Dyson CameraJet Review: A £420 Toothbrush Won't Build the Habit for You
I have never once missed a run because I didn't own the right gadget. I have missed plenty because I was tired, busy, or simply couldn't be bothered. Teeth are no different. You can brush them with a £3 brush from the supermarket or with a £420 toothbrush that has a camera in it, and either way the thing that actually decides whether your teeth get cleaned is you, at eleven o'clock at night, deciding whether to bother.
So this is a review of the Dyson CameraJet, and it is also a post about habits. I bought the most over-engineered toothbrush on the market, and the most useful thing it taught me has nothing to do with the camera.
Quick Specs
Price: £419.99
Colours: Ceramic Ultra Blue or Ceramic Pink
Battery: Up to 10 days on Dyson's figures (one brush and one brush-and-jet session a day, in Gentle mode)
Charging: USB-C dock, which also refills the mouthwash
Mouthwash tank: 12.5ml
Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, via the MyDyson app
Replacement heads: £24 for two (two come in the box)
Key Features:
A camera in the brush head that spots the gaps between your teeth, 28 times a second
A jet of mouthwash fired into each gap within a tenth of a second of the camera seeing it
A live view inside your mouth in the app
A map of the areas you missed, with guidance on how to clean them next time
A travel case
Disclosure: I bought this myself, at full price. Nobody gave it to me and it is not a review unit. Part of me hoped that writing about it would go some way to justifying the price. I have been using it for a month.
The First Brush Was a Massacre
I have used a Philips electric toothbrush for years, and over time I have tried interdental sticks, water flossers and all sorts of other things that promise to get between your teeth. So I thought I knew roughly what I was in for.
I did not. The first time I used the CameraJet it created an almighty mess. I have never seen the bathroom mirror look so outrageous. Mouthwash everywhere. My wife almost killed me, and my honest reaction at the end of that first session was that I was never going to use it again.
I am not the only one. Other reviewers have said the same thing about mouthwash on the mirror and down their tops, so this is not me holding it wrong. It is what happens when a toothbrush fires jets of liquid at speed inside a mouth that is also full of toothpaste.
But My Teeth Felt Clean
And here is the thing that brought me back. Despite the carnage, my mouth felt properly, noticeably clean. That sensation of cleanliness is the best thing about this toothbrush, and a month in it still is. It was enough to make me try it again the next night, and the night after that.
Learning to Use It
Dyson want you to hold the brush flat against your teeth so the camera can see the gaps, and the advice you will read is that you need to change your whole technique. In practice you can be a bit more relaxed than that. It felt odd for a couple of days, and after that it just felt normal. The mess calmed down a lot once I had the hang of it, too.
The Jets Are a Supplement, Not a Replacement
The pulse jets are fine. They are not anywhere near as good as an interdental stick, which is still my preferred way of cleaning between my teeth. I have not stopped using them, and I wouldn't tell you to either. Think of the jets as a top-up on what you already do, not a reason to stop doing it.
The Camera Is a Bit Weird
The headline feature is the live view of the inside of your mouth in the app. I found it a bit spooky, if I'm honest. Seeing your own mouth from that angle is unsettling, and I am not sure it changed anything about how I brush.
I do think it has benefits, though. If you want to know where you are missing, it will show you, and the map of missed areas is genuinely useful. The catch is that you have to find the time for it, and the time you have to find is the last few minutes before bed, which is exactly when you have the least patience. That is the theme of this whole post, and I will come back to it.
Battery, and That Base
The battery has been fine, but not exceptional. I definitely charged it more than I expected to, and I would call Dyson's ten days generous at best. In fairness, you have to put it back on the base to refill the mouthwash anyway, so it does end up on there often enough that it never actually died on me.
What I didn't love is the base itself. It runs off a USB cable, which means it needs a socket, and my bathroom does not have one. So my toothbrush does not charge in my bathroom. You get used to it, but it is an odd thing to have to think about with a toothbrush.
Travelling With It
We took it away with us and, my God, it is enormous. I have never seen such a big toothbrush. Between the brush, the case and everything it needs, it took up so much room in the bag, and that really did put me off. If you travel a lot, this is a home toothbrush.
