The Whole Mouth Care Package

In a world where we’re all constantly looking for ways to improve ourselves the next gadget or quick fix must surely be around the corner. Whether it is the latest FitBit, the newest runners or the lighter sweat wicking gym gear, we’re all after it. There are plenty of products that will help you get that quick fix to brighten your smile, but is it really improving your oral health? White teeth is hardly the golden indicator for perfect dental hygiene so we need to focus on keeping the whole mouth clean. We’ve been testing the latest from Philips which aims to do just that.

Named the DiamondClean Smart 9700 Series, this is the Rolls Royce of toothbrushes. It’s sexy, it’s shiny and it’s not only smart by name, it’s genuinely smart. Let’s start with the basics. It’s a toothbrush so how is it as a toothbrush?

Depending on your goals you’ll be able to select different modes to complete different tasks. Clean, White+ (to make your teeth whiter), Deep Clean+ (for when you’ve really made a mess), Gum Health (a gentle clean on those molars) and Tongue Care+ (because so much bacteria and stench is related to this space). The 9700 Series will come with the right heads for the job too. You can pop the heads on as you see fit and choose the mode on the toothbrush handle to get started. The heads look similar to a normal toothbrush which is comforting however you only need to move the head across your mouth and no brushing movements is required. This is because the 9700 series brushes at 31,000 brush strokes per minute. You can try counting your manual effort but you’ll be falling very short of that number!

So as a tool to brush your teeth it can do that… but for a toothbrush that we’ve coined “The Rolls Royce” then it needs more features beyond the “a to b” models out there. As you unbox the 9700 Series it is recommended you download the Philips app to your smartphone… yes, an app for your toothbrush. The toothbrush connects to your smartphone for more reasons than you’d think. Firstly, the app is here to coach you through getting the best brush, for the right amount of time, into the right areas and focusing on problems you’re looking to address.

The toothbrush knows exactly where you are brushing, will guide you when to move to the next quadrant, will send you back if you rushed an area, will inform you if you’re pushing too hard, and will ensure you get a clean that a dentist would approve of. When we were using the app we definitely found ourselves naturally spending less time on the left side (we’re right handed) than the right completely subconsciously. The app helped keep us in the right focus area, on schedule and doing a better job than we normally would have. The visualisations that you follow on the screen help keep you engaged and the only thing we now look for is an ideal spot to keep the phone resting while we brush. The prompts after a brush to floss, or use mouth wash, or clean your tongue may not always be met with an “ok I will do that now” but it will lift your game, the reminder really helps get you back into the habit.

With any battery powered product you’ll need to charge this toothbrush. The battery is built in and will last almost two weeks on a single charge, at home all you’ll need to do to charge it though is place it in the glass that accompanies the toothbrush. Yes, the toothbrush is charged by resting it in the Philips Sonicare glass cup (which has a base connected to power). It’s genius and it looks insanely sexy.

For when you travel we loved the case. Not because it has a leather feel to it but because we can charge the 9700 Series through a USB connection! One less adapter to pack, one less power wire to worry about, it worked in our iPhone charging block, it charged from our laptop and while it is a simple addition it is SO thoughtful.

At $469 RRP the Philips DiamondClean Smart 9700 Series has performed and displayed what a $469 toothbrush should do. We’re very impressed with this piece of dental hardware way beyond we thought possible. If you’d like to improve that whole mouth problem of hygiene, odour and obviously looks then this is going to be a better investment than any teeth whitening kit or toothpaste etc. Blaming your tools is always a common act in society today but with this toothbrush you won’t have that problem anymore.