Summary: Most toothbrushes are only as effective as the technique you use, unless it’s an Autobrush. The only ADA-accepted U-shape electric toothbrush, it delivers 5x the clean in just 30-seconds (ideal for little kids and exhausted parents alike!). This unique toothbrush has been a game changer for our family, cutting down on plaque by up to 82%, and eliminating the nightly bedtime routine struggle to get our kid’s teeth cleaned properly. Even our skeptical family dentist was impressed with the results!

Pros:

  • The Autobrush is the only ADA-accepted U-shape toothbrush out there, with a clinical study that showed up to 45% reduction in gingivitis in 30 days of use, removing 26.6x more plaque from the entire mouth.
  • The Autobrush simultaneously cleans all three sides of every tooth in just 30 seconds, delivering a clean that’s up to 27x better than traditional brushes in a quarter of the time. 
  • The non-UV red and blue LED lights support gum care and help to enhance whitening agents, if used — and are a fun bonus for kids! Paired with the fun music that the kid’s brush plays while running, it turns a chore into a mini 30-second party. 
  • This revolutionary brush is ideal for people with injuries, disabilities, or other issues that can make it a challenge to properly use a traditional toothbrush. It is especially effective for young children!
  • The entire device is waterproof, making it easy to clean, use, and charge. 

Cons:

  • As a small business and a new type of technology, you’re pretty locked into their supply chain. Replacing the specialty foam toothpaste was sort of annoying when they would get backordered. 
  • It takes some getting used to, especially if you are accustomed to having a lot of foam and spitting a lot during your current routine. Like switching to a sulfate-free shampoo for the first time, the lack of sudsiness can make you wonder if you’re really clean — but the transition doesn’t take too long!
  • The pricing is a little confusing, with the multiple bundle options and subscription discounts. If you’re already in the electric toothbrush game, you might not balk, but if you’re still using an analog toothbrush you can expect to be spending a lot more on your at-home dental hygiene! (This potentially pays off with fewer bigger ticket dental work bills, though!)

My husband is one of those people who has miraculously healthy teeth, by which I mean the man has never had a cavity. I, on the other hand, am one of those unfortunate souls genetically predisposed to tooth decay. While diet and poor oral hygiene are major contributors to cavities, the truth is that our genes influence enamel strength, oral microbiome, and saliva composition — key players for our overall oral health. 

“While diet and poor oral hygiene are major contributors to cavities, the truth is that our genes influence enamel strength, oral microbiome, and saliva composition — key players for our overall oral health.”

And I am just, as one dentist put it, unlucky.

Even with my predisposition, it is true that consistent, proper dental hygiene is the only way I can minimize tooth decay — so I am a model student when it comes to taking care of my teeth. And if there was even a chance that I passed along my unlucky genes to my kid, I was determined to instill my good habits in her early on.

How’s that going? Here’s a look at any given night during our family’s bedtime routine:

“I’m not 100% sure I actually touched any of her teeth,” I say to my husband after a six-minute campaign spent pushing a Barbie toothbrush around my child’s mouth. Pink, strawberry flavored foam from the toothpaste we have spent years training her not to swallow speckles our bathroom walls, mirror, and ceiling. I am sweating, and near tears. “They’re all going to fall out anyway,” he says to me, patting me on the back. He picks up an orange-flavored flossing pick, and pulls his goggles on. “Wish me luck,” he says, going after our giggling, overtired child as she runs off with her underwear around her head. “I’m going in.”

If this scene from my family’s nightly bedtime routine chaos is familiar to you, stick around. I’m about to change your life.

“If this scene from my family’s nightly bedtime routine chaos is familiar to you, stick around. I’m about to change your life.”

For most parents, dental hygiene is one of those things that you just muscle through and try not to think about too much. It’s not fun, but you just do it. This was our plan, anyway, until our daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes — and a whole bunch of cavities along with it. Turns out, in the months leading up to her diagnosis, her body was trying to flush itself of the excess blood sugar in any way it could — through sweat, urine, and in her saliva. Which meant that despite our daily practice of brushing and flossing, diabetes causes a number of other problems that can make her mouth a haven for bacteria and even fungal infections. 

