NYLAH BURTON, 27, doesn’t have just one electric toothbrush—she has two. At the recommendation of her dentist three years ago, the Chicago-based travel writer stopped using her manual brush. She decided to buy the $270 Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9500, a smart electric toothbrush. She had been applying way too much force to her teeth and has found the pressure sensor on the Sonicare has helped her ease off. “It has made my gums stop bleeding as much,” she said.
Unfortunately, Ms. Burton found its charger impractical to carry while traveling. The solution turned out to be a second toothbrush from Quip, a direct-to-consumer startup, which is powered with a replaceable AA battery. No bulky charger required.