Teeth

Smart Toothbrush? Skip It

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Smart Toothbrushes - Are they worth it?

Today, let’s talk about the scourge that is the smart toothbrush.

I’m a proponent of electric toothbrushes. They make oral hygiene easier to achieve for most configurations of teeth. My mouth is healthier for them. I’ve used brushes from both Oral-B and Sonicare (I use a 10+ year old FlexCare, which is a discontinued model; I would buy this one today) in my lifetime, and both made a positive impact on my oral hygiene and wellbeing, especially as I went through my Invsalign journey.

At some point within the last decade, those companies decided that the world really needed–that consumers really wanted– a smart toothbrush. Sigh.

What is a Smart Toothbrush?

A smart toothbrush is an electric toothbrush that incorporates advanced technology and connectivity features to enhance the brushing experience. These toothbrushes often come with built-in sensors, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity, and smartphone apps or companion software.

Many modern electric toothbrushes still incorporate sensors to caution you against using too much pressure and timers to alert you when to change quadrants. So… why all the connections and internet? Why does my toothbrush need an internet connection or bluetooth?

Why Does a Toothbrush Need an Internet Connection?

In theory, the value smart toothbrushes provide lies in being able to provide you with data on your brushing habits. They can also gamify your daily hygiene by giving you virtual headpats for, you know, being an adult and taking care of your teeth.

Sense my derision?

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Four Years After Invisalign

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Four years after Invisalign, and six years after I started Invisalign, I’ve lost track of how many people I’ve discussed my experience with. A recent rehash prompted me to think that I should revisit the topic here, too, since I wrote extensively about it (indeed, there’s a whole section of the site as noted by the above link) dedicated to it.

How My Smile is Doing

Four years after Invisalign, my teeth are in good shape! I haven’t had any post-treatment problems. Even though it has been four years after Invisalign, I’m still happy with now much easier it is to just, you know, bite into food. It’s easier to care for my teeth than my pre-treatment teeth were (e.g., flossing is easier). It’s easier to do other cosmetic things like use Whitestrips (which, if you must use them, are most cost-effectively purchased at Costco).

And I’m still very happy with my smile!

Four years out, I stand by my earlier assessment of it being worth the money.

Retainers

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Apagard Premio Nanohydroxyapatite Toothpaste

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Apagard Premio Nanohydroxyapatite Toothpaste

I do this funny thing when I’m composing content for this blog. I’ll start writing something like a compilation post and then I realize I’ve written three paragraphs about one thing. Oop, that needs its own post. So here we are because last week, I talked about some things I prioritize spending on (in contrast with what I don’t). One thing that I initially wrote way too much about was my toothpaste: Apagard Premio Nanohydroxyapatite Toothpaste.

Aside: Man, it’s been so long since I’ve typed a long product name here.
At least its not L’Oreal Infalliable Never Fail Because You Sold Your Soul For a Thiccer Lashline.

“Gee, Editor,” you may be thinking. “Nearly $30 is a bit wild for two 100g (~7oz total in freedom units) tubes of toothpaste.”

Let’s Start with Why I Do This

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What I DO Spend Money On – 2022

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You know, I wrote about what I don’t spend money on here in 2022 last month with the intent of pairing it with this post – what I DO spend money on. But in reality, the conversation is really about prioritization.

It’s also worth noting that just because something is a priority doesn’t mean it calls for spending a ton of money on it, which you’ll see reflected below.

What I DO Spend Money On

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Invisalign Update: I’m DONE!

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Invisalign Update - More Refinement - Refinement Round Three - Third Invisalign Refinement

Over two years ago, I started down this journey to correct the alignment of what I scathingly lovingly called my creatively arranged teeth. You can check out the annals of this whole thing by visiting My Invisalign Journey page, which chronicles all my Invisalign posts.

The End

In early June, I completed my 85th and final tray! It was so exciting to go in and get my attachments off. That process, by the way, is completely painless. More weird than anything because its basically a dremel tool in your face. No anesthesia needed, no pain. At one point a single tooth felt VERY cold but that was it. It’s awesome to feel totally smooth surfaces again! I can now use stuff like Whitestrips without having to fight with them and turn them into origami to fit my teeth.

I don’t have before pictures of my teeth that I’m willing to share (because dear god do the clinical before photos look like nightmare fuel) BUT this post shares the changes of my initial course. To the not-paying-entirely-too-close-attention eye, my teeth don’t look too different from the end of that initial course. So if you want an idea of before, check out this post where I share my ClinCheck. As for after? So I don’t take a ton of pictures of my teeth (…because that is weird) or selfies in general (…because I don’t millennial, “properly.”) but hey, look:

For now, I’m wearing my 85th tray at night as a wannabe retainer while I wait for my retainer fabrication. I pick up my real retainers next week and can share more about them once I know more about them.

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Invisalign Update: Third Invisalign Refinement Update

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Invisalign Update - More Refinement - Refinement Round Three - Third Invisalign RefinementThird Invisalign Refinement Update

Last week, I had an appointment to pick up the trays for my third Invisalign refinement course. The third course is focused on moving the stubborn incisors I discussed in this post. Since my last update in which I shared that my mamelons had been smoothed a bit, my tongue can still perceive a difference with my upper front teeth, but not the rest. As time has passed, the ‘sharpness’ of the free edge (it was never actually sharp) has worn down a bit, and they’re gradually feeling closer to, “normal.” Nothing uncomfortable – just different.

Attachment Changes

This course required adjustments to my attachments. The pair on the suspect incisors needed to change to make my new trays effective. So, for the first time since they were initially installed, I had attachments removed…

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