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Confession: I probably don’t brush my teeth long enough. Before you get grossed out, let me explain! I brush at least three times a day (and floss once a day—someone text this article to my dentist, please!), but oftentimes I’m rushed. I’m running behind, I need to get out the door, I just want to go to bed—plus, brushing teeth just isn’t exactly fun. Satisfying? Yes. An important part of self-care and overall health? Totally. But I’d rather be on my phone watching the 25th TikTok of dogs dancing to techno.
That is, until I tested Quip, an oral care system that motivates you to properly brush your teeth, and makes re-upping supplies effortless.
What is Quip?
Quip is an oral care brand that offers smart electric toothbrushes (for both adults and kids) that connect to your phone via Bluetooth. They also sell regular electric toothbrushes, along with an eco-friendly refillable mouthwash, refillable floss pick, toothpaste, and gum. When you sign up for a subscription, you’re sent a new toothbrush head every three months (the recommended amount of time you should be using a brush or brush head), along with anything else that you need more of (like toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.). You can get the bundle (which I did), which includes all of their products.
In my bundle, I got a smart electric toothbrush, toothpaste, a floss pick, and gum. Each refill starts at $5 (and if you want to keep using your Quip brush, you’ll need to get a new brush head sent to you since the battery life only lasts for three months—but it’s completely wireless and you don’t have to worry about charging it).
Quip Smart Custom Bundle — $162.00
Refills for bundles are $50. You can sign up for a subscription and get this whole bundle for $134.
Smart Electric Toothbrush — $72.00
A tooth brush head plus toothpaste refill is $10. You can subscribe and get this toothbrush for $60.
What are the benefits?
Aside from convenience, what I found cool about using Quip instead of my standard toothbrush or electric toothbrush (I switch between the two to keep things ahem fresh) was that the smart toothbrush uses timed sonic vibrations that essentially train you how to brush your teeth more effectively. Cosmetic dentist and founder of oral health care company Lewie, Amanda Lewis DMD tells Well+Good, “It’s coaching you to spend 30 seconds at each quadrant of the mouth,” which I wouldn’t necessarily think of doing purposefully.
The Quip app also records your brushing sessions and awards you with points and achievement “badges,” like “Love at First Brush” (your first time using Quip), “Best Week Ever,” and “50 Brush Club.” You can also get rewards from your points. When you collect 1,000 points, you can score $5 off the solar battery charger. Once you reach 4,500 points, you get a $5 refill credit (or a free toothbrush head). “It’s an interesting concept if it helps people’s habits by incentivizing them,” Dr. Lewis tells us.
It might seem silly (and I thought so at first), but it’s actually…kind of fun? I already use my Apple Watch to track every movement I make (the devastation I felt when I learned my watch was dead after a four-mile hike was undeniably ridiculous, but after a while, you just get used to your wearables measuring your body’s achievements), so this wasn’t a major deviation from my routine. Any time I’d convince myself I was too tired to brush my teeth at night, I’d think of the gap in my Quip progress, and I’d lift my limbs out of bed and give my teeth a good scrub. Another cool thing is that you don’t actually have to have your phone in the bathroom with you—your smart brush will store your routine.
Plus, my teeth feel a lot cleaner. I think it’s because I’m actually spending the full two minutes brushing—plus, the sonic brush is giving my teeth an even deeper clean than my regular electric brush (sonic brushes vibrate at about 30,000 brushes per minute—10 times the rate of an electric one).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Convenience
- The design is truly meant to brush your teeth better
- The app is really cool (and definitely a motivator for me)
- Refills aren’t expensive
- The products look really sleek and don’t take up much counter space
- By using the app, you get free stuff as a reward
- You can also use the app to easily order more refills if you need them
Cons:
- The brush and startup bundle are pricey
- Once you purchase the Quip items, you have to continue to subscribe to Quip (since the refills are only compatible with the original products). This doesn’t count the toothpaste (you can totally use whatever brand you want)
- If you don’t care about the app, there are definitely other sonic toothbrushes that do the same
Curious? Check out Quip’s site to see what else they’ve got to offer. If anything, this makes a great gift for the kiddo in your life whose definition of “two minutes” brushing is close to two seconds. *And* they get prizes! Pretty nifty.
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