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Burst Toothbrush Review

Burst Sonic Toothbrush Review [USA]

This video is based on the subscription plan for the USA. Although the pricing is different, the general message is similar.

One of a select few of subscription brushes

5 Star Rating

The Burst Sonic is a great electric toothbrush that cleans the teeth well, even if I haven’t been won over by the charcoal bristles.

Clinically proven, the brush has many likeable features from the design to the battery life. It is a solid choice as a toothbrush for use every day.

Pros

  • Subscription service
  • Long battery life
  • USB charging stand
  • Lifetime warranty
  • Clinically proven

Cons

  • Charcoal bristles
  • No pressure sensor
  • No travel case
  • Subscription price

Burst’s sonic toothbrush be purchased direct from www.burstorlacare.co.uk. The toothbrush is not sold in stores or through any other online retailer at this time.

Some other options to consider

Alternatives depend on whether or not you would like the subscription model for your electric toothbrush or more specifically, brush heads.

A subscription free option is the Oral-B Pro 3 3500.

It doesn’t offer the same battery life or choice of cleaning modes as the Burst Sonic. But, it is a better value option, has a visible pressure sensor and the backing of one of the largest brands within the personal healthcare space.

If you like the idea of a subscription model, with regular brush head deliveries to your door, then your best alternative is the Ordo Sonic+ which is our choice for best subscription toothbrush.

The Sonic+ is very similar to the Burst Sonic, with little to choose between them. The benefit is that Ordo are a UK based company. This makes it easier to source replacement brush heads. They are too better value.

Preview Product Rating Price
Oral-B Pro 3 - 3500 Oral-B Pro 3 - 3500 No ratings yet £100.00 £34.99

Design, usability, clean & general use

Burst is delivered to you in a fairly simple looking brown cardboard box, with little more than the Burst logo on the front of it.

Open it up to reveal the brush and accessories neatly laid out inside.

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I like the fact that the box is recyclable and there are limited plastics to get rid of upon receipt of the product.

It is here you could suggest that more time has been spent on the brush and how it performs rather than the packaging.

Available in 3 different colours (black, white, rose gold), it is the black colour handle that I have.

What is nice to see is that all the accessories match.

With some of the competition, you may get a black brush handle, but white accessories. It is nice to see the consistency.

There is nothing revolutionary about the design of the brush, it has a fairly conventional look.

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Tall and relatively slim, it feels comfortable in hand.

Depending on the models, Oral-B brushes tend to have a rubber strip on the front and raised plastic ridges on the back of the handle for grip, whilst Sonicare brushes tend to be finished in a fairly smooth touch plastic, but whatever the coating is, it provides just enough resistance to keep the brush in hand.

This sonic brush from Burst is much the same, but the lower half of the brush handle has this diamond shaped texturing to the body which creates a whole series of ridges which makes the brush easy to hold onto, even when wet. It looks quite classy too.

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In both black and white the brush looks fairly minimalistic without lots of bits and pieces that scream look at me.

The back and sides are free from buttons, controls or any noteworthy features.

On the front, you have the circular power button on the upper half of the handle.

The black button on the black body is almost lost, it certainly doesn’t stand out. Only in certain lights will you catch the smiley face that is printed on the button.

There is a good resistance to the button. Not too firm, but not too soft.

Below the power button are 4 further icons running down the handle.

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3 of these icons are for the built-in cleaning modes. They light up with a white light when that mode is selected.

I am not sure why icons are used. It is not immediately obvious what each are. Just have the name of the mode, like Sonicare do.

The 4th and final icon is a + sign that lights up red, when the brush is being charged. This is the battery indicator.

4 weeks battery life is available from the battery, from just 1 hour on charge.

This icon will also flash red for a few seconds at the end of the cleaning cycle, if the remaining battery power is below 20%.

On the base of the handle is a recess into which fits the protuberance on the charging stand. This is how the inductive charge is delivered through the built-in battery. This is the most common setup for electric toothbrushes.

