Amabrush Review

Design, usability, clean & general use

Amabrush is really quite different to anything you may have seen or used before.

When I first came across Amabrush, I thought this is ridiculous. The whole concept seems too good to be true. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized this is a feasible and practical solution.

My thoughts and confidence in such a product have been reconfirmed having used 30 Second Smile, an electric toothbrush that brushes both the top and bottom row of teeth at the same time.

This is much more like a regular electric toothbrush, but it shaved 90 seconds off the brushing time and I don’t feel like I have missed out or that my oral health is worse as a result.

Knocking 110 seconds off each tooth brushing session seems like madness, and you can just imagine what most dentists would say.

It really is madder still when you think that not only are you reducing your brushing time by some 90% each session, but you actually end up with each tooth being brushed on average 8 times longer than they would be with a regular manual or electric toothbrush.

It doesn’t sound quite right until you really think about the way in which it is working, cleaning all surfaces of the teeth at the same time.

According to a tool Amabrush created, as a 30 year old who brushes for 2 minutes twice a day I could save some 51 days of my life, just by switching to Amabrush. 51 more days to do what I like…yes, please!

So, all looking good right, this is the biggest innovation in the oral healthcare space for years…?

Conceptually, yes.

In reality, no.

Let me explain in more detail why this is.

The initial unboxing experience is very positive.

A little larger than I expected, a white box is wrapped with a cardboard sleeve.

This sleeve has all the main information printed on it, the sort of standard stuff you would expect of an outer box for a product. A large photo, key specifications and features of the brush.

Being designed by a team of Austrians, the language on the packaging is mainly German. Not at all unsurprising, but I had suspected it may have been in English given the global appeal this product has received. No big issue though, it is what’s inside I am interested in.

With the sleeve removed the white box has a simple Amabrush logo on the front. A very clean, almost clinical look to the packaging.

You open the box right to left, like a book. It reveals 2 halves of the box. 2 white covers further protect what is inside. On each cover in the bottom corner is printed what you will expect to find beneath them.

On the left side is the accessories and on the right the handpiece and mouthpiece.

To reveal the items, there is a turquoise ribbon that you pull open.

It is a very smart, premium feeling unboxing experience.

The wireless charging station and toothpaste pods are individually boxed, on the left side, but sit within a plastic tray.

On the right side of the box is the handpiece and mouthpiece that sit in another plastic tray, covered by a piece of protective plastic film and polystyrene.

Also included is a safety instructions booklet, a quick start guide complete with a brief introduction letter from the team as well as a number of colored rings that fit to the mouthpiece.

So all unboxed you get:

• 1 x Mouthpiece
• 4 x Mouthpiece colored rings
• 1 x Handpiece
• 1 x Toothpaste capsules (x3)
• 1 x Wireless charging station
• 1 x MicroUSB power cable
• 1 x Safety instructions
• 1 x Quick start guide/welcome letter

So, no lies here, this initial unboxing was very pleasing and had me very excited for what was to follow.

The handpiece measures in at approximately 2.5 inches (7cm) tall and about 2.3 inches (6cm) wide.

I think it is best described as a slightly squashed egg/oval shape.

The bottom of the handpiece is flat, so it can stand perfectly upright on a tabletop.

The top of the handpiece is mostly flat too, giving a surface onto which the mouthpiece can attach.

The rest of the unit is rounded with a soft curvature to it.

No harsh square edges on the side and no rubber grips as such to grip onto, because it is not necessary.

The handpiece is made from plastic and is a slightly off-white color.

On the front are 2 rubber/silicone buttons that sit within a turquoise shield shaped panel.

Both buttons are rounded, with the upper toothpaste dispensing button being slightly larger.

The lower button is the power button.

Both have embossed icons on them to show what they do.

Not immediately obvious until you turn the unit on, is there is also an LED that sits below the power button. More on this shortly.

On the rear of the handpiece is a large recess into which the toothpaste pod fits. When fitted, this molds perfectly into the handle to give an almost seamless design and finish.

The pods are made of plastic but are transparent so you can see the paste inside. As the pod is fitted to the handle a small protuberance inside the handle fits into the pod to draw the paste into the pumping system.