But diabetes management for a young kid is not a walk in the park, so locking into yet another end-of-day battle over teeth brushing after all the shots, painful device changes, and the ups and downs of blood sugar was often just not on the cards. Not to mention the fact that we were regularly having to wake up two or three times a night to treat lows with apple juice — and we were not about to march her off to brush her teeth after every sip. “You just can’t worry about that right now,” our pediatric endocrinologist told us. How could we? When the life-saving “medicine” was often sugar, what were our options?

For months, I felt totally defeated about her teeth. I was having to work so hard to keep the rest of her healthy, and the diabetes care itself was often painful and unpleasant. How could I also keep up with brushing and flossing? But how could I ignore it, if the very real consequences were a mouthful of cavities (which, even in baby teeth, could lead to some very serious complications)?

Enter: Autobrush. 

About Autobrush

Autobrush was created originally to see if it was possible to evolve the daily task of toothbrushing — which hasn’t seen much change in centuries. This might seem like a curious goal (if it ain’t broke, as the saying goes) but not to Christopher Lander, founder of Autobrush. Part of his brand incubator BASIS, Autobrush is one of four ecommerce brands Lander oversees. His mission? “To disrupt the dental, hair, and skincare industries with innovative products and new approaches to self-care for the whole family.” 

The automated, electric toothbrush was initially launched in 2018 — the first U-shaped double-sided toothbrush on the market. Over the years, the brand worked with experts and took customer feedback to tweak the materials and design, constantly improving on their performance. (It’s worth reading about the evolution of the design over on the blog!) The goal for Autobrush was simple: To perfect a product that would make oral hygiene as effective and foolproof as possible for everyone. 

“The goal for Autobrush was simple: To perfect a product that would make oral hygiene as effective and foolproof as possible for everyone.”

Designed for kids and adults, customers can choose from single-sided brush heads featuring 28,000 ultra-soft nylon bristles for a more traditional brushing experience, or a double-sided brush head with a whopping 58,000 soft nylon bristles and a silicone row for gum care. The Sonic Pro body comes with a powerful sonic motor with different brush modes and an automatic timer, plus LEDs lights to support gum care and teeth whitening. Their brush head size guide helps you find the best fit for children or adults, designed to fit every mouth size. (There is even a silicone baby brush head option!) The full bundle options include foam toothpaste (with or without fluoride), an automatic tongue scraper attachment, biodegradable dental flossers made with strong fibers and infused with Nano-HAp, plus whitening trays and pens. All Autobrushes use a charging base, USB charging cable, and charging block (plug type B).

The adult models are pretty straightforward-looking, with a black or white body option and a white base. The kids’ models are another story! Customers choose from five different colorful, friendly animal designs and matching bases, including a lion, dinosaur, hippo, unicorn, or Daniel Tiger. All models flash with the red and blue UV-free LED lights, come with GumDefend silicone bristles, and are completely waterproof. The built-in timer is our favorite part — instead of just turning off after 30 seconds, the brush plays a jaunty little tune. It’s super cute, very fun, and clearly designed to appeal to kids. The kid flossers are flavored with strawberry extract and xylitol (the adult flossers are spearmint flavored and charcoal-infused), and the toothpastes options are bubblegum, watermelon, strawberry, or mint — each flavor comes with fluoride or Nano-HAp, aka hydroxyapatite. You can read more about the difference between fluoride and Nano-HAp on their blog. 

“All models flash with the red and blue UV-free LED lights, come with GumDefend silicone bristles, and are completely waterproof.”

Other cool stuff about their company? They have strong giving campaigns to make dental hygiene accessible for kids, and they have some very cool sustainability efforts including signing the Climate Pledge, and partnering with Pachama for reforestation efforts. They also use recyclable materials in their packaging and flossers, which was a lovely surprise — I usually hate those single-use plastic flossers we see everywhere, and I was discouraged to see a similar design on the brand’s website. But their flossers are biodegradable, and come in recyclable packaging!

Alright, so what did we try, and how did we like it? Did Autobrush make it possible to clean a wiggly Kindergartner’s teeth without crying? And most importantly, did these 30-second miracle future brushes actually work??

