Power source: charging dock | Settings: 7 cleaning modes (Daily Clean, Sensitive, Whiten, Gum Care, Intense, Super Sensitive, Tongue Clean) | Who it’s for: people who want a wide range of features
Most Intensities: Quip Ultra Next Generation Smart Toothbrush
Why it’s worth it: You probably know Quip for its stellar starter model, the Sonic, but there’s a new tool in town. The brand’s Ultra iteration upgrades the experience with a suite of new features. To start, the brush heads are smaller (meaning 70% less plastic waste compared to the Sonic) and pop neatly into a narrow socket, allowing you to refresh your bristles without having to remove and dispose of a giant chunk of your toothbrush. Also, the handle now boasts 10 power levels along with a two-minute timer that pulses to keep you on track. Snazzy settings aside, it’s a downright beautiful toothbrush—one you’ll actually want to keep on display.
Heads up that it doesn’t come with a power adapter, so you’ll have to find somewhere to plug in the USB attached to the charging dock—something our tester found a little frustrating.
Tester feedback: “As the child of two dentists, I have a lot of opinions about toothbrushes,” says contributing editor Deanna Pai. “Quip blew my old analog brush out of the water—I loved that I could quickly dial down the setting to make it easier on my gums, and the slick, slim neck made it easy to reach my impacted wisdom teeth.” She also loved the magnetic charging dock, which you simply set the toothbrush onto instead of having to plug anything in.
Power source: charging dock | Battery life: up to 30 days | Settings: 10 intensities | Who it’s for: people who want intensity control
Best Bamboo: Lumineux Sonic Electric Toothbrush
Why it’s worth it: Lumineux’s Teeth Whitening Sonic Bamboo Electric Toothbrush is everything you love about a classic bamboo toothbrush, but with pizzazz of an electric one. Its super-soft castor oil bristles make sure brushing is gentle on your gums, while five cleaning modes and a built-in two-minute timer make sure you’re getting a thorough, efficient clean every time. Choose from baby pink, beachy blue, or deep teal, pop on one of the interchangeable brush heads, and get ready for that just-left-the-dentist feeling—sans the small talk.
Tester feedback: “Ever since I was young, I’ve always been frustrated with how hard toothbrush bristles are, which is why I got into a habit of soaking brush heads in warm/hot water to soften them before they even enter my mouth. But because Lumineux’s bristles are made of bamboo, they’re gentler out of the package,” says Allure commerce editor Sarah Han. “I’ve gotten feedback about brushing too hard on my gums so I pretty much only use the sensitive setting and it’s truly a Goldilocks-like setting. The only thing that kinda irks me is that it doesn’t lay down flush to whatever surface you put it on and the stand (while chic!) is a little larger than others I’ve used, which is only relevant because I live in a tiny NYC studio with minimal bathroom space.”