The Brush Head Cracked
A month in, one of the brush heads has already cracked on me. Not worn out, cracked. Dyson are meant to be replacing it, and I am still waiting. Luckily you get two in the box, so I have not been without, but it does not fill me with confidence about the plastic they are using. At £24 for two replacements, you would hope they would last longer than a few weeks.
What This Has to Do With Running
This is the part I actually wanted to write, and in part I am writing it for me as well as for you.
A month in, the novelty has definitely worn off. Now it is about keeping the habit going. If you are anything like me, you will think that a new gadget or a new gizmo is going to help you be more consistent. It starts off that way. Then the drudgery sets in. The reality is that it is just brushing your teeth, and brushing your teeth is a bit dull and repetitive, however clever the toothbrush is. There are nights I don't feel like it, partly because it wakes me up just as I am trying to wind down. And at that point you either start the cycle again or you break it.
Running is exactly the same. You get your new shoes, they feel amazing, and you can't wait to get out for your session. A month later those same shoes do not have the same effect. The same goes for a new watch, a new top, any piece of kit. Good kit can certainly help, and it makes the whole thing more pleasurable. I think this toothbrush does exactly that. But I have spent a lot of money on it, I can't buy another one every time the shine wears off, and I don't need to.
So what actually works? Getting going. If you can start the run, you will probably finish it. If you can start brushing your teeth, you will probably do the full two minutes. The hardest part of a 45 minute run is very often the first five minutes, and the hardest part of brushing your teeth is walking to the bathroom. Most of the time, starting is the whole job. Sometimes you have to force yourself a little.
And here is the other half of it, which matters just as much. If you asked a dentist, they would never recommend skipping a night. (No dentists were consulted in the making of this post.) But we are only human, and we are fallible. There are nights you forget, nights you just don't want to, and nights it simply isn't possible. One of those does not undo years of brushing. Running works the same way. Miss a session because life got in the way and nothing falls apart. What matters is what you do most of the time, not what you did on one Tuesday.
Routines are supportive, but they can also be really constricting. Some routines, like brushing your teeth, are there for your health. Others, like a training plan, are there to support you and get you ready for an event. Either way, there will be times you can't follow them, and that is fine. Treating every missed session as a failure is how people end up giving up altogether. Small, daily, mostly. That is the whole trick, with teeth and with training.
Alternatives to Consider
Your current electric toothbrush and a Waterpik Cordless Plus, around £75 (often less on offer). This is what I would tell most people to do. You get the brushing you already have, and a proper water flosser that does the between-the-teeth job without the camera. It is more faff, two devices instead of one, but it costs a fraction of the price.
Oral-B iO10, around £300 at the moment (worth checking, the price swings a lot). If it is the tracking and the app you like the sound of, this gives you a smart brush that tells you where you are missing, without the flossing jet. Still a lot of money for a toothbrush.
Interdental sticks, a few pounds. Still my favourite way to clean between my teeth, and still better than the jets. Not exciting. Works. Requires the one thing none of these gadgets can supply, which is you actually doing it.
Final Verdict
I'm not sure anybody should spend £420 on a toothbrush, and I wouldn't do it again. I'm a sucker for gadgets and I do love a Dyson product, which is the only reason I did it the first time.
The CameraJet is clever, and the clean feeling it leaves is genuinely the best I have had from a toothbrush. But the first session was a disaster, the jets don't beat an interdental stick, the battery is not what Dyson claim, the base needs a socket, it is enormous to travel with, and a brush head cracked within a month. At £420, those are a lot of things to forgive.
My recommendation: If you want the latest and greatest and you love a gadget, this is the way to go, and your teeth will feel fantastic. Everyone else should keep the toothbrush they have, buy a pack of interdental sticks, and spend the rest on something else. Whichever you choose, don't buy it expecting it to make you consistent. That part is still your job.
Want help building the habit?
Kit is nice. It doesn't get you out of the door. If you want a plan built around your actual life, with room for the days that don't go to plan, and a coach who cares more about what you do most of the time than what you did on one bad Tuesday, have a look at our coaching packages.
Keep reading
The Difference Between the Physical and Mental Race Wall: more on the voice that tells you not to bother.
Why Marathon Training Starts Now: Your First 32 Weeks: what a long build looks like when it is made of ordinary weeks.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Review: Brilliant, and Probably Not the One You Should Buy: another gadget I love and don't need.
