It is absolutely no surprise that I am Foreo’s die-hard fan and have tried a majority of their devices.  Alongside their iconic and revolutionary Luna facial cleansing device, the second most eye-catching device they have that piques anyone’s interest has to be their line of silicone toothbrushes. I’ve tried to incorporate electric toothbrushes in the past from popular brands, you definitely know which one I’m talking about.  Their brush head is round and small?  Yea, that one.  Well after a week of use, my gums were destroyed and sensitive and I swore to never even attempt to use another electric toothbrush again.

In comes Foreo, dancing around with little care in the world, all cool and collected, knowing their self-worth without advertising themselves too hard.  Is this the softest electric toothbrush for sensitive gums?  With different silicone brush heads to choose from and now a new upgraded version of the ISSA 3, is it worth getting?  I’m gonna give you my two cents so you can make that decision for yourself.

*Sponsored post but all opinions are my own and are not scripted.*

Full name of product:
Foreo Issa 3

Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Permanent

Description of product:
“The 4-in-1 effortless oral care revolution

Price:
$150.88 usd/ $189 cdn

Where to buy:
Foreo

Colors available:
How to use:
1) Use your regular toothpaste and turn Foreo ISSA 3 on.
2) Brush your teeth the same way you would with a manual toothbrush for 2 minutes.
3) Rinse your mouth and ISSA 3 with water.
4) Use the tongue and cheek cleaner on the back to finish your oral care routine.

Foreo ISSA 3 Packaging:
Delivered to you in an attractive packaging showcasing the toothbrush and whichever color you choose to have, the ISSA 3 all come in their iconic soft, medical-grade silicone that now has been upgraded to a 2x stronger silicone + PBT polymer.

In the back of the packaging, there is a short description of what the ISSA 3 offers:
-ultra-hygienic silicone hybrid brush head
-16 speeds of sonic pulse technology
-tough on plaque
-12 months of brushing on a single charge

To remove your Foreo ISSA 3 from the packaging, take off the head from the body and it will come out.  I was struggling with figuring out how to take it out for the longest time hahaha.  When you first get your toothbrush, it might be locked.  To unlock it, hold down the + and – button together and the light indicator light will flash to indicate your device has been unlocked.

One full cycle of the brushing is 2 minutes, 30 seconds for the left side and right side for top and bottom.  The Foreo ISSA 3 will do a quite double buzz and you will know to switch to the different sides.

Contents of Foreo ISSA 3:

–Foreo ISSA 3 toothbrush
-travel pouch
-Manual
-charging cable

Not that I travel much at the moment, but it also comes with this travel pouch which is made of soft faux “leather”.  I found it is much easier to stick the head in first (that’s what she said) than have the body go in first.  It is much easier to take it out (insert dirty joke here).

How long does the Foreo ISSA 3 charge last?

Foreo claims one 2 hour charge will last up to 365 days and I can definitely attest to that statement, alongside all my other Foreo devices.  So theoretically speaking, you only really have to charge your Foreo ISSA 3 toothbrush twice a year if you brush twice a day.  To charge your toothbrush, make sure the charging port and charger are free of water or toothpaste residue.  Plugin the USB charger that is provided.  Once it has been plugged in, the indicator light on the bottom will flash.  Once it stops blinking, your ISSA 3 has been fully charged.  If your light indicator turns orange or if the power of pulsation diminishes, that means it is time to charge it up!

Does the Foreo ISSA 3 leave my teeth clean enough?

I have seen some compliments of the Foreo ISSA toothbrushes in general not cleaning well enough and leaving some residue on the teeth.  Personally, I don’t have that issue at all, so I’m not sure what people are talking about.  I stick to the hybrid brush head, which is the one with a mix of silicone and nylon bristles that mimics a regular toothbrush while being gentle on the gums at the same time.

The pulsation technology also does a good job at getting into the crevices of the sides of my teeth, however, I’m not sure how it would compare to those toothbrushes that rotate side to side.  I personally like to have my pulsation level relatively low since I find anything higher than medium-low too strong for my liking.  I’ve also noticed the noise level is much quieter than traditional toothbrushes.  I could hear people brush their teeth at 5:00 am and it was so irritatingly loud!  You won’t have that problem with Foreo, thank goodness!

Foreo ISSA replacement heads/ head options:

All ISSA brush heads are compatible with ISSA 3.  Here are all my brush heads I’ve been using with my ISSA 2.  From left to right, it is the ISSA hybrid brush head with silicone and nylon bristles, a full silicone brush head, and a tongue cleaner.  

The hybrid brush head is my go-to and the one I find that is the most effective.  The bristles on the inside are just like your regular toothbrush but aren’t as thick or rough.  The silicone bristles do take a little bit of getting used to but they haven’t hurt my gums or make them bleed ever.  This hybrid brush head is recommended to be replaced every 6 months.  The silicone bristles do break off little by little after 6 months, just a FYI.

