Can you put a price tag on a perfect smile? Well, Dyson has given it a shot with its latest invention – an AI–powered toothbrush that costs a jaw–dropping £420.
While the British firm is best known for its high–end vacuum cleaners, it has increasingly been branching out into personal care products, launching hair dryers, hair straighteners, hand–held fans and air purifiers.
The Dyson CameraJet is the latest move into the market. It is described as an 'entirely new way to clean your teeth', and features a built–in camera that uses AI to spot tiny gaps between your teeth.
Once a gap has been identified, a precision jet of mouth rinse is triggered, with Dyson claiming this helps to clean the hard–to–reach spots across your entire mouth, in a similar way to flossing.
According to the firm, the toothbrush removes up to 69 per cent more plaque than market–leading premium electric toothbrushes.
Sir James Dyson, the company's founder and chief engineer, said: 'Our research has shown that people consistently miss the areas where plaque forms: the gaps between teeth. We wanted to solve three fundamental problems: how to see those gaps, remove plaque and how to improve cleaning performance while brushing.
'By combining a camera, machine learning, precision fluid dynamics, advanced brushing technologies, connectivity and wifi, Dyson CameraJet introduces an entirely new way to keep your mouth healthy.'
While some may baulk at paying £420 for a toothbrush, it isn't the first time the firm has raised eyebrows with its pricing, coming after the launch of its £820 headphones with a strange air purification system.
To make flossing easier, Dyson decided to incorporate both a camera and a water jet into its toothbrush
Once a gap has been identified, a precision jet of mouth rinse is then triggered, helping to clean the hard–to–reach spots
While most dentists recommend flossing your teeth on a daily basis, research has shown that only 10 per cent of Britons do this in practice.
To make flossing easier, Dyson decided to create its own toothbrush – a process that took 661 engineers six years to complete!
The toothbrush's camera uses AI to scan 28 live images per second as you brush your teeth.
When a gap is spotted, a conical jet is triggered almost immediately – within 0.1 seconds, to be precise – spraying mouth rinse into the hole.
This might sound similar to a traditional water flosser.
However, Dyson explains that most water flossers use needle–type jets, which struggle to budge stubborn plaques.
'When tested on Dyson's proxy plaque, this type of jet pierced a hole through the plaque, but failed to overcome its stickiness and remove it all,' it explained.
'In contrast, Dyson's conical jet uses a unique broad conical shaped spray. Its wider coverage sweeps and removes plaque at once, while being optimised at a lower pressure to be gentler on gums and enamel.'
When a gap is spotted, a conical jet is triggered almost immediately – within 0.1 seconds, to be precise – spraying mouth rinse into the hole
The £419.99 price–tag includes the toothbrush, charging dock, travel case, Dyson Toothpaste, and Dyson Mouthrinse
The Dyson CameraJet: Key specs
: Conical jet that sweeps and removes plaque at once
Brush head: Dual brush head with firmer inner bristles and softer outer bristles
: Wi–Fi connected at 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connected
: Ceramic Ultra Blue and Ceramic Pink
: £419.99 for the toothbrush, charging dock, travel case, Dyson Toothpaste, and Dyson Mouthrinse
: 1 September in Dyson Demo Stores and selected retailers
If you're feeling curious, you can select the live–viewing option, which shows you a livestream of the inside of your mouth, via the MyDyson app.
On the app, you can also access guided cleaning, how–to films, brushing and flossing insights, coverage mapping and personalised feedback.
The mouth rinse is stored in an 'anti–gravity tank', which blasts out an uninterrupted jet as the toothbrush is held at any angle.
Dyson said: 'Dyson's anti–gravity tank is engineered to eliminate air pockets and prevent the device from firing blanks.
'This is especially important when cleaning the back of the teeth, where the device is often horizontal.'
When the mouth rinse starts to run low, the toothbrush will automatically refill when placed on the docking station, which also doubles up as a charger.
In terms of the brush head itself, Dyson used a dual–bristle design, with two distinct bristle types.
In terms of the brush head itself, Dyson decided to use a dual–bristle design, with two distinct bristle types
The toothbrush goes on sale today at selected retailers, and is available in two colourways – Ceramic Ultra Blue, and Ceramic Pink
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Dyson added: 'Each brush head is equipped with its own RFID tag, identifying when it is connected, how many cleans it has completed, and alerting users when it is time to replace. When a new brush head is attached, the cycle starts again.'
Alongside the toothbrush itself, Dyson has created a toothpaste and a mouthrinse, which are available in two flavours – Ginger Mint and Spearmint.
The toothbrush goes on sale today at selected retailers, and is available in two colourways – Ceramic Ultra Blue, and Ceramic Pink.
The £419.99 price tag includes the toothbrush, charging dock, travel case, Dyson Toothpaste and Dyson Mouthrinse.
Pricing on replacement brush heads is not known, although the Daily Mail has reached out to Dyson for clarification.