Last August, our dentist gently but firmly told Crevette and Beanie to be more thorough when brushing their back teeth, which were at risk of early decay.
They are not keen brushers and although I tell them to clean their teeth twice a day, I trust them with it and rarely check their teeth when they are done. Crevette, with a few ‘big’ teeth, is my usual culprit, his teeth rarely gleaming white to be completely honest.
When I first heard of Playbrush, my interest was immediately aroused but I did not have high hopes. Ground-breaking ideas too often come with badly designed finished products.
The idea of a small device that attaches to a manual toothbrush and turns it into a game controller sounded like fun but I had a feeling it would not work for us, or be flimsy and break down within a few days (new stuff like that rarely works first time for us).
Crevette was incredibly enthusiastic about this new gadget, and it was like Christmas for him when it arrived.
He decided to open the box and try the Playbrush on camera. Over to you, Crevette!
Please excuse the couple of hiccups, the video above was really our ‘live’ unboxing of the Playbrush. We had no idea what to expect and we discovered it as I was filming my little man.
Just to sum it all up, as you could see in the video above, a seven year old could figure out how to use it. That is definitely a good start.
The box contains:
– the Playbrush, a small hardware device that attaches to a regular toothbrush and turns it into a gaming controller
– a micro-USB cable (for charging)
– an instruction manual
– a Playbrush Bedtime story
Surprisingly, it all worked as it was supposed to! We have now been using our Playbrush every day for over three weeks and I am pleased to say it is surviving our family!
We also got a bathroom kit including a smartphone holder, suction cups and stickers to personalise the plastic pouch. I would definitely recommend getting it as it keeps the phone dry and at eye level. For a couple of days, I was wriggling my fingers inside the pouch then I realised the touch screen was still working through the bathroom set: brilliant!
The day we opened our parcel, we had so much fun, and brushed our teeth more than we needed to, just so that we could give it a good try (all in the name of a thorough review!).
Before bed that night, Beanie asked me: “Mummy, can I do it? I’m first, I want to win!” (Competitive, much?).
Downloading Utoothia on the App store took seconds. Here are our current scores in Utoothia. Crevette is in the lead!
It is a nifty little device, really sturdy and quite simply brilliant! It got us really excited about brushing our teeth (me included) and I once caught Beanie sneaking in a second brushing session just before school so she could try to beat her brother’s score (she has no chance, but shush, don’t tell her!).
My kids asking to brush their teeth is completely unheard of! When they use the Playbrush, they have to brush over all their teeth and for long enough, which ensures a much more thorough clean, especially towards the back, which was neglected with my children. Our dentist should be happy!
A couple of things to be aware of:
– Your Playbrush will need to be charged every 3-4 weeks (micro-USB provided – it can be connected to a USB plug or a USB port on a computer).
– Keep the arrows in line with each other, and with the head of your toothbrush.
– The Playbrush goes to sleep automatically (when still for a minute).
– You can download Utoothia from the App Store (Apple) or Play Store (Android).
– Your phone needs Bluetooth to connect to Playbrush.
– Playbrush newsletters are great; they are full of tips on how to improve your score and give you hints to unlock rewards in the games.
There is now a second game you can download for use with Playbrush, ‘Utoothia Sky’ and it is Crevette’s favourite! The children love being able to personalise their avatar.
Dentist update on 1st April:
Today, we had our bi-annual visit to the dentist’s. We all went in feeling rather confident and the dentist commented on Crevette’s impeccable oral hygiene as well as Beanie’s nice, clean front teeth but added that Beanie still had to focus more on her molars. Other than that, it sounds like their teeth are cleaner than ever! If you were wondering how to turn reluctant brushers into keen ones, Playbrush is your answer!
Find out more about Playbrush here.
What do you like about Playbrush and Utoothia?
Disclosure:
– This is a sponsored post. All opinions and photographs are my own.