These are supposed to slide in and out, as shown in the following video, but I found them a little stiff to remove.

Towards the very bottom of the handpiece on the back is the A of the Amabrush logo.

The base of the handpiece is flat, with no rubber grips or feet.

The top of the handpiece is again flat with the exception of a very small centrally placed, but small nozzle that is the feed for the toothpaste into the detachable mouthpiece.

Strong magnets allow for the mouthpiece to be held in place.

Align the mouthpiece with the handpiece and they snap together.

Whilst the mouthpiece can be moved when connected to the handpiece, it does not move too easily, giving enough resistance that it is not going to slide all over the place, but is not impossible to detach.

I am not sure of the exact construction, but the mouthpiece itself looks to have an inner plastic and metal frame to give strength and allows for the toothpaste pumping system or ‘micro-channels’ to exist.

The built-in micro-channels transport the toothpaste from the pod to your teeth, when the manual pump is activated.

That micro-channel system results in 8 small holes on either side of the mouthpiece through which the toothpaste is dispensed.

This is all wrapped in a white colored antibacterial silicone that kills 99.99% of all bacteria.

It can be cleansed by normal rinsing under the tap, as you would do it with regular toothbrushes, but you can go one stage further and use the optional UV santizier for extra peace of mind.

The mouthpiece is shaped somewhere between a U and a V to align to the 2 rows of teeth found in the mouth.

A term you might not be familiar with, but is well known in dental/medical circles is the Bass-Method. It is an approach for cleaning the teeth and along the gumline effectively.

The bristles of the mouthpiece are angled perfectly at 45 degrees to clean the teeth and gum.

On either side of the mouthpiece are 8 rows of bristles. 4 for the front of the teeth and 4 for the back of the teeth. Each row has different sized bristles. This is probably best visualized by taking a look at our hands-on images, but essentially you have 8 rows of bristles focused on each row of teeth.

The bristles are in Amabrush’s words, comparable to soft-bristled toothbrushes, to ensure the most comfortable, safest toothbrushing. They are indeed quite soft.

The mouthpiece has been designed to work for almost all individuals, whether you have your natural teeth, dentures, implants, wisdom teeth or braces.

With the mouthpiece attached to the handpiece you can go about using Amabrush.

Here is where things get interesting.

The mouthpiece is designed to be a 1 size fits all solution.

Now, I only have 1 mouthpiece available for this review, so I can’t get the opinion of others, but I don’t think this approach works.

I would not consider myself as having a small mouth, but I don’t think I have the largest mouth either.

Sadly fitting the mouthpiece into the mouth is quite difficult.

Despite having silicone bristles, the inner structure is fairly rigid and there is little flex in the mouthpiece, far less than I had imagined.

When putting it into the mouth it really stretches the cheeks and the depth means that the mouthpiece touched the very back of my mouth and applied pressure in a way it was almost uncomfortable.

If you have ever had the dentist take impressions of your teeth using the molding putty, the feeling and experience is quite similar in my opinion. It might even invoke a gagging sensation for you.

At times, the mouthpiece would move or lift slightly from the handpiece as I tried to place it in the mouth. The magnets always realigned it, but basically, the mouthpiece is liable to move if it is a tight fit.

After a few goes, I got more used to it. I still apply a bit of pressure to the mouthpiece sides to flex it a bit, to fit it into the mouth. It is still far from the most pleasant experience and I believe many with smaller mouths simply won’t be able to comfortably fit it within their mouth.

In the development phase of Amabrush, over 2,000 different people’s mouths to come to the conclusion that there is generally a relatively small variance in the size and overall shape of people’s mouths that they didn’t need to create different mouthpieces.

I can’t argue with the data, but this is surprising to me, given how I have felt using the mouthpiece.

It should be noted that Amabrush is not suitable for those aged 14 years or below.

Not that you ever look you most appealing when brushing your teeth, you do look quite strange with this big thing hanging out of your mouth.

You can use it hands free when in the mouth, the handpiece remains firmly attached to the mouthpiece thanks to the strong magnets.