For the full silicone brush head, I find it to not clean my teeth as well as the hybrid.  I’m not sure if it is because I’m so used to nylon bristles or not, but I still prefer the hybrid brush head.  This brush head says it will last for an entire year!

The Foreo tongue cleanser unfortunately was a massive disappointment to me.  I’ve been using the Orabrush tongue brush and have loved it for many years.  That one is able to lift all the gunk off my tongue and scrape it all off, leaving my tongue completely free of that white film.  This one from Foreo I find is too soft and isn’t able to lift any of the gross stuff off.

What are the differences between Foreo ISSA 2 and ISSA 3?

Although the exterior of the two Issa models looks practically identical, there were a couple of upgrades!  Foreo ISSA 3’s brush head has 2x stronger medical grade silicone, bounce-back bristles, 360-degree flex, and a low battery indicator.

I’m also not sure if I’m hallucinating, but I think the Foreo ISSA 3’s bristles (Fuschia one) seems to be thicker than the Foreo ISSA 2 (teal) one, no?  Or it could be just the way the Foreo ISSA 3’s bristles are lined up a bit more?

Visually wise, the Foreo ISSA 3’s logo is in white while the previous generation was just embossed into the silicone.  The Foreo ISSA 3’s power button also has the power symbol while the ISSA 2 does not.  The button on the Foreo ISSA 3 is also much easier to press and I find the ISSA 2 takes a bit more finger grip to press down into the power button.

The back of both generations looks exactly the same.  Both are also fully waterproof, so you could even bring them into the shower to brush your teeth if you are that type of morning tooth brusher.  Just make sure there is no residue or water in the charging port when you have to charge your device.

There are also little grooves on the back of the brush head which is supposed to be a tongue and cheek brush.  I personally don’t use it as a tongue brush since it is way too smooth in my opinion, but I do like how it massages slightly when I am brushing my teeth.

If you guys follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’m a frequent bubble tea/ boba drinker.  If you don’t know what bubble tea is, it is either a fruit or milky-sweetened tea paired with toppings like tapioca pearls, pudding, coconut jelly, or grass jelly.  Back in 2018 when I was a social media manager for a bubble tea shop, I drank about 3-4 a week and ended up with 8 cavities all at the same time.  To this day, I’m not sure if it really was 8 cavities or if the dental clinic I went to was trying to milk me for all I’m worth with my insurance.

Even with universal health care here in Canada, dental, eye care, chiropractor, physiotherapy all are not covered and we as employees have to rely on good companies that offer extended health care coverage.  So even with extended health care coverage, one cavity filling would cost about $200-300 per tooth before the 80-90% coverage, times that by 8, that would be about $2,400 cdn T_T.  I don’t remember the exact amount, so that is more of an average cost to paint the picture.

In my defense with the whole 8 cavities all at once, they were technically in the cracks between my two teeth, so would you consider it 8 or 4??  I now get my bubble tea with only 30% sweetness and drank it about once per week and I make sure to drink water right after or in-between every five sips or so, just so the sugar doesn’t linger in my mouth for too long.

If brushing my teeth will help me save $2,400, I will gladly brush my teeth very well AND floss beforehand. Because my teeth are so tight together, possibly due to getting braces before, the regular floss always breaks on me or can’t even get through the cracks.  The only two flosses that I can use are the ribbon type or Listerine’s floss.  

Also, do you guys brush your teeth in the morning? I find it shocking some people don’t brush in the morning and that makes me cringe hard.  My boyfriend doesn’t like to brush in the morning or will brush after he eats.  My theory is if you have the habit of brushing after eating, you most likely will forget since your mouth doesn’t feel grimy and gross anymore.  On top of that, you’re eating all that plaque from the night before, which in turn can build up in your heart.  I don’t ever feel like my morning has started until my mouth is clean from all that dried-up saliva and stinky morning breath.

So bottom line, BRUSH YOUR TEETH KIDS.  Now I know why my parents made sure I brushed my teeth as a kid.  I did rebel and I loved candy but now I KNOW.  SAVE MONEY, BRUSH YOUR TEETH.

Pro:
-amazing battery life
-super soft and comfortable silicone
-shape is a nice grip in the hands
-does not make my gums bleed!

Con:
-don’t love all the attachments (sold separately) 

Repurchase?:
Yes!

Stars given out of 5:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall thoughts:
Foreo ISSA 3 toothbrush is easily a new staple in my life and I have gifted them to my friends and family as well.  The unmatched, long-lasting battery life is amazing, especially for those who travel a lot.  Having experience with something outside the more traditional electric toothbrushes has changed my mind about them but I will be sticking with Foreo’s version for either a lifetime or until they come out with something even more mind-blowing.  Overall I personally really love the Foreo ISSA 3 (or just the whole ISSA toothbrush line) and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a toothbrush that won’t make you bleed every night you brush your teeth.

*Sponsored by Foreo, all opinions are my own.*