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It is here on the base of the brush where it feels cheapest. A gloss black panel forms the base and is part of the seal to all the electronics inside. It just looks and feels a little lower grade than the rest of the handle.

All of the electronics are sealed inside the brush handle. The toothbrush is water resistant and can be used in the shower if you so wish.

Whilst you don’t want to pretend your toothbrush is a submarine whilst in the bath, the splashes of water and rinse under the tap or shower are no issue for the brush.

Extending from the top of the brush handle is a metal shaft. This is connected to the motor inside the handle and is what the brush head connects to.

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4 brush heads are provided in the box with the Burst Sonic.

They are a colour matched and unlike most brushes that tend to have white, blue, green or yellow bristles, here they are black.

The bristles are black on all colour variants of the Burst sonic toothbrush.

The reason for this is because they are coated in binchotan charcoal.

Sourced from the hills of Wakyama, Japan, this charcoal is safe for use in your mouth and is added to the bristles to help with the removal of bacteria.

Activated charcoal has been around in medicines and healthcare for many years, but in the last few years there has been a resurgence and many products now include it.

Having extensively researched the use of activated charcoal within oral healthcare products I personally think it is a bit of a phase or ‘fad’ and the demand for such will drop off.  The reality of the situation is, the science proves the benefits are limited and the small amount on the bristles of the Burst brush head, is very unlikely to have any noticeable positive effect, for most people.  Most dental professionals would not advise the use of charcoal.

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Essentially, what I am saying here is traditional nylon bristles without charcoal as effective as charcoal infused ones.

On the subject of bristles, the Burst brush head has bristles of varying lengths and feels relatively soft to the touch and on first use in the mouth.

However, I did notice a slight stabbing into the gumline when brushing. This was not some intensely painful stabbing, but noticeable. After a while you can forget about it as you get used to it.  I figured it might be because of the varying bristle length.

Having dug a little deeper, it turns out Burst uses polybutylene telephthalate (PBT) bristles rather than the more common nylon. Burst are open about this but according to Kweon Young Jun a successful patent applicant, PBT bristles “are better than nylon for toothbrush bristles in that they are cheaper, more durable, and less water-absorbent. However, PBT and PET are too stiff and inflexible, and thus, not soft. As such, since it appears that toothbrush bristles made from PBT or PET damage the gums, PBT or PET usually have been used only in inexpensive disposable toothbrushes, or in combination with nylon-made bristles, as a way to reduce the cost.

Kweon goes onto explain the complications in the tips of bristles and essentially confirms my thoughts that the slight stabbing sensation into the gums was not my imagination and in reality, it is because a cheaper grade of bristle material is being used and the tips of those bristles are not likely rounded as they tend to be on the bristles of those brush heads from leading brands.

What impact this has on the teeth and gums long term, I do not know, but I don’t think they will do any damage! Surely they can’t with so many professionals recommending them.

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Sunk within the brush head is an X shaped element. This is the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) constructed tooth polisher that Burst says will help remove surface stains on the teeth.

I am no scientist or have data to confirm, but I am not sure this is large enough to have much impact on the tooth surface.

It may seem like I am making a bigger deal of the brush head than is necessary and I am certainly not calling these things out as big issues, but I do feel it is worth knowing the situation.

The bristle type and tooth polisher is not a make or break issue for Burst. I would just like them to add a more conventional brush head, even if it was a couple more dollars as a result.

The actual brush head size is more closely matched to that of a Sonicare brush head, rather than the small round Oral-B style head.

This, in turn, means the head covers a larger surface area and combined with the varying bristle lengths should help clean not only the tooth surfaces, but the interdental spaces too.

In actual day to day use, I felt the clean was pretty good and very similar to any Sonicare electric toothbrush.

There is no reason for me to believe Burst was doing a bad job of cleaning the teeth, it certainly managed to remove the plaque build-up I had.