To use the brush you will need to fit a toothpaste pod into the handpiece.

Supplied with the starter kit I am testing you get 1 pod of each of the 3 types of paste Amabrush make. I will explain more about each paste shortly.

This paste is pumped into the mouthpiece by pressing the top button on the handpiece.

Amabrush claims it will deliver the perfect amount each time. I found you needed to press it at least twice, if not three times to get some paste through and even then it appears to be a small amount.

You don’t need much, but the way it is delivered and the shape of the mouthpiece means it feels like the paste only ever reached the biting surfaces of my teeth. At no point, even during use, did I feel like the paste actually made its way up the front and back of my teeth, and into the interdental spaces.

I suspect many users would pump more and more to get more paste out, but not really be met with much better results and wasting paste in the process.

Ignoring the lack of paste coverage, it is now time to turn the handpiece on.

There are 3 modes, standard, power and massage.

Press the power button once to turn the brush on and launch the standard cleaning mode that lasts for 10 seconds.

This is the mode that drew everyone’s attention to Amabrush.

When activated this will show a blue light from the LED, but you won’t really see this, unless you stare down your nose, because it is almost entirely out of view when the mouthpiece is in the mouth.

This is the standard mode for everyday brushing.

Press the power button twice and you activate the power mode which lasts for 20 seconds and will show a violet light from the LED. You get the most bristle movements from this mode.

It is not documented how many times the bristles are supposed to move on each mode, but there is a noticeable power bump when selecting the power mode.

Press the power button three times and you activate the massage mode. This lasts for 20 seconds and will show a magenta light from the LED. This is more gentle on the teeth and gums.

The handpiece has a built-in timer. It automatically turns the handpiece off once each cleaning cycle has ended.

The handpiece does not remember which mode you used previously. This means that if your preference is the power mode, every time you use Amabrush you will need to press that power button twice.

I don’t understand why the ‘standard mode’ does not make use of the full power of the motor, I suspect this has something to do with battery life. I would have thought the shortest cleaning mode would have been the most powerful to try and deliver the best results?!

I am not entirely sure why this is the case either, but after pressing the power button, there is a 1 or 2 second delay before the motor kicks in. Not a massive issue, but it is not instant and when time saving is a selling feature of this brush, the delay seems to go against this.

When any of the cleaning modes, if you hold the handpiece in your hand, you can feel the difference between each of the modes. You can also feel this when the mouthpiece is in the mouth too.

Now this is where we get to the real problem with this mouthpiece/electric toothbrush.

The vibration of the motor does travel from the handpiece through to the bristles on the mouthpiece. You can feel it, and if you look closely at the bristles you can see them moving.

However, when in the mouth, for me I felt no cleaning sensation. I could feel the vibration through my teeth and jaw as the cleaning cycle ran, but after use on any of the modes available my teeth felt no cleaner than before I used it.

I did not get the tickling or brushing sensation I would have expected on the teeth or gums.

The movement of the bristles and the contact with the teeth is simply not good enough.

It does not actually clean the teeth, the very thing this is designed to do.

Add to this the way in which the paste is delivered and you don’t even get that toothpaste fresh sensation, just a very light taste of paste on the biting surfaces of some teeth.

Given that a toothbrush is designed to clean the mouth, this is extremely disappointing.

The actual unboxing experience, quality of materials and design etc are all very good, but the one most important job it has to do and it doesn’t do it.

My teeth feel clean every time after using a Sonicare or Oral-B electric toothbrush.

Even if I used Amabrush for 10 minutes I wouldn’t have had teeth that felt cleaner.

It is the physical motion of the bristles and brush heads on these trusted brands that appear to make the difference.

Amabrush have actually put together a tutorial video as to how you should use it properly.

I watched it repeatedly to make sure I was doing everything right.

I tried many times over several days to use it again, just in case, I was doing something wrong.

But no, I was doing everything right. After countless attempts, I concluded it simply does not clean the teeth.

This is not what you want from a toothbrush.

Normally, I would test a new toothbrush for several weeks, but Amabrush was put to one side after just a few days, I had to switch back to my trusty Oral-B, for the sake of my dental health. I am sure you understand.

