Curaprox Samba Robotic Toothbrush – New Mobility

For these of us with restricted or no hand perform, holding our enamel clear and wholesome will be problematic. So, I used to be intrigued when the Swiss model Curaprox rolled out its new Samba Robotic Toothbrush, designed particularly for individuals with restricted dexterity.

Over 22 years as a C5-6 quadriplegic, I’ve devised a reasonably efficient routine to compensate for my restricted tenodesis grip, and puzzled if the Samba may match or enhance on my outcomes. I additionally needed to see how good an possibility the Samba is for customers who depend on caregivers or want extra help than I do.

How It Works

The Samba makes use of a brush head that’s basically a mouthguard lined with bristles that brush the back and front of the enamel concurrently. The 12,900 bristles cowl your entire floor of the enamel. On the underside of the comb head are two extra units of bristles that extra resemble conventional handbook toothbrush heads. These clear the flat surfaces of the molars reverse of the place the mouthguard is brushing. For instance, whereas the mouthguard portion of the comb head cleans the highest enamel, the extra bristles clear the higher surfaces of the underside molars.

Pushed by two pistons that push the comb head quickly forwards and backwards, the Samba runs in 30-second intervals and shuts off robotically, permitting the consumer to flip the toothbrush over and brush the opposite set of enamel. For the reason that Samba cleans the back and front of the enamel directly, it’s really useful you sweep for under 30 seconds on a aspect.

My Trial

I used the Samba as a substitute for my common electrical toothbrush for 3 weeks. Earlier than I began, I had plenty of questions and issues. My largest concern was that the motor could be too highly effective. Other than discomfort or probably damaging my gums, I apprehensive the Samba may create a large number of toothpaste and saliva, complicating my routine as a substitute of creating it extra environment friendly.

Fortunately, none of those issues panned out. Though it took a couple of days to get used to a gyrating mouthguard brushing my enamel, my gums obtained irritated solely as soon as, and the Samba by no means made me choke as I feared it may. Utilizing toothpaste within the mouthguard was additionally a lot tidier than anticipated. I squirt some within the entrance of the mouthguard and on either side close to the molars, and the system does job stopping and containing messes.

As a substitute for my common brush, the Samba performs nicely. My enamel really feel as clear after utilizing it as they do with my toothbrush. One shortcoming is that I can’t brush a particular space the best way I can with an everyday toothbrush. If there’s a piece of meals caught and the Samba misses it, I might nonetheless have to get it with an everyday toothbrush or dental floss. Equally, if I wish to brush my tongue, I’ll want one other system.

Mockingly, the largest drawback I’ve with the Samba is that it’s tough to make use of as an individual with restricted hand and arm mobility. Whereas the Samba advertises itself as being designed for individuals with restricted dexterity, it doesn’t really feel like designers totally thought-about what would enable individuals like me to make use of the toothbrush independently.

Over three weeks of tinkering and attempting new approaches, I used to be by no means capable of full the method of brushing my enamel independently with the Samba. Holding the Samba within the appropriate place with my restricted grip is tough however doable, though including an adaptive grip would probably be higher for a lot of customers. Extra problematic is popping the Samba on and off.

To make use of the Samba correctly, you insert the mouthguard in your mouth and press the facility button, a small circle on entrance of the deal with. The button is difficult to hit — I needed to maintain the deal with with one hand whereas awkwardly attempting to depress the button with the opposite. When the Samba is the other way up and I can’t see or really feel the button, urgent it’s unimaginable. If the Samba had a time-delay setting or perhaps a change that may very well be activated by biting the mouthguard, it could be a lot simpler for somebody of my ability-level to make use of.

The Verdict

Though the Samba does nicely cleansing my enamel, I discover it to be much less accessible than my present toothbrush setup. I can see how the Samba’s distinctive strategy would make brushing simpler for some with restricted dexterity, however, for the numerous causes listed above, it doesn’t really feel like an ideal resolution for customers with quad arms or comparable perform who wish to brush independently.

If you’ll be able to brush your enamel independently with an everyday toothbrush or current adaptive units, I don’t assume it’s well worth the effort studying the way to successfully use the Samba. In my view, the very best use for the Samba could be for somebody who requires the help of a caregiver to brush their enamel. The Samba cleans enamel nicely, and for somebody with a caregiver who does a poor job brushing enamel, the Samba would remove human error. With a couple of design adjustments, nevertheless, the Samba is also a extra sensible possibility for different with restricted arm and hand perform.

The Curaprox Samba Robotic Toothbrush is accessible for $299 and comes with a 60-day money-back assure. Substitute brush heads can be found in packs of two for $79. For extra info, go to Curaprox.