Clinical studies have proven how well Burst actually cleans, which is reassuring.

Headline statistics from the studies show that Burst has 10x greater plaque removal than a manual toothbrush, reduces bleeding gums by up to 3x after 15 days and is proven to improve the health of the gums.

I personally prefer the cleaning sensation of Oral-B, but would happily use Burst on a daily basis.

A handy little addition on the back of the brush head are a series of raised dots (complete with the Burst smiley face – I like this). This is a tongue cleaner. Pass this over the tongue or over the inside cheeks to help remove more bacteria from the mouth.

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You might like to know that it is perfectly fine to use Burst with braces too. No special brush head is required.

The brush heads are designed to be replaced every 3 months on average. Most subscription programmes deliver the heads at 3 monthly intervals. The new delivery is your cue to replace the head.

This is exactly what Burst does in the USA. This is their home market and where the company launched and grew to the large brand they are today.

They actually ship their products from the USA to the UK. The products are not held in warehouses here in the UK.

They have subsequently altered the plan to ship heads just once a year. This means you have all the heads you need for a year, but you still need to remember to replace it every 3 months.

I agree with this approach from an environmental perspective.

There is just the 1 style of brush head as I have previously mentioned and the default subscription is £24 (excluding taxes) every 3 months for 4 brush heads

At full speed, the brush operates at 33,000 vibrations per minute.

You can see this movement in the bristles, you can feel it on the teeth and gums too.

When powered on the brush makes a strong vibrating/humming sound much like a Sonicare brush. It is much quieter than Oral-B.

That 33,000 vibrations is on the first cleaning mode, named whitening. This is the default mode if you like.

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When activated, this will light up the first icon on the brush handle.

The next mode is sensitive, which operates at 31,000 vibrations per minute and the third is massage mode.

When activated, they light up the second and third icon on the brush handle respectively.

To change the cleaning modes, you power the brush on via a press of the power button, you then press it again to move to the next cleaning mode.

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Therefore to get to massage mode, it is one press to turn the brush on. A second press to move to the sensitive mode and a third to access massage.

Press and hold the button and it will turn the brush off.

If the brush runs through a full cleaning mode, it will default to the last cleaning mode used.

The whitening mode provided a good overall clean and I was pleased with the results.

Do be aware that there is only limited ‘whitening’ a brushing mode can offer. This whitening is actually stain removal, lifting the marks and discolouration on the teeth to make them appear whiter, rather than actually changing the colour of the tooth.

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With a reduction of just 2,000 vibrations per minute, the sensitive mode was not quite as sensitive as I expected. Yes, I could tell it was a little more gentle. However, if I had sensitive teeth and gums I would suspect it would have felt a little intense still.

The massage mode is designed to be more like pulses. The best way I can describe it is, it is like turning the brush on and off rally rapidly, you get like a pulsing sensation, a burst of power and then slight relief. I don’t know what the vibrations per minute are, but it felt like it was quite high.

The reality is that few actually need these different cleaning modes, they are not all that important.

In most cases, 1 cleaning mode is sufficient and that is what the majority stick to.

More beneficial for your oral health is regular brushing for the right amount of time, with the correct technique, but in some instances, they can be beneficial, hence their existence.

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Built into the toothbrush are a few essential as well as ‘nice to have’ features.

I determine a timer and pacer to be essential and Burst has this.

Dentists recommend 2 minutes of cleaning twice a day, what this does not help with is ensuring you and I brush our teeth evenly.

The idea is that you break the mouth up into 4 sections. Upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left.

You spend 30 seconds cleaning each section, that way, over the 120 seconds (2 minutes) of brushing time, you will give a relatively even clean to the teeth and gums.

The pacer is part of the built-in timer acts as an alert to you, to change quadrant as you brush to encourage this even clean.

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The pacer activates at 30 second intervals, by pausing the brush motor briefly.

