A December 1969 report from the consumer magazine Which? explored a relatively new gadget that, it predicted, many people would be giving as Christmas presents: the electric toothbrush.(1969年12月，消费者杂志《Which?》刊登了一篇报道，介绍了一款当时还相当新奇的玩意儿——电动牙刷，并预测许多人会把它当作圣诞礼物送人。) For those who hadn’t yet seen one, the magazine described it as “not that much different in principle(原则上、大体上) from an ordinary brush – you have a stick with a brush on the end. The difference is that an electric one moves the brush head for you”. Progress indeed.
1969年12月，消费者杂志《Which?》刊登了一篇报道，介绍了一款当时还相当新奇的玩意儿——电动牙刷，并预测许多人会把它当作圣诞礼物送人。对于还没见过电动牙刷的读者，杂志这样描述：“它在原理上与普通牙刷并无太大区别——都是一根棍子，末端带个刷头。区别在于，电动牙刷会替你移动刷头。”真是了不起的进步。
Nearly six decades on, electric toothbrushes can do a lot more than merely jiggle(轻轻晃动、抖动), offering multiple speeds and movement sensors for real-time tracking(实时追踪) of where you’ve brushed – some even promise gum-massage or tongue-cleaning modes. Prices range from about £25 for a basic Oral B model to £599.99 for a Philips Sonicare model that gives “smart coverage(覆盖范围) feedback”. The latest super-toothbrush – a mere £419.99 – features a camera and a built-in water jet to clean between teeth, using AI to identify gaps.(最新款“超级牙刷”售价419.99英镑，配备摄像头和内置水牙线，用于清洁牙缝，并利用AI识别牙缝位置。) Created by Dyson, it’s still, essentially, a stick with a brush on the end (although there is another toothbrush on the market that’s shaped like a mouthguard(护齿套), with individual brushes, that claims to clean your teeth in 20 seconds).
近六十年过去，电动牙刷能做的远不止轻轻震动：它们提供多档速度、运动传感器，可实时追踪你刷过哪些部位——有些甚至宣称具备牙龈按摩或舌苔清洁模式。价格从约25英镑的基础款欧乐B，到599.99英镑、能提供“智能覆盖反馈”的飞利浦Sonicare。最新款“超级牙刷”售价419.99英镑，配备摄像头和内置水牙线，用于清洁牙缝，并利用AI识别牙缝位置。这款由戴森打造的产品，本质上仍是一根末端带刷头的棍子（不过市面上还有一款形似护齿套、带独立刷毛、号称20秒清洁牙齿的牙刷）。
In the UK, 59% of adults use an electric toothbrush and sales, including replacement heads, reached £361m in the last year, according to market intelligence(市场情报) company Mintel. Any product launch by Dyson – still associated with reinventing the vacuum cleaner – feels like something of an event, so its incursion into oral health does feel significant, says Rachel Bairsto, the head of museum services at the British Dental Association.(戴森——人们仍将其与“重新发明吸尘器”联系在一起——的任何新品发布都像一场盛事，因此它进军口腔健康领域确实意义重大，英国牙科协会博物馆服务负责人蕾切尔·贝尔斯托如是说。) “We’re seeing more and more expensive toothbrushes,” she says. “Expensive toothpaste as well.”
在英国，59%的成年人使用电动牙刷；据市场情报公司Mintel的数据，包括替换刷头在内的销售额去年达到3.61亿英镑。戴森——人们仍将其与“重新发明吸尘器”联系在一起——的任何新品发布都像一场盛事，因此它进军口腔健康领域确实意义重大，英国牙科协会博物馆服务负责人蕾切尔·贝尔斯托如是说。“我们看到越来越贵的牙刷，”她说，“还有越来越贵的牙膏。”