Bon Charge Red Light Toothbrush review: best oral care innovation in years or money-grabbing gimmick?

As a big fan of the amazing tech behind the best LED face masks and best electric toothbrushes, I got more than a little excited when I heard the news that red light therapy and sonic cleaning were being combined to create the first-ever LED electric toothbrush - not least because the wellness brand behind this innovative launch, Bon Charge, makes one of the best LED masks – the Bon Charge Red Light LED face masks – on the planet (I gave it a full five stars, and it got a coveted T3 Platinum Award).

But just because red light is scientifically-proven to boost blood circulation, jump start cell function and trigger the body’s own natural healing response, does it follow that this anti-ageing, wound-healing hero is also able to improve oral health when incorporated into a toothbrush? I tested the Bon Charge Red Light Toothbrush twice a day for three months to find out.

BON CHARGE RED LIGHT TOOTHBRUSH REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Bon Charge Red Light Toothbrush is now available to buy for a recommended retail price of £149 / $199 / AUS $299 from Bon Charge UK / Bon Charge US / Bon Charge Australia.

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BON CHARGE RED LIGHT TOOTHBRUSH REVIEW: UNBOXING AND DESIGN

Nestled inside Bon Charge’s signature red and black packaging, you’ll find the toothbrush handle itself, a charging base that conveniently doubles as a stand, a USB charging cable, a user manual and two replacement brush heads, which is a nice bonus.

There might not be a companion app to customise settings (to be honest, I was kind of relieved), but the sleek, simple and startlingly lightweight handle houses many of the features you’d expect from a premium electric toothbrush, all at the touch of the single on/off button.

Press it once to power up the device, then keep pressing to scroll through the four different ‘intelligent’ sonic cleaning modes – powered by up to 20,000 vibrations a minute – to suit your every need. These include:

• Clean (320Hz) – Powerful sonic cleaning to lift plaque and debris
• Sensitive (310Hz) – Gentle care for tender gums and teeth
• Care (315Hz) – Balanced sonic clean for daily use
• Polish (290Hz) Sonic cleaning with added polishing action

A clear backlit display on the handle tells you with actual words which mode you are using (no hard-to-decipher symbols here) while the memory function always recalls your preferred mode (i.e., the last mode you used) and a two-minute smart timer with 30-second quadrant prompts ensures your mouth gets a thorough clean.

Setting up is a doddle: simply place the toothbrush handle on the base for 10 hours to get a full charge that’ll last you an impressive four weeks when you use it for two minutes twice a day, then pop on a replacement head, add toothpaste, and you’re good to go.

BON CHARGE RED LIGHT TOOTHBRUSH REVIEW: FEATURES

Without question, the standout feature on this toothbrush is the incorporation of dual-wavelength light therapy into the brush heads, which Bon Charge says is 'a new frontier in oral hygiene designed to support gum health and promote overall oral wellbeing.’

Each replaceable brush head features six LEDs, including 3 x red light at 660nm wavelengths and 3 x invisible near-infrared light at 830nm wavelengths – which shine through the soft, durable and transparent bristles for optimal light penetration at the gum line.

Bon Charge says these two types of precision-engineered light have been specifically chosen because they ‘use the most effective wavelengths to boost gum health’, and on paper, the inclusion of red light is a no-brainer because it is clinically proven to reduce inflammation (the brand cites one study that shows up to 90% of people experience some level of gum inflammation).

Moreover, red light at 660nm is the wavelength known to penetrate surface tissues like skin (and, according to Bon Charge, gums) to stimulate cell activity, improve circulation and support healing, while invisible near-infrared light at 830nm – associated with increasing cellular function and boosting blood circulation – is able to ‘penetrate deeper to reach the cells beneath’ and ‘energize gum tissue’.

Together, Bon Charge says these two wavelengths ‘shine into the gumline to boost cellular energy production (ATP), supporting gum recovery with every use,’ while also providing a ‘layered, inside-out approach to gum support and oral wellness.’ Sounds great. But does it work?

BON CHARGE RED LIGHT TOOTHBRUSH REVIEW: PERFORMANCE

When it comes to assessing the performance of the Bon Charge Red Light Toothbrush, I’ve got to admit I’ve had a bit of a hard time deciding whether the addition of LED in an electric toothbrush is the best thing to happen to at-home oral care in a decade or a bit of a gimmick.

To be crystal clear, I am a firm believer in the healing power of red light therapy (RLT) – or photobiomodulation (PBM), to give it its scientific name – having tested it in various types of tech for a number of years.

In addition to the many studies I’ve read supporting the benefits of RLT, I have personally seen evidence of its anti-ageing benefits when I’ve compared my own ‘before and after’ images following the use of LED face masks and gadgets like the Currentbody Skin LED Lip Perfector, and I’ve also felt its recovery benefits post-workout after trying red light beds, panels and wands all designed to boost blood flow and reduce pain and inflammation.

However, while I do understand the theory behind the inclusion of red light in an electric toothbrush to improve gum health, I do feel a journalistic responsibility to point out that there is a lack of scientific evidence to support the suggestion that a red light toothbrush is genuinely effective at reducing inflammation, and this is only compounded by the fact that this is the first-ever red light toothbrush on the market.

Bon Charge naturally justify the device’s creation by highlighting peer-reviewed laboratory studies on human gum cells which show that ‘brief repeated exposure to red and infrared light can help support gum cell viability and healthy cellular response’ (you can see the study here). But the study also says that the effectiveness of PMB depends on a combination of parameters, such as energy density, duration, frequency and wavelength.

With this in mind, I admit I did initially wonder whether a device such as a red light toothbrush could be nearly as effective as something like a red light gum shield-type device (yep, they exist), or a red light face mask, both of which are usually worn in place for anything from three to 20 minutes.

Why? Because a toothbrush is generally only used for two minutes at a time, and it is constantly moved to different areas of the mouth, meaning some areas of gum might only be exposed to LED light for a matter of seconds (although using it twice a day would immediately double the amount of light exposure).

Clearly, I had some doubts about whether the Bon Charge Red Light Toothbrush would deliver on its promises, but any misgivings I may have had have now been dismissed, because I am positive it has helped to reduce several symptoms of gum inflammation.

I honestly believe I have seen fewer signs of bleeding gums when I’ve spat out my toothpaste, and I genuinely feel like the inside of my mouth (which can be susceptible to ulcers during times of stress) and my gums feel less sore and irritated, and look less red and puffy … I just can’t prove it with any data or ‘before and after’ pics unfortunately.

To be clear, any areas of receding gums I already have are not growing back, and I have no idea whether my mouth is now a more ‘balanced oral environment’. But the toothbrush does an excellent job of cleaning and polishing my teeth thoroughly, and the addition of red light means I can conveniently expose my gums to red light while cleaning them, without adding another step into my day.

So, would I recommend buying the Bon Charge Red Light Toothbrush? Absolutely, if you suffer from gum inflammation (or want to prevent it), and you are in the market for a new electric toothbrush that does as good a job of cleaning your teeth as any other premium electric toothbrush on the market.

BON CHARGE RED LIGHT TOOTHBRUSH REVIEW: VERDICT

Combining the cleaning power of sonic vibration with the healing power of targeted 830nm near-infrared and 660nm red wavelengths, the Bon Charge Red Light Toothbrush delivers LED straight to your gum line with the aim of supporting gum health and promoting overall oral wellbeing.

Sleek and lightweight with a long-lasting battery, it also boasts four intelligent cleaning modes to effectively remove plaque and clean deeply. Over the course of three months, our tester believes they did notice a reduction in gum inflammation, with less bleeding, redness and puffiness.