FOREO Sonic Toothbrush - Making Teeth Cleaning A Pleasure For Adults & Children

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We all know how important it is that our children brush their teeth properly. Tales of the tooth fairy, never ending warnings about sugar, and trips to the dentist make it pretty difficult for us to forget. Stats from a new dental survey from FOREO even revealed the shocking news that a whopping 55% of three to five-year olds already have a filling….

model teeth and apple

 But let’s face it, we’re not sure who dreads brush time more, us or our kids. So, here are some of the daily struggles that we face as parents, with a few easy to navigate solutions – including advice from top Harley Street dentist Dr Mark Hughes.



  1. Two minutes might as well be two years to a toddler
Children definitely live in a parallel world where two minutes can seem like a lifetime (unless they have two minutes left before bed). To combat this problem, you need to make the timings a game. A brush like the FOREO ISSATM mikro or ISSATM mini 2, which has a built-in timer, flashes a smiley face when the two minutes are complete. Don’t ask us why but there’s something about receiving a smiley face that really gives kids a sense of achievement!

FOREO sonic toothbrush range
  1. They want to do it themselves… but let’s face it don’t quite have the technique down
If they want to do it themselves, let them (for a bit). We all know children love to copy their parents, so brush yours at the same time to encourage them to use the same techniques. Once you’re done, let them help you, before helping them with those hard to reach areas. 
  1. Apparently the brush is some kind of chew toy
It’s normal for kids to bite down on their brush, especially while you are attempting to get to the hard to reach areas. The solution here is simple, we find a little tickle most effective -  just be careful of your fingers. Also, investing in a silicone brush like the FOREO ISSATM mikro or ISSATM mini 2 means that they can chew without fear of them breaking a tooth. Plus the ultra-hygienic, medical grade silicone and PBT polymer harbours 10,000 less bacteria than nylon brush heads – phew.
  1. I can barely brush my own teeth properly, how do I teach the kids?
This is where we enlist the help of a real expert, enter Harley Street Dentist and FOREO ambassador Dr Mark Hughes who says “Start by sitting or standing behind your child and cupping their chin in your hand. Angle the bristles of the toothbrush towards the gums and move the brush in gentle circles to clean the outer and inner sides of the teeth and gums. A good portion of time should be spent on the back molars, as this is an area where cavities often first develop. Then lift your child’s lips to brush the front and back of the teeth and end by gently brushing their tongue. Use a grain of rice sized amount of toothpaste to start, graduating to a pea sized by age three”
FOREO Sonic Toothbrushes

I actually got to speak to Dr Hughes myself and he cleared up one thing I had been worrying about. My ten year old son has autism and teeth cleaning has been a nightmare. To add to my worries he refuses to use anything but strawberry flavour baby toothpaste even though he now has a few adult teeth.

Dr Hughes reassured me that although adult toothpaste would be ideal, it's the brushing that really counts so as long as my son's baby toothpaste has some fluoride in it's better to stick to it if he is more likely to clean his teeth regularly.

I was given two FOREO sonic toothbrushes to try - one for me and one for my 13 year old son who is not keen on electric toothbrushes and regularly "forgets" to clean using a standard toothbrush.

He loves the silicone feel of the brush and the slight buzzing sensation which is much more subtle than most electric toothbrushes. I had been using a round headed electric toothbrush but also much prefer the way my new FOREO feels on my sensitive teeth.

The big fact I've saved til last though is the battery life. Are you ready for this? The battery life on the FOREO ISSA 2 range is around a year. Yes! One entire year! Especially perfect for those who regularly travel and don't need the extra hassle of packing charge leads. It doesn't take long to charge either.

black silicone toothbrush from FOREO

I like the fact that the Foreo looks like a "proper"toothbrush and you brush your teeth in the same way but get a much better clean. You do need to change the heads around every six months but you can buy replacements easily enough - Boots for instance does them online. All of the ranges come in a variety of gorgeous colours to suit all tastes.

Any negatives? Well I wish my "adult" FOREO ISSA rewarded my cleaning efforts with a smily face like my son's mini model but you can't have everything can you?
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FOREO ISSATM mikro is available from foreo.com, RRP: £79, and the ISSATM mini 2 is available from Selfridges, RRP: £99.

Survey conducted by Atomik Research on behalf of FOREO among 2,002 UK adults aged 18+ including 1,000 parents of under-16s.

*Disclaimer: I received two FOREO toothbrushes free for the purpose of this honest review.