CES 2014: Say hello to the Kolibree, a 'Bluetooth-brush' for your teeth

Add toothbrushes to the list of connected devices being displayed on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas. Touted to be the world’s first Internet-connected toothbrush, this one here aims to make brushing better for users.

Kolibree has unveiled the connected electric toothbrush which will – using an app – give you more information about your dental hygiene, thereby getting you to be a little more conscious about your brush routine. The toothbrush connects to the app using Bluetooth and has a “unique technology” to analyse your brushing uses and even displays your progress on the mobile dashboard of the app, according to the company’s website.

Keep an eye on your dental health

The brush will go on to record the time taken by you to brush your teeth, how well you managed to clean each tooth and how your gums are doing. Kolibree has also announced the release of an API so that third-party developers will be able to make apps that help you take care of your teeth better. Think: more competition between family and friends, easy data exchanges with your dentist and other facilities.

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The company is slated to release multiple models in varying price ranges of $100 to $200 in the third quarter of 2014. So your New Year resolution of better dental hygiene is not getting a technological push this year. CNET reports that a Kickstarter campaign will be taking off to make these brushes a reality towards the end of this year.

Thankfully, the app for the brush will be free and it can be used to sync multiple toothbrushes. So, the entire family can have a leaderboard for healthy teeth, although we’re not quite sure that’s an idea that will take off . The app also “rewards” your progress and cheers you on while you’re improving your brushing technique. It has a points-based system to reward children for brushing better too. Now that is a great idea.

“While Kolibree does not proclaim to solve periodontal disease or suggest that it can keep cavities or gingivitis at bay, the better you take care of your teeth, the more likely it is that you can and will avoid serious problems,” writes the company on its website. “Before Kolibree, the issue is that there has been no easy and quick way to monitor whether you’re doing an A+ job or a C- one when you brush, so how can you improve on a habit you don’t have any data about? Kolibree solves that problem.”

With technological advancements helping us take care of all aspects of our health, why should the teeth be left out? With Kolibree breaking through, it won’t be too long before routine brushing becomes just as gamified as checking in to locations on Foursquare.