A collection of various Autobrush product boxes, including kids' models and accessories, scattered on a tiled floor.
A collection of Autobrush products, including toothpaste powder, blue foam, various colorful toothbrushes, and two child-themed Autobrush devices on a wooden surface.
The full product lineup my family tried included two different adult sized double-sided brush heads, the kid’s brush in the Unicorn character, their specialty foam toothpastes, a tongue scraper, and the biodegradable flossers.

My family’s experience with Autobrush

From the minute we unboxed these products, it was clear that this is a brand who knows its audience. My daughter was already looking forward to trying out her new unicorn toothbrush, but when she opened the box and it started to play a song that sounded an awful lot like a hero’s welcome, she had stars in her eyes. She opened it over and over again, an experience I was swiftly ready to move on from until I realized the impressive impact of this calculated introduction. You know how we’re always taught about the power of first impressions? This one was so effective that she treated her new Autobrush like her new best friend, giving it a hug. I had to pry it from her hands to get it ready to actually use!

“You know how we’re always taught about the power of first impressions? This one was so effective that she treated her new Autobrush like her new best friend, giving it a hug.”

After explaining how it was going to work, squeezing the three dots of foamy watermelon toothpaste on both sides and turning it on, I handed it to my daughter, ready to have to coax her a bit into actually fitting the brush into her mouth. I was stunned instead to see her chomp down on it with all the relish of a cartoon puppy receiving a juicy bone. She pressed the start button like she’d been doing it her whole life, dancing along to the music and scrubbing her toothbrush back and forth for the full 30 seconds, without stopping. 

And when it was done, she asked to do it again. 

Boxes and pouches of children's automated toothbrush products featuring cartoon animals and a unicorn, labeled "autobrush for KIDS." The products are arranged on a surface.
Child wearing a tiara looks at a glowing object held in both hands, illuminating their face with blue light. They are wearing pajamas with animal designs.
The kid’s products are not only functionally effective, but truly make brushing a blast — my daughter looks forward to it every day!

If you’re a parent, I imagine your jaw is on the floor. Mine was! Nearly four months later, I am still catching flies because my child not only continues to brush her teeth every single day, but actually enjoys it. At night, she turns the bathroom lights off and shuts the door, so she can have a mini disco moment. She always asks permission, like I’m going to suddenly decide this super fun thing is no longer allowed. Which makes sense! Most chores are a drag, something we have to bribe and reason and coax our kids through. From her perspective, she gets to go to the Kindergarten club every night, while from ours, we get to skip the teeth brushing battle of indeterminate lengths and instead bop around with our cute kid for 30 seconds. My approval level is at 10/10, five stars, will talk your ear off about it (or write a very lengthy review) even before we get to the effectiveness. 

“My approval level is at 10/10, five stars, will talk your ear off about it (or write a very lengthy review) even before we get to the effectiveness.”

But here’s the thing: it works. 

I’ll admit, it took a little getting used it. Not unlike the experience of switching to a sulfate-free shampoo, the Autobrush foam toothpaste is not sudsy. While this is ideal for the physical comfort of using what is essentially a vibrating mouth guard full of nearly 60k bristles and silicone, it did make me a feel a little bit underwhelmed when the timer went out.

“Wait that’s it?” I said. In fact, I actually double-brushed with it for the first month every time I used it, just because I couldn’t get over the fact that I didn’t have to spit mouthfuls of toothpaste and saliva throughout the experience. Then I learned that the brush modes include a 60-second option, which is my personal favorite. (It also has a massage mode, which I use with the tongue scraper, and a deep clean mode, for plaque buildup.)

We tried both the small and the regular adult sizes, which are 49mm from front to back and 75mm wide and 53mm from front to back and 77mm respectively. I think unless you have a really “short” mouth, the regular is the way to go. The head is flexible, and the only challenge with using it properly is reaching the back molars. This was much easier to do with the regular sized brush head, since it’s 4mm longer but only 2mm wider.