I want to show you first hand how poor the cleaning action is.

The best way to do this I believe is by making use of a plaque disclosing tablet. You can see the results below.

As is clear there is a lot of plaque and debris (pink and purple color) left on the teeth and very minimal difference between the before and after images.

This is not the case when using a regular electric toothbrush.

There is no denying the motor in the handpiece is working, you can hear and feel the vibration, but the lack of physical connection, between the mouthpiece and the handpiece is the problem in my opinion.

I am not an engineer, but if there was a physical connection of some sort, I suspect that the cleaning experience may well be better.

The use of silicone bristles may also have a part to play.

Nylon bristles have been the go to option for many decades. Brushes like the Foreo ISSA 2 challenge this with silicone, but I have not been as impressed as I am with nylon.

The thinner bristles of nylon I believe help with the effectiveness when it comes to cleaning and this is why Y-Brush uses nylon instead of silicone.

I try to remain unbiased in any review I write, but this is a real shame. I wanted Amabrush to work, but there is absolutely no way I can suggest that you should use this product in its current state.

The initial concept put forward by Amabrush was that when the mouthpiece was placed in the mouth and bit into lighty, the silicone flexes to meet the contours and shape of that users teeth and gumline. This simply is not the case.

The bristles were meant to be soft enough to prevent gum damage but strong enough to clean your teeth precisely. The bristles were to move rapidly sweeping away plaque and debris on the teeth, along the gumline and as best as possible in between them too.

The bristles are soft and I think they are strong enough, but they don’t move enough to create any noticeable cleaning action.

Amabrush never set out or claimed to make this better than a regular manual or even other electric toothbrushes. Their view is that a toothbrush is a tool. And tools are only as good as the person using it. The key thing is that many people use the toothbrush the wrong way, or even worse, are not using them at all.

Brushing teeth is a job where you really should apply concentration to deliver the right technique. Electric toothbrushes, for example, are designed to simply be moved from tooth to tooth. The brush does the movement of the bristles and the cleaning for you, but many people will brush erratically and with no pattern with both manual and electric.

Amabrush was designed to make toothbrushing less annoying. Some people hate toothbrushing so much, that they don’t concentrate when brushing, don’t brush for long enough or not at all.

For those with a disability, it may not even be possible to brush at all.

Amabrush have the goal of delivering the right toothbrushing technique for everyone and automatically.

As I have discovered that goal has yet to really be realized.

It’s not all doom and gloom, there are some good elements, however, but these are coupled with a few more negatives too.

Battery life is very good and recharging the battery is fairly simple.

You can potentially go months between charges and when it needs charging you sit it in the wireless charging stand to replenish the battery. Power connects to the stand, rather than the handpiece itself. More on both of these in the ‘battery life’ section of the review.

A number of accessories were announced as part of the initial crowdfunding campaign. A few alterations have been made, but these have yet to materialize.

To be fair, Amabrush have been quite open that the accessories would arrive after the main handpiece and mouthpiece. Given that Amarbush was delayed by a year, it is no surprise that these will follow in the coming months.

Therefore as of December 2018 when I write this I am unable to make any significant comment on these based on my own hands-on time.

If I were in Amabrush shoes I think I would have shipped the handpiece before accessories, but things like the travel case can to some degree alter the opinion of the final product.

Just what accessories are on offer?

• Antimicrobial mouthpiece
• Toothpaste pods
• Wireless charging station
• Mouthpiece holder
• Wireless charging travel case
• UV sanitizing station

Antimicrobial mouthpiece (AM-AM01) – $13 CA/$9.99 US

Identical to the one supplied in the box, this can be purchased as a spare, replacement to or as an additional mouthpiece for another user.

There is only 1 size and shape.

Unlike more traditional nylon bristled brushes, silicone bristled brushes tend not to need replacement so often. On average the recommendation is every 6-12 months. However, Amabrush still recommends being every 3 months.

Fitting is simple. Detach the current mouthpiece by pulling it apart from the handpiece. Held in place by magnets, the new mouthpiece can be held just in front of the handpiece and the magnets will pull the two together and secure them in place.

