Ultreo- 11.18.07
Latest in toothbrush technology? Ultrasound. No, seriously… the Ultreo uses sonic vibrations plus ultrasound. And as much as initially i thought this might just be another crazy gimmick and I initially wanted to check it out b/c the packaging was interesting, and the new technology intriguing… I didn’t expect to actually be hooked on my teeth feeling this noticeably clean relative to the sonicare elite (i haven’t had a chance to compare this to that new sonicare flexcare, but its the same technology really, only less vibrations coming through and smaller?). Founded by Dr. Pierre Mourad (who has made his living finding novel applications for ultrasound and its ability to transform bubbles into miniature sources of mechanical energy) and Jack Gallagher (Ultreo’s CEO/President who was present of Phillips Oral Healthcare for a few years) and they brought on Dr. Christopher McInnes (Ultreo’s Principal Scientist who spent 12 years with Sonicare, and provided the fundamental science behind the Sonicare technology)… they have quite a team behind the Ultreo, which has just launched its first ultrasound toothbrush . Other than the incredible clean feeling (yes, i am running my tongue over my teeth in amazement still) ~ it’s impressive that it’s far less aggressive/harsh on your mouth, less vibrations, quieter and i was told the ultrasound technology creates tiny bubbles that blast away the plaque (see the comparison study images, more below)… and how does it work? It’s all about that orange transducer in the middle of the brush head. Really its hard to explain, and definitely worth trying to understand/feel for yourself…. images below of box scans, close ups of the charger, travel case, etc.
Along with the toothbrush, they also sent some press materials which included a booklet which summarized various research studies which had been done with the Ultreo… this particular one had the most interesting visuals - “Evaluation of ultrasound as a means to remove Streptococcus mutans biofilm”done by the University of Washington… it was fascinating to me that the purple image is without bristle contact.
They also have some interesting studies which showed that Ultreo is quite effective in removing extrinsic surface stains (good for coffee drinkers and smokers!) ~ and was shown to reduce gingivitis substantially compared to other toothbrushes.
Here are some scans from the actual box ~ they have some nice images and icons and simple explanations of what’s going on ~
Here is a closeup of their charger ~ which packs down pretty compactly
And when you want to travel with the Ultreo ~ here are some close ups of how it breaks down and how the travel case works:
I too am hooked but unable to find a replacement head - any help out there?
----- julie 02.08.09 19:24