Oral-B Toothbrush Goes Digital

In July, 2014 Procter and Gamble latest innovation launched Oral B new combination of toothpastes and brushes for dental care in Nigeria with pump and pageantry. The Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA) endorsed premium gum protection toothpaste unveiling hit headlines by Uchenna Okoye, an international professional dentist based in London.

[L-R] Bode Ijarogbe (President Elect, Nigerian Dental Association), Uchenna Okoye (CEO, London Smiling Dental Clinic UK & Brand Ambassador, Oral B Premium Line), Olurotimi Olojede (President, Nigerian Dental Association) & Ifeoma Menakaya (Consultant & Restorative Dentist) at the 2014 Oral B launch.

That was then, Oral-B have since gone mobile. When someone mentions mobile devices, what usually comes to mind are phones and tablets. In this Internet of Things, however, everything from vacuum cleaners to 300-pound refrigerators has been added to the mobile, connected experience according to Techcrunch reports from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

Even the humble toothbrush is connected. Procter & Gamble’s Oral-B brand, which unveiled its first Bluetooth-enabled smart toothbrush at last year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is back at MWC to show off its new and improved version that’s launching this summer, adding more features in response to user feedback.

In addition to dental hygiene, Oral-B’s next high-tech device will bring multitasking toothbrushers the latest news, photos and weather reports. P&G is even opening its API to expand the electric device’s content and functionality, inviting mobile developers to participate in advancing the world’s first Bluetoothbrush.

Already, according to P&G, its year-old Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush is improving oral care behaviors worldwide, including metrics such as brushing time, flossing, rinsing and tongue cleaning. Some of its findings about how we’re brushing (or not):

83 percent of brushing sessions last over two minutes, with a global average brushing duration of 2:24
The Oral-B App has been downloaded nearly 300,000 times since launch, with 87 percent active users in the month of December 2014
60 percent of brushing sessions are leveraging the rinsing, flossing and tongue cleaning app reminders, for a more holistic oral care routine.

“We are encouraged by the consumer feedback and data regarding our app’s ability to improve and maintain oral care routines, and have used this proof as inspiration to continue investing and innovating in this area,” stated Stephen Squire, Global Brand Director for P&G.

Cue the newest Oral-B smart toothbrush, with Bluetooth 4.0.

Working with dental professionals and consumers, “Oral-B has created the next-generation brushing experience,” Squire said. This involves “personal goals, unique dental considerations and entertainment to ensure our consumers are getting the best possible results outside a dentist chair.”

The SmartSeries 7000 syncs with an app to guide and monitor your mouth-cleaning progress. And it does much more than just save your data, as it wants the user to set goals and select a personalized “dental care journey”:

Users can select among five journeys: Fresh Breath, Plaque Fighter, Whitening, Gum Health or Ortho Care
Each journey is tailor-made to help users’ achieve their oral care goals, including whiter teeth for an upcoming wedding, or fresh breath for food lovers.
The journeys deliver a more active and engaged brushing routine for a pre-designated period of time, and also offer recommendations for corresponding products to match each journey.

A red light will indicate if you’re brushing too hard and warn you to give your gums a break. As already common with electric toothbrushes, a timer will can tell users “when to switch quadrants of your mouth for optimal coverage.”

The Oral-B app will not only store every last speck of data about your brushing, it also aims to entertain users during each two-minute-plus personal dental journey by “funneling weather, news, personal information and scenic picture slideshows sourced from National Geographic to your device,” TechCrunch reports.

So don’t be surprised if your friends and loved ones start staring at their smartphones in the middle of a conversation. They might just be communicating with their toothbrushes.