This pause alerts you, via the change in brush sound and the lack of movement in the brush head, that it is time to change quadrant.

At the end of the 120 seconds (2 minutes) the timer runs out and the brush automatically turns itself off. A clear sign to you that the clean is over.

You can always power the brush back on if you want to brush for longer and you don’t have to follow this pacing, but it is good practice.

Do be aware too, that there is a particular technique with cleaning the teeth. The brush head should be held at a 45 degree angle to the teeth. If you want to learn the correct way, check out our helpful guide, to brushing with an electric toothbrush.

According to the documentation supplied by Burst, this has a pressure sensor built-in. This means if you brush too hard, the motor in the brush slows down to avoid doing any damage to the teeth and gums.

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This is not mentioned on their website and in using it, I can’t say I noticed any difference when I intentionally applied too much pressure.

Maybe it is present but was not obvious, however, both Sonicare and Oral-B have slightly different implementations of this that alerts you at the same time as reducing the motor speed. You normally get a different vibration in the handle or a notification light. Neither are present here on Burst.

Whilst the package comes with the essentials you need to get you up and running, it would be handy if there was a travel case provided to protect the brush and the bristles in transit.

Burst does sell a black and white travel case as an optional accessory for £9.99 through their website.

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Burst could do a better job of making this clearer, but as I understand it, it comes with a 2 year warranty as standard. This applies even if you have cancelled your subscription.

However, remain subscribed and the warranty is upheld for the lifetime of your subscription, which is a bonus. I believe this applies to the UK, I have been unable to see any mention to suggest it does not. It is, however, not promoted on the UK site as it is the US site.

I have not tested, but Burst does suggest they have a no quibble policy about sending out a replacement during this warranty period, should you have an issue.

As a UK subscriber, you do not get a money back guarantee of 90 days like Americans do.

Whilst I don’t think Burst is quite perfect in my opinion, few products are and we all have different preferences. I have to give full credit for creating a decent electric toothbrush, that benefits from some smart user friendly features.

I could happily use it on a daily basis.

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Summary of design, usability, clean & general use

  • Slim and comfortable brush to hold and use
  • Looks good
  • Various colour options available
  • 3 cleaning modes (Whitening, Sensitive and Massage)
  • Sensitive and massage mode felt quite powerful
  • Icons on the brush handle not that clear, names of modes would be better
  • 4 brush heads included
  • Brush head made with PBT charcoal infused bristles
  • Bristles stab a little into the gums
  • Gave a good overall clean
  • Clinically proven to remove more plaque and improve gum health
  • Tongue cleaner on the back of brush head
  • Brush heads automatically sent out every 12 months if subscribed
  • The built-in 2 minute timer and 30 second pacer
  • Brush automatically turns itself off when the cleaning cycle is complete
  • The brush is fairly quiet in use
  • Cleans well on the whole
  • 4 week battery life from the built-in rechargeable battery
  • Water resistant and can be used in the shower
  • No travel case provided with black and white model
  • Lifetime warranty if subscribed

Battery life

Built into the Burst sonic toothbrush is a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery.

It has a 700mAh capacity, which means between charges you will get 4 weeks of usage time.

This is equivalent to 112 minutes of running time or 28 days usage, based on 2 cleans a day each lasting 2 minutes in total.

My own hands-on testing confirmed that the claimed battery life is accurate, in fact, I achieved another few days, which is always a bonus.

The battery is not user removable.

You recharge it by sitting it within the provided charging stand.

There are 2 parts to the charging stand.

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You have the base, on which the brush sits and into which is hard wired a USB cable.

The base has a protuberance on it, which fits into the recess in the base of the brush handle. It does too have 4 foam feet on it to keep it securely in place on a flat surface.

The second part to the stand is what I can best describe as a cap. It sits over the base and provides a more secure frame in which the Burst brush can sit.