Three curved, clear plastic teeth-whitening mouthpieces with blue bristles are arranged on a white tiled surface.
A hand holding a transparent dental aligner against a plain backdrop.
We tried the brush heads in adult small, regular, and the child’s age 3-5 (L); I love the tongue scraper, which fits onto the body of the Sonic Pro, and has a bumpy silicone side and a spoon-shaped side for gently cleaning the surface of your tongue of bacteria. It works for kids and adults! (R)

The nylon bristles are very soft, which is important because they are really getting in up close and personal with every nook and cranny in your mouth. The bristles are at a 45-degree angle, so they easily surround the tops and sides of all your teeth at once in a surprisingly comfortable way. I was a little concerned about it being awkward or even causing a gag reflex, but all three of us have no trouble at all using the design. 

“The bristles are at a 45-degree angle, so they easily surround the tops and sides of all your teeth at once in a surprisingly comfortable way.”

The surface of my teeth feel similarly to how they do after a good dental cleaning, but I was still a little worried that our dentist would ultimately find something wrong with it. We were delighted that, about six weeks into use, we happened to have our six month cleanings — and our dentist was impressed! He had been skeptical about the design, since there are a ton of U-shaped knock offs on the market, many of which do not effectively clean the back molars. The Autobrush is the only one that has the approval of the American Dental Association. Check out the clinical trials conducted by SALUS Research, Inc., a dental research company, for more details.

Bottom line: Is it worth it to make the switch to Autobrush?

I think it’s pretty clear that I am giving this product for both adults and kids a full-throated, whole-hearted endorsement. It is faster than traditional brushing, more effective, clinically-backed by dentists, and my child actually loves brushing her teeth now. For me, that’s a pretty clear winner. 

“It is faster than traditional brushing, more effective, clinically-backed by dentists, and my child actually loves brushing her teeth now. For me, that’s a pretty clear winner.”

The only thing I don’t love about the Autobrush is that I can’t pick up supplies anywhere except their website. While it’s important to note that you don’t have to use their foaming toothpaste and can definitely use whatever your preferred brand is, the experience is not the same. The foaming toothpaste is especially designed to effectively clean your teeth without creating a ton of saliva and suds while using the brush. Because it’s such a light formula, it also washes out of the brush head just by running it under the tap.

Using a traditional toothpaste will require a little trial and error to get the right amount on the brush, you will have more saliva and suds in your mouth during use, and you need to use your fingers to scrub the thicker paste out of the brushes at the end. That said, I do choose to use my regular Arm & Hammer, because I prefer the taste and the feel and don’t mind the extra step to clean it. 

You will likely want to sign up for the subscription service for your supplies, which will get you a discount on the total amount. A Sonic Pro bundle (for adults or kids) includes one brush head, a body with charger, and toothpaste, is $139. It comes down to $89 with a subscription (you also get free shipping and a 2-month supply of flossers with the initial order). There are lots of bundling incentives for multiple adults and kids, plus accessory add-ons to check out. The subscription for a brush head and toothpaste replacement only comes out to $45 per month, and includes a pack of free flossers with each refill.

“The Autobrush has completely eliminated bedtime routine battles with our kid.”

For my family, this is more than worth it. Not only are we getting a superior, foolproof cleaning even at our most bleary-eyed and exhausted, but the Autobrush has completely eliminated bedtime routine battles with our kid. We are also over the moon that at least one aspect of our health and wellness care for our sweet T1D warrior is something she actually enjoys. 

If you’re accustomed to using your dentist-issued free toothbrush and a $4 toothpaste you pick up at the grocery store, $89 now and $270 a year might seem quite steep. But if you are a parent of young children, or you’re cavity-prone, suffering from gingivitis, or trying to troubleshoot an ability-related reason that traditional brushing just isn’t working, then Autobrush might be the answer you’ve been looking for. 

Stephanie H. Fallon is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a writer originally from Houston, Texas and holds an MFA from the Jackson Center of Creative Writing at Hollins University. She lives with her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where she writes about motherhood, artmaking, and work culture. Since 2022, she has been reviewing sustainable home and lifestyle brands, fact-checking sustainability claims, and bringing her sharp editorial skills to every product review. Say hi on Instagram or on her website.