In December 1969, a magazine called Which? wrote about a new gadget that many people might buy as a Christmas present: the electric toothbrush. It said the toothbrush was "not very different from a normal brush," except that it moved the brush head for you.
Almost 60 years later, electric toothbrushes can do much more than just move. They can track how you brush in real time, offer a gum-massage mode, and now even have a small camera inside. Prices range from about £25 for a simple Oral-B toothbrush to £599.99 for a Philips Sonicare that gives "smart feedback." The newest one, made by Dyson, uses AI to find gaps between your teeth and sprays water to clean them. It costs £419.99.
In the UK, 59% of adults now use an electric toothbrush. Sales of toothbrushes and brush heads reached £361 million last year, says the research company Mintel. "We are seeing more and more expensive toothbrushes, and expensive toothpaste too," says Rachel Bairsto from the British Dental Association. She says these products have become a kind of status symbol. "If you see a photo of a nice bathroom, there will always be a plug for some kind of electric toothbrush," she says.
But dentists are not so sure the high prices are worth it. "There is no strong evidence that one type of electric brush cleans better than another," says Dr. Zaeem Jafri. He tried the Dyson toothbrush and found the water jet hard to control. The small camera was often blocked by water and toothpaste foam. Some of the new brushes have also overheated, or had charging problems. At the time of writing, the brush was not available to buy.
This love of new gadgets sits strangely next to a real problem: many people cannot get dental care. In England, 60% of adults did not see an NHS dentist in the two years before March 2026. This gap is also linked to income. Only 47% of people with lower incomes use an electric toothbrush, but 76% of people with higher incomes do.
Dr. Jafri says the people who are most likely to spend hundreds of pounds on a smart toothbrush usually already brush their teeth well. "This is probably not solving the bigger problem we have," he says.