The frame has the word Burst printed on the front and increases the stability and improves the aesthetics of the charging stand.

Connect the USB cable to a USB socket on your computer, power bank, wall socket or other device to charge it. You do have also a 3 pin UK power adapter complete with USB port into which you can connect the USB cable if you want to charge the brush from the mains.

The charging stand accepts 5V, 0.6A.

Capable of being charged in as little as 1 hour, it is much quicker to recharge than most of the competition that normally requires 8+ hours.

Habit means that I normally leave the brush to charge overnight.

The ‘+’ icon on the brush handle is the power/battery indicator.

When the battery reaches less than 20% it will flash to alert you at the end of a cleaning cycle.

When the brush is being charged, it will be lit a solid red, until the battery has been recharged. Once fully recharged, the red light will go out to indicate this.

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When you compare the battery life of a Burst brush to the competition, it stands up fairly well, beating the majority.

Oral-B electric toothbrushes tend to be about 7-12 days, whilst Sonicare brushes tend to last 3-4 weeks.

With this battery life, it is good for most people who travel. You can go away for a few days or even a few weeks and not need to worry about taking the charging stand.

If you do need to take the charging stand, USB connectivity makes it friendly for international travel, you will not necessarily need to take a bulky plug adapter or voltage converter.

Summary of battery life

  • Built-in user rechargeable 700mAh Lithium-Ion battery
  • 4 weeks usage time – 112 minutes or 28 days usage based on 2 cleans a day
  • Charges within just 1 hour
  • USB powered charging stand
  • 3 pin UK, USB wall adapter supplied
  • The icon flashes red when less than 20% power remaining
  • The icon stays a solid red when charging until the charge is complete and the light goes out
  • Competition still offer up to 2-3 weeks usage on average

Price & where to buy

I have included links to buying options here at the start of the review.

In the section below, I discuss the price more generally and in relation to similar products.

Burst’s sonic toothbrush be purchased direct from www.burstorlacare.co.uk.

The toothbrush is not sold in stores or through any other online retailer at this time.

This means that the price is more controlled and tends not to change very frequently as competition is not the same.

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Burst is centred around a subscription model.

It begins with you paying for the toothbrush and then committing to an annual charge for the replacement brush heads.

The normal price of the toothbrush is £82.99 (excluding taxes & shipping), if you opt for it in white or black.

This is a one off fee, that buys you the brush handle, 4 brush heads, a charging stand, wall plug, and associated documentation.

Replacement brush heads are available at £24 (excluding taxes & shipping) for a pack of 4.

As you complete the checkout process you will be subscribed to Burst and every 12 months 4 new brush heads will be shipped out to you.

You can cancel at any time.

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There is a rose gold colour option that comes with a travel case in the box, this is slightly more expensive at £94.49, with replacement brush heads coming in at £30 (excluding taxes & shipping) for a pack of 4.

Assuming you opt for a white or black coloured brush, the costs look like this:

  • Year 1 – £107.47 (The toothbrush with 4 heads – £82.99 plus shipping and taxes)
  • Year 2 – £28.80 (4 brush heads – £24 plus taxes)
  • Year 3 – £28.80 (4 brush heads – £24 plus taxes)

The total cost over 3 years is £165.07 or £0.15 per day.

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This price does exclude the cost of water, toothpaste and electric to charge it. This price also works on some assumptions, but you get a rough idea.

You can bring the cost down further if you were to share it with other members of your household. All you need to invest in is extra brush heads.

For the sake of comparison, Ordo’s Sonic+ toothbrush works out at £0.15 per day too, but includes tubes of toothpaste.

Oddly, Ordo doesn’t allow for brush head subscriptions only.

You can get it down to £0.09 per day, if you buy the heads on their own, rather than subscribe.

You can buy brush heads without a subscription from Burst too. But, because they ship from the USA, they are much more expensive.

