30 Second Smile Review

Design, usability, clean & general use

Unique, scary, daunting, why and really are all words that people have remarked the moment I showed them the 30 Second Smile electric toothbrush.

It is unlike anything that most have seen before and it takes a few moments to really get mind around the concept and how it works.

You know how with a regular manual or electric toothbrush you brush the front, back and then the chewing surface of the teeth? With 30 Second Smile, you clean all 3 at the same time!

Once you do, you realise how impressive and practical it is.

When you come to use it, you also realise how poorly you have been cleaning your teeth, but more on that shortly.

Take a good look at the images throughout this review to help understand and picture what the 30 Second Smile brush is all about.

As I intimated in the intro to this review I was sceptical from the moment I became aware of it, but I feel I should eat humble pie as whilst it is certainly unique, you should not judge a book by it’s cover as the old saying goes, particularly when this is clinically backed.

Talking of covers, the brush comes fairly simply packaged and whilst it is perfectly practical it lacks a few of the impressive design touches of the big brands. It has the key information on the box, but it doesn’t grab your attention quite like others do.

But, packaging is not as important as the brush itself.

Round/cylindrical shaped handles have been the trend for some time, but the handle of the 30 Second Smile (30SS) is different.  It’s a slightly odd shape.  It has a bit of an elliptical shape to it when looked at side on, but the font, back and sides are a flatter in profile.

The colour and design is quite striking.  The body is made from a gloss White plastic, with 2 Black rubber strips that run down the side of the brush handles.

This is the only colour option for the brush, there is not the choice like there is with Oral-B’s Genius Pro 8000 or Sonicare DiamondClean Smart for example.

The front and back of the handle look very similar with a 30SS logo placed in the upper third of the handle.

There is then a large concave Black rubber grip in the middle of the handle, which is the point at which you hold the brush.

Below this, on the back of the handle, is a strip of Black rubber that has ridges for grip.

On the front are 3 LED’s that illuminate Blue.

2 are indicators of the speed of the brush when switched on, the 3rd is the battery status icon.  Appropriate labels are shown below these LED’s.

On the front side of the brush handle still is a smaller raised Black rubber button, this is the power button.

On the base of the brush is a recess into which the prong on the charging stand fits.

The brush does stand up, but either tilts slightly forward or back, depending on which way you position it.  The base of the brush is not perfectly flat, meaning it has this slight tilt.

At the top of the brush handle are 2 metal prongs.  These are the shafts that connect to the motor, sealed inside the brush handle.  The detachable brush heads connect to these, more on that shortly.

Overall the handle is satisfyingly chunky and feels solid in hand.  You can get a good grip on it, it is not slippy.

The quality of the materials is fairly good.  The design and finish of the handles from premium brands is better in my opinion, but this is far from a make or break issue with this brush.

As you will see from the pictures, what makes the brush so unique becomes really apparent when you look at the brush heads.  It is this setup that is essentially the magic of this brush.

You attach not 1, but 2 heads to the handle of the brush.  Each clips onto one of the metal prongs.  The heads sit back to back.

The brush should not be used with only one part of the brush head fitted.

You hear a little click as the head clips on and to release you press the 2 buttons on the base of the brush head and lift it off the prong.

You may notice one head sits higher or lower than the other, this is correct.

The bristles are formed in almost a triangular formation.  Your teeth fit into these bristle formations as you bite down onto the brush head.

One head focuses on the top row of teeth and the other the bottom.

Longer bristles reach down the tooth and onto the gumline as the bristles cup round the tooth.  

Shorter bristles in the heart of the brush head clean the tops of the teeth.

You can’t use quite the same recommended cleaning technique when using this brush, more on how to use the brush in a moment.  But, the bristles are angled perfectly at 45 degrees, the recommended angle at which you should brush the front and back of your teeth.

There are a range of different brush heads available from 30SS, each helps different users with different needs.  Each pack comes with the 2 attachments required for the brush to work correctly.

The different styles of brush head are:

• Standard soft – The regular brush head
• Extra soft – The regular head with softer bristles
• Extra reach standard soft – An extra row of bristles ideal for those with longer teeth
• Adults extra small and extra soft – Suited to those with a small mouth or unable to open wide
• Kids soft – Smaller heads with soft bristles for the younger generation
• Teens Ortho – A bristle formation to clean the teeth and around the brackets and fittings of braces
• Ortho – A bristle formation to clean the teeth and around the brackets and fittings of braces

Please be aware, that despite the different name the Teens Ortho and Ortho brush heads are the same as the Kids Soft and Adult Extra Small and Extra Soft.  So despite listing 7 different head styles, the reality is that there are only 5.

