Dyson’s £420 ‘CameraJet’ brings us high-tech oral hygiene – but at a mouth-watering price

Technology company Dyson has expanded its high-end consumer offering with the Dyson CameraJet, its very first electric toothbrush.

Known for disrupting traditional markets with bagless vacuums and bladeless fans, the company spent over a decade and employed 661 engineers to develop an electric toothbrush that aims to combine brushing, flossing, and mouth-washing into a single device.

The centrepiece of the CameraJet is a built-in, 100,000-pixel macro-lens camera positioned near the brush head. Operating as a high-quality endoscope, the lens records 28 images per second, streaming live footage straight to the MyDyson smartphone app so users can watch a live view from inside their mouths while cleaning.

Powered by an artificial intelligence algorithm trained on 470,000 dental images, the camera identifies gaps between teeth in real time. When a gap is detected, a precision jet instantly releases a burst of mouthwash to clear out plaque, eliminating what founder James Dyson calls an “awkward and time-consuming chore.”

To maintain functionality, the brush features a pressurised “anti-gravity” 12.5-millilitre tank that lets it spray even when held upside down. Because traditional foaming toothpaste would obscure the camera lens, Dyson has also formulated its own non-foaming toothpaste and mouth rinse, available in Ginger Mint and Spearmint variants.

Why is it so expensive?

With a steep price tag of £420 for the hardware, and dedicated toothpaste and mouth rinse refills costing £8.50 each, the CameraJet sits firmly at the ultra-luxury end of the dental market.

The extraordinary cost reflects the immense engineering, research, and advanced hardware packed into the handle. Developing a miniature, waterproof macro-camera system capable of high-speed machine learning processing, paired with precision fluid dynamics and Wi-Fi connectivity, requires advanced micro-engineering far beyond standard electric toothbrushes, the manufacturer claims.

Furthermore, Dyson’s extensive testing protocols – including the creation of artificial “proxy plaque” to measure cleaning efficacy – added years of overhead to the project.

Despite its technological marvels, dental professionals note that such high-end gizmos are not strictly necessary. Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, cautioned that patients should not assume high-priced gadgets replace a proper routine, emphasising that standard twice-daily brushing and traditional flossing remain the gold standard.

For early adopters willing to pay a premium, however, Dyson’s CameraJet offers a glimpse into the future of high-tech personal care.