Stone, DMD, a dentist at Gentle Caring Dentistry in Livingston, NJ, would also like to see the results of clinical trials. Dyson has told Allure that they did both internal and external lab testing showing that the CameraJet is more effective than the market leaders at removing plaque. But the only data that they have been able to provide to us is a four-week study of 60 subjects, comparing the results of a manual toothbrush and a CameraJet. The CameraJet came out on top on every metric—but "so would an Oral-B or Sonicare electric toothbrush," says Dr. Stone. (She currently recommends both to her patients, and is partial to the Oral-B herself.) "I want to see a study comparing the results of a Sonicare or Oral-B, plus floss, to this toothbrush. Are the results equivalent? Better? How much better?" She adds that even if the results are only equivalent, she could see a lot of her patients wanting to buy the CameraJet just because it makes brushing feel more fun.
At the moment, the CameraJet does not have an American Dental Association seal of acceptance, which means a product was independently tested by dental experts to verify its safety and efficacy. (There are currently 16 electric toothbrushes that have the organization's seal.) But while many consumers and dentists use the ADA seal to help guide them, it's not the end-all be-all of dental care recommendations—manufacturers have to submit their own products to be considered, and applications start at $20,000. Michael Wei , DDS, a cosmetic dentist based in Manhattan, says his favorite toothbrush to recommend to his patients is the Oral-B Pro 1000 Power Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush, which isn't currently ADA-approved, although two other electric Oral-B toothbrushes are.
What do they think of the idea of a toothbrush with a camera?
The itty-bitty camera in this toothbrush isn't just there to guide it to the gaps in your teeth, the 28 images it captures per second are also pieced together and turned into a real-time video you can watch on the Dyson app.
Dr. Wei thinks the camera is the "biggest positive" of the CameraJet because users can monitor their teeth as they brush, allowing them to see any spots they're missing in real time. Dr. Kantor is also interested in the camera as an educational tool. "My only concern is that patients shouldn't become overly focused on diagnosing themselves from what they see on a camera," he adds. (It's true: Studies have shown that health-tracking devices can reinforce unhealthy obsessions.) "Seeing something unusual doesn't necessarily mean there's a dental problem, and a camera in a toothbrush certainly doesn't replace a dental examination," says Dr. Kantor. Although don't take that comment to indicate that there's a turf war brewing here. When we asked Dr. Stone if she's afraid a toothbrush this high-tech will put her and her peers out of business, she laughed. "I wish I was that optimistic."
Beyond the camera, Dr. Wei isn't too sure about the rest of the gadget's offerings. "It seems that many other features may have been added for the sake of making the most luxurious and up-to-date toothbrush, which may cause this product to become more of a fad than an everyday item," he says.
There are also understandably some concerns about the surveillance aspect of a toothbrush with a camera. None of the dentists we spoke with touched on this, but some of the consumer feedback on the tool refers to it as "invasive" and "a privacy nightmare waiting to happen." According to Dyson, though, the content taken of the inner workings of your oral cavity are not stored on its app or in the cloud.
Does the Dyson toothbrush replace flossing?
Every dentist Allure spoke with said this device should absolutely not take the place of regular flossing. "If teeth are tight or crowded, you need traditional floss," says Dr. Stone. "You really need to snap that floss between the teeth [to remove plaque]." And then there's this: A post from an Irish dentist who tested the CameraJet this week and says that there was both plaque— and some chicken —between her teeth after using it. She had done exactly what Dr. Stone recommended to us as a testing technique: Use regular floss after completing your two minutes with the CameraJet and then pull out the old-fashioned string—is there anything on it when you're done? So far the CameraJet has passed this test for the Allure editors who have been using it this week (no chicken), but we don't have the "plaque disclosing tablets" that Dr. Bronagh Keane used in her trial. And our testers have agreed that their teeth do feel very clean after using the new Dyson tool.
The CameraJet also shouldn't take the place of regular water-flossing, says Dr. Stone. She recommends water-flossers like the Waterpik not for cleaning between the teeth, but for patients who have pockets under their gums, or bridges or crowns that make an area inaccessible for a brush or floss. You need a stream of water to clean them out. From what she knows so far about the CameraJet, it doesn't seem designed to address that need and is designed only to clean in between the teeth.
Though impressed with the CameraJet, Dr. Kantor still considers traditional floss the gold standard for cleaning teeth, with an important caveat: for someone who flosses properly every day. "For the enormous number of patients who simply don't floss consistently, a device that automatically cleans between the teeth every time they brush could potentially be a significant improvement over what they're currently doing," he says. And for patients, often older patients, who have lost dexterity in their hands and are unable to use traditional floss, the CameraJet could be a great option, adds Dr. Stone.
Is the $500 price tag for the CameraJet worth it?
Let's run the numbers: For $500, you can purchase approximately 360 basic Colgate toothbrushes , the ones with zero bells and whistles and most definitely no cameras. If you replace your toothbrush every three to four months, as most dentists recommend, that stash would last you… almost 104 years. But most dentists recommend electric toothbrushes, which run you anywhere from $20 to $380 for the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush . (Last year's Best of Beauty Winner, the Oral-B iO Series Electric Toothbrush , costs $99.) Dr. Stone says even an electric toothbrush on the pricier end can be worth it, though, "because some can last you almost a decade." The CameraJet has a two-year limited warranty (like most of its competitors) so you're on the hook for a new one if anything happens after the initial 730 days.
Dr. Wei says he'd have no problem recommending the CameraJet to his patients. "For those with worsening teeth conditions, like gum disease and emerging cavities, this product is certainly worth the $500 price tag," he says. But he also acknowledges that "for most of the average toothbrush-owning world, this product may be seen as more of a luxury, containing features that—while interesting and high-tech—may not justify the price in the long run."
In the press release for the CameraJet, Dyson cites a 2025 World Health Organization statistic that 3.7 billion people are affected by oral diseases globally. But of course a $500 toothbrush is unlikely to do much to change that number since more than 3.69 billion of those people can't afford it. (For some context, in Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, $500 is twice the annual per capita income.) In terms of the most exciting oral health game-changers, Dr. Stone is still going to give her vote to fluoridation. "It was cost effective and had such a huge impact," she says. " That was a huge breakthrough."
"No toothbrush is worth $500," says Ivona Igerc , DDS, a dentist who practices in London. "A standard $10 manual brush or a $70 sonic toothbrush removes plaque just as effectively. High-end tech doesn't change the laws of friction or fluid dynamics."
Dr. Kantor agrees. "Ultimately, I don't care whether a toothbrush has AI, a camera, or an app just because those features sound impressive," he says. "I care whether my patients' mouths are healthier because they're using it."
The way that most of these dentists spoke about the CameraJet is actually quite similar to the way dermatologists talk about which sunscreen to buy: Whichever one makes you use it consistently—no matter the price tag—will always end up being worth it. As Dr. Stone says, "if it excites you and you want to spend $500, I fully support your oral care journey."
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