The actual brushing challenges are fun so will encourage my children to brush their teeth!
Anything to get them to brush their teeth, he he!
The rewards
My little ones love it when they unlock something new!
i think it would be fab for my 2 competitive boys!
They’d love it, no doubt about that!
that it encourages kids to brush for the right amount of time
Having to achieve various tasks
They can learn how to improve their brushing technique.
I like that more people can play the game and compare the scores – kids are so competitive these days.
The fact that the app makes a boring chore fun x
It certainly does!
That you can compete with other family members.
The fact that it improves quality of brushing – a problem in our family!
the kids would love this
Makes fun times for cleaning teeth xx
I love this app my two grandsons don’t like brushing there teeth and anything that makes it more fun and interesting is great
Has to be rewards which makes sure they brush their teeth
The competitive element
My boys would love the challenge.
the rewards look great xx
makes brushing their teeth interesting and fun great idea
I like that the child gets to create their own character – amking them feel more involved with it!
the potential benefits in future dentistry costs
The rewards
The fact that it assists with a good tooth brushing routine is an aspect I like. Unfortunately the website seemed to be one page over another, which made it impossible for me to read the information, as much is inaccessible due to layout of webpage. Yet I was keen to find out lots about this product. Liked video.
Oh I’m sorry there was a problem with the page. I’ll look into it now. Glad you liked the video!
The rewards will be good motivation
The fact that it had a practical purpose
The brushing challenges – Need some encouragement to get them to brush
its a fun way to get children brushing their teeth
Anything that gets the kids enjoying cleaning their teeth is a brilliant idea.
Tell me about it!
I reckon this will feed into the competitive nature of kids and really encourage them to keep their scores up so they don’t fall behind one another…great idea! x
My daughter will love this
The competitive aspect
That is makes tooth brushing more fun for children
The challenges, and the fun element, any help is certainly welcome x
The brushing challenges
Going through the different levels.
The challenges look fantastic and a good way to get children to brush!
I like the design and hopefully it will get my 2 daughters to brush their teeth, they are a nightmare especially as my youngest is going through a I do it stage.
Brushing teeth based on where the crobies enter mean back teeth are less likely to be neglected.
Completely!
Fantastic way to ensure clean teeth.
I love that it makes it fun!
making something as important as teeth brushing fun xxx
The competitive site of it:)
HOW TO IMPROVE THEIR BRUSHING TECHNIQUE
My 3 girls are super competitive so it would suit them well!
the rewards x
It makes brushing teeth more appealing
makes cleaning teeth fun
makes teeth brushing fun
It’s always trying to think of exciting ways to get my children to clean their teeth…but to be honest “let’s see who can brush the longest” wasnt inspiring them!
This looks fab, my boys are hugely competitive so this would go down a treat!
It’s seriously the only thing that’s got my kids to brush their teeth properly and I love it!
I like that the challenges encourage the child to keep brushing, my 8 yr old is difficult to get to brush
the rewards
Yes it does x
That it makes brushing teeth fun, I think kids will go and brush their teeth without being told to, which is always a good thing x
that it makes it all fun for kids to brush their teeth
the challenges
I love that it gives children an incentive to clean their teeth – brilliant idea!
My son is autistic and HATES brushing his teeth, we have to litterally pin him to do them. It might make brushing his teeth bareable 🙂
I’m sure it would at least help, if not make it enjoyable! I had to pin down my 3yo to brush her teeth until we had the Playbrush!
that they will actually want to brush their teeth
Great review, I think the rewards would appeal to my 2 children when brushing their teeth, it definitely sounds like it makes brushing teeth fun
It is!
Makes cleaning teeth fun!
I love that the game aspect will encourage my stepson to brush his teeth thoroughly rather than the quick swipe he tries to get away with!
Anything that encourages my daughter to brush is good and I like the ideas about learning how to improve the brushing technique
They can learn how to improve their brushing technique.