Toothpaste pods (AM-TP01) – $13 CA/$9.99 US

A pack of 3 pods, you can choose from 3 flavors.

These are Extra Fresh (Blue), Pearly White (White) and Silky Mild (Pink).

When you buy Amabrush you get 1 of each, but there is no option to purchase a mixed pack as an accessory.

A single capsule lasts for more than a month according to Amabrush. However, as explained earlier in the review the dispensing is questionable and I believe in reality, at best you will get 3 weeks, but in most cases, 2 weeks use from each pod.

The toothpaste is specially formulated as it needs to be more liquid than regular toothpaste.

Traditional toothpaste should not be applied directly into the mouthpiece either.

Based on this, these replacement pods work out quite expensive, when you consider a normal tube of toothpaste will cost around $4-8 and last for about 3 months.

The Extra Fresh and Pearly White toothpaste contain 1085 ppm fluoride. The Silky Mild paste is fluoride free and all are vegan.

As I understand it, the ingredients of each toothpaste are as follows.

• Extra-Fresh
  • Aqua, Sorbitol, Hydrated Silica, Propylene Glycol, Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Xanthan Gum, Aroma, Alumina, Sodium Fluoride, Sodium Saccharin, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Sodium Methylparaben, Commiphora Myrrha Resin Extract, Limonene, CI 42090, CI 47005, CI 77891
• Pearly White
  • Aqua, Hydrated Silica, Sorbitol, Pentasodium Triphosphate, Propylene Glycol, Urea, PEG-32, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Aroma, Xanthan Gum, PVP, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Fluoride, Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Methylparaben, Limonene
• Silky Mild
  • Aqua, Sorbitol, Hydrated Silica, Strontium Acetate, Glycerin, Potassium Citrate, Propylene Glycol, Aroma, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Chloride, Sodium Saccharin, Limonene, CI 77891

The Relative Dentin Abrasivity (RDA) scores for each are as follows:

• Extra Fresh – 70-80
• Pearly White – 90-100
• Silky Mild – 40-50

The pastes are said to come in recyclable plastic pods, but it is not clear what type of plastic they are made from and if your local recycling will accept them.

Mouthpiece holder – $13 CA/$9.99 US

Providing a home for the Amabrush handpiece and up to 2 mouthpieces, this molded piece of plastic fits around the wireless charging station that is provided with the Amabrush.

To the left side of the holder is a circular cutout, where the wireless charger sits and then to the right is a place for 2 mouthpieces to rest.

The mouthpieces rest with the magnetic base facing upwards.

Wireless charging travel case – $52 CA/$39.99 US

Not supplied as standard, this travel case can be purchased to offer a convenient option for transporting Amabrush on the move.

It holds 1 handpiece, up to 2 mouthpieces and 2 toothpaste pods.
It boasts integrated charging facilities. This means that you can charge the handpiece whilst it is in the case.

To do this, you must connect the power cable (supplied with Amabrush) to the travel case and to mains power.

Finished with a premium fabric texture, a magnetic closing mechanism keeps the case securely closed.

The travel case is dirt- and water resistant.

UV sanitizing station – $65 CA/$49.99 US

For those really worried about bacteria then this sanitizing station is an optional accessory that can give you the peace of mind you desire.

Measuring approximately 4.3 x 4.3 x 4.3 inches (11 x 11 x 11cm), 2 mouthpieces can be placed inside this unit at any one time.

Using the microUSB power adapter that came with Amabrush the station requires power to function.

With a second USB attachment, the power can be passed through to the wireless charging station.

The UV light is activated once the lid is closed and switches off automatically after the sanitization cycle.

Whether you classify it as an accessory or not, an extra feature that Amabrush was to have was a smartphone app so that you could manage your handpiece as well as receive and apply updates to.

The handpiece has Bluetooth (2.4GHz BLE) built-in and this wireless connection allows the handpiece and the smartphone app to communicate.

The idea is the same as that seen with the Oral-B Genius Pro 8000 and the Sonicare DiamondClean Smart.

The app is at the time of review not as comprehensive as the Oral-B and Sonicare equivalents, but what is on offer is pretty good.