The variant on test here comes with 1 set of extra soft and 1 set of extra reach standard soft brush heads.

Included in the pack are a series of coloured stickers.  These can be stuck on the body of the head to help differentiate the heads from another family member.  It’s a nice little touch, but feels a slightly cheap approach.  Oral-B’s coloured ring is a better implementation.

Just like a normal brush head or manual toothbrush, you should replace the heads on the 30SS on average every 3 month’s.  The Blue or Red bristles found on the brush heads do not fade over time as they do with Oral-B and Sonicare heads.

Using the 30SS toothbrush is quite weird and it takes a bit of getting used too.  It is an odd sensation and way to clean your teeth, but after a few days I got used to it and enjoyed it.

You probably want to start by brushing in front of a mirror and be prepared to dribble a bit, I did, as I got used to how open/closed my mouth should be and how to handle the brush.

It does look too large to fit comfortably in the mouth, but I had no issues at all.  I could get it right to the back of my mouth and it felt like I was doing a better job of cleaning those back teeth too.

Whilst you have to bite down into the brush heads, you need only do lightly.  Within a few seconds you can find the right pressure and you will feel the brush glide with relative ease over the tooth surface.

During brushing, whilst I found the approach odd as I got used to it, it was not uncomfortable.

The same can be said of others who tried it.  Once they did they were like WOW.

Now I wish not to suggest I have the perfect brushing technique, but I would say it was better than average.  Despite this, from the first clean I could feel the brush cleaning areas of my mouth better than other brushes, most likely because I have not been doing a good job of getting my brush into the right positions.

I had not expected to feel quite such an immediate impact, but I did.

What I could feel and also appreciate most was the angle of the bristles, I could feel them reaching onto and under the gumline.  

My teeth are fairly straight and there is enough play in the head and bristles to accommodate many different teeth and mouth types, but if you have particularly irregular or misaligned teeth it may not work as well.

For those with dexterity issues, this brush could be really good as the amount of movement you need to make it limited really.

The correct technique on how to use 30SS is best explained in their manual, which comes provided.  Well worded and easy to follow it is one of the nicer brush manuals I have seen.

Take a look at the following video to understand how you should use the brush.

How Does it Work: The 30 Second Smile Electric Toothbrush

The brush has 2 power/speed settings available.

Speed 1 or Gentle works at 850-900 strokes per minute whilst speed 2 or Intense operates at 1,100-1,200 movements per minute.

This is a lot less than the 30,000 odd commonly promoted by Sonicare.

Whether it is to your preference or not, the 30SS cleaning speeds mimic the BASS brushing technique taught in dental schools across the world.

My personal preference was for the higher speed, but I am used to the high power Oral-B Genius Pro 8000 electric toothbrush.

Whilst I could certainly feel the 30SS cleaning areas of my mouth more effectively than I had been, I still personally feel like I get an overall better clean from the Oral-B brush.  It feels more punchy and my mouth more refreshed after each clean.

However, this is possibly because of the power of the handle and head, and is more of a placebo than a clinically accurate representation.

To power the brush on you press the power button once and it launches the lower speed cleaning mode.  Press it again and it moves to speed 2.  Press it once more and the brush turns off.

Built into the brush is a timer, it activates at 15 second intervals.

Normally, a pacer kicks in at 30 seconds, but because the way this brush cleans, the whole clean only lasts 30 seconds.

Where once the mouth was broken up into quadrants, with the 30SS you do it by halves.  Brush the right and then the left side of the mouth.

If brushing on speed 1, the brush speed increases slightly for about 1 second at 15 second intervals, whilst when on speed 2, the brush head speed decreases.  You can see and hear this difference in speed.

Unlike Sonicare models this brush does not automatically power itself off and does continue to run for as long as you want.  You turn it off when you are ready.

Whether this is a good or bad thing, I found myself brushing for at least 45 seconds, if not a minute as there is something so appealing about brushing with this.

Dental professionals recommend cleaning your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes, generally speaking that is the advice worldwide.

However, the reality is that few actually brush for this time.  

Different studies conclude different results but in one, the average brushing time was just 37 seconds.