Just having something to encourage brushing, always a struggle so a good idea to make it fun!
The rewards!
Seems like a great way to try and engage kids more with cleaning their teeth. Can be a bit of a nightmare!
Fantastic for encouraging my 3 nephews to take better care of their teeth and promote healthy habits
Love tech that that does this
BEDTIME STORY
It looks as if they would this fun instead of a chore!
It distracts them
the brushing challenges are fab
The characters to encourage brushing.
The rewards that encourage children
That is makes the whole idea of tooth brushing a fun activity 🙂
I like that you can have multiple players, so you can compete against other family members.
MY SONS ARE SO COMPETITIVE THEY WOULD LOVE THIS
The rewards sound great, my son and daughter both love their sticker charts, so I’m sure this would go down well.
I like the competitiveness of this, my son would be more inclined to brush better for the rewards in the game 🙂
My nephrw will love the rewards
The challenges would be fun
The game would really encourage my grandsons to brush properly and for the right amount of time
That it makes brushing your teeth fun for kids!
making necessities fun
its just so unusual and fun!
The Rewards and how it encourages your children to brush teeth
That my kids will brush for the required time! They get so bored otherwise!
Funtastic – my grandson would love it
I love the competitive aspect of it.
Making it fun x
Competing against family members. With 3 boys I could see mine brushing their teeth an awful lot to get the highest score.
The rewards
the rewards
That it makes brushing competitive & fun….a fantastic idea
Having to achieve things for rewards!
The fact that it is fun
I love that it can make brushing fun! The challenges sound fab x
The bedtime story!
The fact that it encourages brushing by making it fun.
I love that it makes tooth brushing fun but also encourages children to use the right technique!
It’s great that the game encourages youngsters to brush
The scoring and rewards sound great to encourage children to brush thoroughly.
i like the competitive feature!! great idea! 🙂
Turning a chore into fun.
Makes toothbrushing fun
The brushing challenges looks really fun
I love the rewards it makes cleaning teeth fun 🙂 X
kids would love this! awesome idea x
stacey pav
The brushing challenges sound ace.
The kids love it
Encouraging my eldest to brush for long enough. He only manages about 10/seconds, literally, and so I have to brush them again for him!
I think its good that it encourages children (and adults) to keep their teeth nice and clean and to not see it as a chore xxx
That you can compete with the family
Good idea to help them brush, think mine would love this
The rewards
Making teeth brushing fun and interesting rather than a chore – suffering from gum disease myself it is hard and very probable it will be passed down to my children as it is hereditary
looks like a great idea to encourage our kiddies to brush!
The rewards
I love that it makes brushing teeth fun!
It will make brushing their teeth fun! 🙂
teh fact the children get great rewards
Making brushing teeth fun will certainly work
To keep them going for the right amount of time
Great prize
it helps to improve the brushing technique.
I like that it Teaches people to brush correctly and that you can compete with your family x
The game is great and my children would really benefit from this.
I would say the rewards 🙂
I love the rewards
What a fab idea kids will love this especially my 8 year old
making it more fun x
It encourages littles ones yo brush their teeth
the challenges
I love that it makes brushing teeth fun and having a reward is fantastic
It keeps them occupied.
The competitive element, so they won’t get bored with it and will come back for more!
I love the idea of making cleaning teeth fun for the kids. Great idea!
they would find it fun
Learning how to improve brush technique
I like the rewards so if they don’t have a certain reward it would make them focus on brushing that part
The challenges
Oh the fact its got a tooth fairy is fab, and competing with my kids lol, hopefully it would get my aspergers son to brush more xx
A great idea. Love the rewards, and the challenges.
I love the concept! I tried another of these “gaming toothbrushes”, called Kolibree with my kids, and they just loved it!
Oh I’ve never heard of Kolibree. Will have a look for it. We really love Playbrush. It’s turned a chore into a fun activity… and my kids now have throughly clean teeth!