A big thank you to Y-Brush for sending their toothbrush all the way from France to be adored. We will never go back.
A kids’ toothbrush might seem like a strange thing to rave about, but this isn’t any ordinary kids’ toothbrush. I actually found it while researching Mother’s Day presents for my gift guide, which I know sounds extra crazy. I eventually decided I couldn’t justify calling it a “Mother’s Day present”, but I knew I needed it. Desperately.
You may remember when I talked about how I live with a supertaster. It turns out, I’m actually living with two of them. And, super tasting isn’t the amazing super power you think it is. Sometimes, it’s not fun at all. Like, every time you have to brush your teeth. Because, I don’t know if you know this, but toothpaste doesn’t taste good to {most} super tasters.
In our super taster journey, we embarked on quite a hunt for toothpaste for my little super tasters. We’re talking a multiple-hundreds-of-dollars hunt where we hit every single natural store, grocery store, online store, etc, looking for new toothpastes that might not make my kiddos gag each time they brushed their teeth. We finally found some that they could sort of stomach after all our searching, but they still *hated* brushing their teeth, and brushing for 2 minutes two times a day was a huge struggle. I was desperate for a solution, and one that hopefully didn’t end in tears.
But, my kids aren’t alone. Even non-super taster kids hate brushing their teeth. In fact, 90% of case studies show that most kids don’t brush their teeth correctly {as well as lots and lots of adults}. Not brushing teeth properly isn’t just about bad breath, bad oral hygiene can actually cause serious health problems, which is what fueled my anxiety.
So, when I found out about 10-second brushing, you can bet I was intrigued. The Y-Brush toothbrush for kids claims that it can effectively brush teeth in a fraction of the time, and I had to know if it was true. I figured that anything had to be better than our current routine, so what do I have to lose?
Effective tooth brushing in 10 seconds
The flexible Y shape of the toothbrush is shaped to get at all of your teeth at the same time, which allows you to drastically cut your brushing time. Experts suggest spending 4-5 seconds on each tooth, which could potentially mean that you could do the top teeth all at once for 5 seconds, then flip the toothbrush and do the bottom teeth for another 5 seconds and be done. Yes, really. 10 seconds total, twice a day.
While we haven’t gotten down to 10 seconds in any of our many trials over the last few weeks, I can happily report that it has cut our teeth brushing easily into a quarter of the time it used to take. My kids are *very* happy about this. Side note: don’t even get me started about how long it takes my kids to “get ready” to brush, which is obviously not factored into the equation.
So, what kind of magic is the Y-Brush toothbrush?
The Y-Brush works similar to a sonic electric toothbrush with vibrations to help clean teeth, but the main difference is that it makes brushing teeth absolutely fool proof. This is partly due to the unique shape of the Y-Brush to get all of your teeth at once so you know you’re fully covering your teeth. But, in addition to speed cleaning, the 35,000 nylon filaments in the toothbrush head allow for a more effective tooth brushing than a standard toothbrush. This is because the nylon filaments are angled at 45° to help remove plaque from between your teeth and also care for your gums, which is something I never even considered when helping kids brush teeth. Who knew that the angle of the bristles mattered so much?
To brush your teeth, you simply spread toothpaste all along the bristles of the toothbrush head {they include a fun little whale toothpaste applicator that my youngest uses to help spread the toothpaste around}. Then you select the cleaning mode of your choice and hold the Y-Brush in your mouth so the bristles are at a 45° angle on the teeth.
You then gently move the brush back and forth in short strokes while slowly opening and closing your teeth slightly to brush your teeth. When the vibrations stop, take the brush out of your mouth, turn the device around and repeat on the lower teeth. It sounds harder than it is, really. Teeny tiny movements that add up to a sparkling clean in mere seconds is about as easy as it gets.
The first time my little one brushed her teeth with the Y-Brush she was absolutely beaming afterwards and said “that’s the first time it hasn’t hurt to brush my teeth”. I help my breath for weeks hoping that the ease of brushing wasn’t being replaced with poor hygiene, but when I realized that both of their teeth actually looked better upon inspection, I was elated.
The Y-Brush toothbrush was designed in collaboration with health professionals and has successfully passed numerous effectiveness tests. I will admit that I don’t have a fancy lab or any way to do real scientific tests, but I can tell you it 100% worked for us. The dentist commented emphatically about how both of my kids had been brushing so much better, and the kids were thrilled that they didn’t have to use the teeth scraper-thing, which they both despise.
You guys, there were big,huge happy tears upon leaving the dentist, which never, ever happens. Typically, we have to schedule some other treatment as we’re leaving after our cleanings, and typically it’s been a fight to even keep them in the chair. My son once famously announced as a toddler that he would “finish up at home” while in the middle of a dental procedure and tried to hop on out of the chair. But, after the Y-Brush toothbrush, their cleanings were finally as easy as they are for the rest of us.
Honestly, I don’t have a single complaint or change I would make on the Y-Brush at all, which is not the norm for me. I even love that the environmental impact is less with the Y-Brush, as they use less plastic and you only need to replace your toothbrush head every 6 months, instead of quarterly. And, I love that all Y-Brush toothbrushes and toothbrush heads are made in France and shipped directly from the production site.
There are 2 different Y-Brush toothbrush sizes available: the S size for kids aged 4-12, and the M size for kids aged 12 and up, which also works for adults. The handle piece is made of ABS, which is lightweight and hard-wearing. The handle can be used by multiple family members, which I love {my kids are currently sharing one}, and only needs to be charged every few months. The handle will show that the toothbrush needs charging before the sonic vibrations stop, and then you just throw it on the charger for a few hours and it’s ready to go for over 3 months.
You can check out the Y-Brush toothbrush right on their website and see more about specifications and pricing.