This is far from sufficient time to clean the teeth effectively and it is in part why 30SS was designed.

30SS can cover 3 times the surfaces of a regular brush, so even if the brushing time is 37 seconds, more of the teeth will be cleaned.

Your dentist would unlikely suggest it is possible to clean your teeth effectively in 30 seconds, but it is possible.

New approaches like the one 30SS takes can be questioned clinically, so what makes this brush particularly special is that at least 1 clinical study has been conducted with it.

Now, this might not be the most in depth study, but it is a step in the right direction and confirms the benefits and confirms this is not just a gimmick.

The aim of the study,  completed in 2015 by J Kobi Stern et al was to see if you can improve gum health in less time when brushing.

The short answer is Yes, you can.

The study found, using the Hydrabrush/30 Second Smile toothbrush twice daily for only 30 seconds, can be equally effective as a conventional electric toothbrush used twice daily for 2 minutes, in improving gingival health over time.

The results were not such that the world of dentistry is going to change overnight, but the results were good enough to suggest that as part of a good oral healthcare routine the 30SS is not inferior and can be considered as an effective tool.

If you are one of those that don’t or barely brush because you simply don’t rate it as important, or are always short of time, could just 30 seconds with the 30SS brush be the answer?!

To make it an even more effective tool in my mind would be to include a pressure sensor.  

Whilst the approach is different, it would be great if there was some sort of system to better alert users to the best pressure/bite when cleaning.  

The lower speed of the motor in comparison to many other brushes means it will do less damage than too hard a brushing would in most other circumstances,

Unlike some new models from other brands there are no smart features such as Bluetooth connectivity, brush head reminders or customisable LED lights.

30SS is focused on delivering a good and effective clean with the innovation being in the approach rather than other features.

Supplied with this brush, is a brush head stand and charging station.

Larger than just a basic charging stand, but kept as compact as it can be the unit has spaces for 2 brush heads to be stored within it.  There are 2 slots on the right and left side, and then an opaque lid that closes over the top to protect against, dust, dirt and debris.

Centrally positioned, but not enclosed within the lidded compartment is the charging stand in which the 30SS brush handle fits.  It mounts either way around and shines a Blue LED from the handle when docked and connected to power.

Running from the dock is a power cable of about 1 meter in length that connects to the power socket.  This is a US toothbrush with 2 pin plug, but supports 100-240v.  This means you just need an adapter to connect it to other mains power outlets around the world and not a voltage adapter.

Plastic in construction the unit is lightweight and has 3 rubber feet on the bottom of it.

Also supplied in the box is a plastic tongue scraper.  Basic, it does the job and is a nice addition, particularly as many do not understand the importance of cleaning the tongue.  

Also included is a travel pouch.

It looks like an oversized plastic and clear pencil case.  It does nothing more than provide a place to store the handle and the heads together.

I would strongly advise picking up the optional hard travel case which is more robust and more functional, protecting against accidental activation and possible brush head damage.

Another optional accessory is a UV Sanitiser.  It is similar to the supplied charging unit, the difference being the compartment that the brush head sits in has a solid lid and UV bulb inside.  When the button is pressed a UV cycle is run to clean the bacteria and germs off the brush head.

The handle is sealed and should resist water, toothpaste and saliva just fine, but 30SS do not advise using in the shower.  A quick rinse under the tap to wash off any much should be fine, but worth towel drying to avoid prolonged exposure to moisture.

Built into the handle is, of course, the battery, the power source the heads and keeps this brush going for a couple of weeks.  It is a Nickel Metal Hydride battery as opposed to the more common Lithium, but more on that in the battery section of the review.

As you might expect, the brush is warranted against any issue that might occur within the first 2 years of ownership.  Full details of this warranty are available here, as are details of their 60 day money back guarantee, which is a nice touch.  That said, for international customers, it might not be economically viable to make use of this.

Also good, is the $5 credit you get if you register your brush with 30SS, which you can use against replacement brush heads.

The brush is just so different, it’s one of a kind and deserves more attention publicly, for the benefits it brings.  

Parents who struggle to get their kids to brush their teeth at all could find solace in 30SS.

More head to head testing is needed with other brands, particularly in a clinical trial setting.

You don’t need to switch unless you buy into the benefits or you think it will help you brush better or for longer,  but for many reasons, many will stick with their tried and tested brushes and I can understand this.