Could a Toothbrush Be Worth A $220 Price Tag?

How much would you spend on a toothbrush? Paying $220 may sound like an absurd price, and yet that's how much the Philips DiamondClean toothbrush will run you. I don't know about you, but I buy toothbrushes for $3.99 at CVS and replace them every few months. Someday, when I'm a real grown-up, I hope to upgrade to a battery-operated version that maybe costs $40.

When I first heard about the Philips DiamondClean, I wrote it off as something ridiculous that only crazy rich people would ever consider. After all, it's rumored that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are big fans. Then I came across an article by Kelsey Miller on Refinery29 in which she proclaims the luxuriously priced toothbrush totally worth it. Since she's a (presumably) not absurdly wealthy writer for a women's lifestyle website, much like myself, I was intrigued by her take.

"Kim Kardashian may use it," she writes in her impassioned love letter to the DiamondClean, "but the toothbrush itself is Meryl Streep. It gives a knockout performance every damn time. It's so consistently The Best that I keep thinking I'll get tired of it, but no. Every night, I leave the bathroom, running my tongue over my squeaky-clean teeth and gums, thinking, 'How does she do it?'" I'm actually legitimately jealous that Miller feels so passionately about her toothbrush, an item which happens to be a total afterthought in my own life.

The product description online claims the Philips DiamondClean will improve gum health in two weeks and remove seven times more plaque and whiten teeth twice as effectively as a manual toothbrush. As someone who drinks boatloads of coffee and whose teeth are easily stained, I have to admit that this sounds super appealing. The DiamondClean also features a two minute timer that beeps at 30-second intervals to remind you to brush each section of your mouth thoroughly. I tend to be a lazy brusher, so I think I'd find that particular feature extremely helpful.

I'm still not prepared to drop that much cash on a toothbrush, but perhaps Kim and Kanye are onto something with this. We probably should be spending more than the aforementioned $3.99 on our mouth care. Perhaps it's time for me to invest in a basic Sonicare, at the very least.

Image: Philips