How I turned brushing my teeth into the best part of my day

Twice a day I did the same thing: toothpaste, brush, rinse, done. No thought. No joy. Just autopilot. For a long time, that’s what oral care meant to me—functional, forgettable and definitely not something I’d describe as rewarding. Then I switched to the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Prestige 9900 and everything changed. Not overnight—but subtly, steadily and in ways I didn’t expect.

As someone who works in media, my days are hectic and hyperconnected. They’re packed with meetings, emails, edits and deadlines. At night it’s family, friends and adulting; there’s not a lot of time for rest. But brushing my teeth? It has turned out to be the rare window in my day that is just for me. No deadlines. No multitasking. Just two minutes of calm.

Brushing, but better

When I swapped over from my previous electric toothbrush to the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Prestige 9900, I realized just how much better my daily routine could have been if I had made the change sooner. Personalized settings let me focus on whitening and gum care. And the brush head syncs automatically with the mode I needed. Every detail feels thought out—and, frankly, kind of luxurious.

That brings me to the biggest perk from owning the DiamondClean Prestige 9900: the Philips app on my phone. As someone with a deep love for optimizing things—yes, I have spreadsheets for my travel plans—this feature hits a sweet spot. I’m not just brushing. I’m levelling up. What started off as a simple way to keep track of my oral health and habits has become a competitive method in gaming my oral health.

The two-minute reset

Brushing has now become a daily ritual I look forward to—whether as a way to start my day with a moment of self-care or wind down at night as a small act of mindfulness. After years of being an avid gamer, optimizing numbers and achieving ideal results comes second nature to me. Plus, keeping this routine and checking in with the app helps me stay motivated to maintain my oral health.

When I’m vacationing or visiting my parents, I usually skip packing my electric toothbrush because bringing the charger feels like a hassle. But the DiamondClean Prestige 9900 solves that with a sleek travel case that doubles as a USB-C charger—and let’s be honest, most of us already travel with a USB-C cable. On a recent weekend trip, I brought it along and was impressed by the battery life—it didn’t need a single charge the entire time.

The Cordless Power Flosser 3000 is a massive boon for anyone with a permanent dental retainer like I have. People with a fixed wire behind their teeth know how difficult (and stressful!) it is to maintain them and floss beneath the gaps, but a powerful water flosser completely erases that conundrum and the stress that comes with it. Although I still floss manually, adding the water flosser to finish that routine has allowed me to really feel confident and worry-free—especially beneath those pesky wires.

Brushing my teeth is no longer a box to check off, it’s the pause I didn’t know I needed. Who knew a new oral care routine would be a two-minute window of peace and quiet, allowing me to mentally prepare for the day’s work or whittle away the day’s stress before bedtime through mindful brushing, and a wilful desire to bump those numbers up on the app.

Discover your reset ritual at philips.ca.