Some of you may know FOREO for their famous Moon-shaped sonic cleansing brushes [I will review one on the blog very soon]. The brand decided to take a step further, and released a whole new type of product – a silicone sonic toothbrush! I had the opportunity to give FOREO Issa a month-long test run, and I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on all pros and cons now, so I can finally share my results.
Utilizing the newest in dental care technology, the Foreo ISSA™ features high-intensity pulsations which are channeled through soft silicone bristles, instead of the damaging scratching action that standard bristled toothbrushes use. The silicone bristles generate the ideal amount of friction to effectively remove stains and plaque while remaining gentle on tooth enamel and helping to prevent gum recession.
First of all, FOREO Issa is not an upgraded version of an electric toothbrush; it was designed from scratch as a whole new concept, utilizing the same high quality antimicrobial silicone used for LUNA cleansing devices. Like LUNA, Foreo Issa comes with the certificate of authenticity. By registering your toothbrush online you will gain access to various member perks and warranty benefits. Speaking of, all brushes come with a 2-year warranty and 10-year quality guarantee, which speaks volumes about the product – if the company is confident enough to offer these benefits, they must really believe their product is outstanding.
Issa toothbrushes comes in two sizes – Regular for a standard adult mouth and Small for children and people with smaller mouths. I received the standard-sized brush, but I think I could have gone with the small one instead, since my mouth is not very big.
Unlike traditional electric toothbrushes, Issa brush heads need to be replaced once a year as opposed to every 2-3 months. The brushes all have an elongated teardrop shape with rectangular silicone bristles that massage the gums and polish the teeth as you use the device. Both the heads and the bristles are quite flexible and can move in all directions, allowing the user to reach the back teeth with ease.
If there’s one thing I’ve always associated with electric toothbrushes, it’s their bulky charging stations. FOREO took a step further and made Issa rechargeable via standard USB cord. Charging from zero to 100% takes about an hour, and when fully charged you can use the brush up to 365 times. Yep, you read that right!
My other concern was the toothpaste, because I was wondering if I may need some special fancy one to go with Issa. Nope, the company says you can use any toothpaste you wish, except ones with bleach, because that may alter the color of the brush. Homemade tooth powders and tooth polishes get a green light, too! By the way, even though the brush is very gentle, you can manually adjust the speed of pulsations by pressing + or – at the base of the handle. Full-sized brushes come with 8 speeds, while Issa Mini only has one speed.
Issa brushes are very easy to clean – just run them under running water, while rubbing the bristles with your fingers, and you’ll be good to go. FOREO doesn’t recommend putting them in UV sanitation cases, though.
My thoughts: After using this toothbrush for five weeks, I am left with mixed feelings. First of all, I immediately noted that it’s wayyyyy gentler than my current toothbrush, and considering that I have sensitive gums, I noticed some improvement in that area. However, since it was so gentle, at times it made me feel like it’s not doing a very good job at cleaning my teeth. After a few days of using Issa exclusively, I was convinced that I had much more plaque buildup than usual, so I constantly wanted to reach for my regular toothbrush, and eventually I broke down and did. My teeth instantly felt a whole lot cleaner!
In the end, I liked the gum massage, and the condition of my gums definitely improved after I started using Issa. However, I feel like it doesn’t remove plaque as well as traditional brushes. Perhaps, incorporating brush heads with thinner bristles, or a mix of standard and thin silicone bristles might fix that problem, and I’m sure FOREO will come out with some new brush head types in the future, since the concept is really great. For now, I use Issa for midday brushing after the meals, because it polishes the surface quite well, but I can’t say it replaced flossing or a traditional brush for me.
WHERE TO BUY:
Have you tried FOREO Issa? What do you think about the whole concept of a silicone toothbrush? Let me know in the comments below!
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