Curaprox Samba Robotic Toothbrush – New Mobility

For these of us with restricted or no hand perform, preserving our enamel clear and wholesome may 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 might match or enhance on my outcomes. I additionally wished 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 primarily a mouthguard lined with bristles that brush the back and front of the enamel concurrently. The 12,900 bristles cowl the whole floor of the enamel. On the underside of the comb head are two further 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 backwards and forwards, the Samba runs in 30-second intervals and shuts off robotically, permitting the person to flip the toothbrush over and brush the opposite set of enamel. Because the Samba cleans the back and front of the enamel without delay, it’s beneficial you sweep for less than 30 seconds on a facet.

My Trial

I used the Samba as a alternative for my common electrical toothbrush for 3 weeks. Earlier than I began, I had a lot of questions and issues. My largest concern was that the motor can be too highly effective. Apart from discomfort or probably damaging my gums, I fearful the Samba would possibly create a large number of toothpaste and saliva, complicating my routine as an alternative of creating it extra environment friendly.

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

As a alternative for my common brush, the Samba performs properly. My enamel really feel as clear after utilizing it as they do with my toothbrush. One shortcoming is that I can’t brush a selected space the way in which I can with a daily toothbrush. If there’s a piece of meals caught and the Samba misses it, I’d nonetheless must get it with a daily toothbrush or dental floss. Equally, if I need to brush my tongue, I’ll want one other system.

Mockingly, the largest drawback I’ve with the Samba is that it’s troublesome 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 absolutely thought-about what would permit individuals like me to make use of the toothbrush independently.

Over three weeks of tinkering and making an attempt 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 right place with my restricted grip is troublesome 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 ability button, a small circle on entrance of the deal with. The button is tough to hit — I needed to maintain the deal with with one hand whereas awkwardly making an attempt to depress the button with the opposite. When the Samba is the wrong way up and I can’t see or really feel the button, urgent it’s unattainable. If the Samba had a time-delay setting or perhaps a swap that may very well be activated by biting the mouthguard, it might be a lot simpler for somebody of my ability-level to make use of.

The Verdict

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

If you’ll be able to brush your enamel independently with a daily toothbrush or current adaptive units, I don’t assume it’s well worth the effort studying learn how to successfully use the Samba. For my part, the most effective use for the Samba can be for somebody who requires the help of a caregiver to brush their enamel. The Samba cleans enamel properly, and for somebody with a caregiver who does a poor job brushing enamel, the Samba would remove human error. With a number of design adjustments, nonetheless, the Samba may be a extra sensible possibility for different with restricted arm and hand perform.

The Curaprox Samba Robotic Toothbrush is on the market 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 data, go to Curaprox.