Other toothbrushes worth considering and comparing to, include the Oral-B Pro 3 3500 and the Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4300.

You can’t buy the Oral-B on subscription. But, it works out at just £0.07 per day.

You can subscribe to the Sonicare 4300, via Sonicare’s website. It works out at around £0.10 per day.

Neither of these brushes have the extra cleaning modes of the Burst. But, they come with a travel case and pressure sensors.

Burst is by no means expensive. But it isn’t quite as good value as some of the other options. You can save quite a lot if you are prepared to forgo the subscription.

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Please note that all prices quoted are approximates and will vary based on location, supplier and time of purchase.  These figures were correct at the time of writing and should not be relied upon as hard fact, but used as a guide during your decision process.

Summary of price & where to buy

  • Subscription model
  • Available from www.burstoralcare.co.uk
  • Toothbrush normally sells for £82.99 (excluding taxes & shipping)
  • Subscribe to replacement brush heads for £24 for a pack of 4 (excluding taxes & shipping)
  • Works out at around £165 or 15p per day over 3 years
  • Share brush handle with another user to extend the value
  • Other brushes such as Ordo Sonic+ are better value

Reliability & long term use

In an ideal world, I would test Burst for a much longer period, but I was not able to test it for more than 6 weeks.

During that time I have had limited reason to question the long term reliability of this brush.

The construction is on the whole very good.

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I don’t think the fit and finish is quite as good as Sonicare, but I would not suggest that there is any reason to think this should not last as long.

Burst’s own website has over 27,000 reviews at the time I write this review and very few are negative or complain of reliability issues.

This handle design has been in use for a few years now. Had there been issues, I suspect it would have become apparent by now.

If you do not continue the subscription, the brush comes with a 2 year warranty, which is respectable.

Continue to remain subscribed, which is really the point with Burst and you have a lifetime warranty, which I simply cannot argue with.

Conclusion

Convenience is a big appeal of the Burst toothbrush.

Once you have paid the initial fee and setup the subscription, it is a convenient option for many people today.

For many, it will ensure that you will actually replace your brush head a little more regularly than you would if a replacement were not to be delivered to the door.

The brush itself has many of the must have features (timer and pacer) included as well as nice touches such as automatic power off.

The lifetime warranty is a simple addition that adds to the overall appeal of this product.

I have not been won over by the charcoal bristles. I don’t believe the benefits are quite as great as is made out. But, the toothbrush cleans the teeth well and it is clinically proven.

A financially incentivised ambassador program has helped this toothbrush burst (please excuse the pun) onto the scene, certainly amongst those very socially active individuals.

Because Burst are US based and shipping to the UK from the USA, the subscription plan isn’t quite as appealing. You get brush heads every 12 months rather than 3.

It is more expensive than the competition, such as Ordo Sonic+. But, Ordo is one of the only competitors.

The lack of UK warehouses or other stockists isn’t a deal breaker, but it would be nice if there was more presence.

All things considered, Burst is a solid toothbrush.

Size Guide

  • Height (without head) – 7.59 inches/19.3cm
  • Height (with head) – 10 inches/25.4cm
  • Width – 1.1 inches/2.8cm
  • Thickness – 1.1 inches/2.8cm
  • Weight (without head) – 0.23lb/106g
  • Weight (with head) – 0.24lb/112g

All are approximates

Disclaimer

The Burst sonic brush spoken about in this review was provided by Burst PR department. Electric Teeth did not purchase this model. No financial reward was provided to conclude the review the way that we did.

About Jon Love

Jon is a leading voice on electric toothbrushes and has been quoted by mainstream media publications for his opinions and expertise. Having handled & tested hundreds of products there really is very little he does not know about them. Passionate about business and helping others, Jon has been involved in various online enterprises since the early 2000s. After spending 12 years in consumer technology, it was in 2014 that he focused his attention on dental health, having experienced first-hand the challenge of choosing a new toothbrush.

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