Before using the app, you need to create an account. This is nice and straightforward, with on-screen guidance.

Once complete, you can now connect Amabrush to the app.

Enable Bluetooth on your smartphone and press the power button for 3 seconds, until the LED flashes a dark blue. Then press the connect button on-screen.

The app should automatically connect to the handpiece, update and you can now manage Amabrush.

You are presented with 4 main options in the center of the screen as well as 5 that run along the bottom (in a turquoise bar).

These options and what they do are as follows.

• Modes
  • Offers granular control of the cleaning modes available on Amabrush
  • Edit the existing modes or add your own.
  • Ability to change the LED color
  • Ability to change the name of the mode
  • Ability to change the power as a percentage (%) – Lowest is 30% with highest being 100%
  • Ability to change the cleaning duration to intervals of 10 seconds, between 10 and 60 seconds
  • Ability to change the order of the modes to your liking
  • Ability to reset modes to the default settings
• Firmware update
  • Update the handpiece as and when new software is available
• Battery status
  • Shows as a percentage (%) how much power remains in the battery
• Disconnect
  • Stops the connection between the app and Amabrush handpiece

And the 5 icons in the turquoise bar.

• Home
  • The main screen with the 4 icons above.
• Blog
  • A feed of the latest blog posts from the Amabrush website
• Hello/Account
  • Your account page. Log out from here, reset your password and join the Amabrush newsletter.
• Shop
  • Their online store for buying accessories.
• i/About
  • Information about the app and the Amabrush company

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It is worth knowing that Amabrush cannot be used as a toothbrush when connected to the app. The Bluetooth connection is ended if you then power Amabrush on.

Sonicare and Oral-B offer more functionality in their apps, notably a history feature which is essentially a record of when, how well and how often you are brushing.

For this reason, their apps are ‘better’ but no doubt in time such enhancements will come to the Amabrush app. For now, the features are great, I particularly like the granular control of cleaning modes.

A small but neat in box addition is the inclusion of 4 colored plastic rings. A grey, blue, pink and white colored ring is provided.

These actually snap onto the base of the mouthpiece and are intended to be used to allow you to differentiate your mouthpiece to that of somebody else in your home.

Just like Oral-B’s colored rings, it means the handpiece can be shared but each user knows, by remembering a color which mouthpiece is theirs. This is one way to get more value from Amabrush.

One of the useful features I promote on some brushes is the pressure sensor.
Amabrush does not have one, but it doesn’t need one.

The way in which the brush is designed, it is not possible for too much pressure to be applied so there is no risk of damage from incorrect brushing force being applied to the teeth or gums.

Many electric toothbrushes are water resistant, Amabrush is no exception.
The battery and motor are sealed inside the handpiece and should be protected from moisture.

IP45 rated, the handpiece will withstand water splashes, but should not be immersed in water. I would not advise using it when in the shower, if you normally like to do this.

The same LED on the front of the unit that shows what cleaning mode is active also has a few other LED patterns programmed to alert you to the status.

• Blue (pulsing glow) – Waiting for Bluetooth connection.
• Blue (constant glow) – Bluetooth connection established.
• White (pulsing glow) – Amabrush is charging.
• White (constant glow) – The Amabrush is fully charged.
• Red – Error
• Turquoise (constant glow) – Standard brushing mode.
• Magenta (constant glow) – Massage brushing mode.
• Violet (constant glow) – Power brushing mode.

The brush comes with a 1 year warranty as standard, which is not fantastic, it would be nice if it was 2 years.

When it comes to daily use then, on the whole, the experience is not great.

The product looks and feels the part, it just does not deliver on the most important aspect, cleaning the teeth.

Amabrush claims to have worked closely with dentists and dental universities during the design to address two concerns: clean teeth and no gum damage.

I wish not to discredit those involved, but my experience says they have failed when it comes to clean teeth. This is such a shame and I do wonder why they shipped it in this state?!

Have I got a faulty unit? Is my mouth not compatible?! Based on feedback from other backers of Amabrush, I don’t think I am alone with the conclusions I draw.