Brushing your teeth in the middle of the day if you’re on the go or at work isn’t always an overly realistic option. But if you’ve just enjoyed a potentially breath-unfriendly lunch, having something ready to freshen you up almost becomes imperative. That’s why we were intrigued when we heard about Oral B Brush-Ups – they claim to give you the same results as brushing without the hassle of carrying the supplies and finding a bathroom to brush.

The Brush-Ups are like little wipes that are textured enough to mimic bristles on a toothbrush. A pack of 12 cost us $3.56 – that’s 36¢ a piece and if they work we think that’s pretty reasonable.

So, to put them to the test we chowed down on pizza loaded with onions and spinach along with some garlic toast. We wiped as best we could and the Brush-Ups were no match for the spinach stuck in between our teeth. We spoke with a dental hygienist that assured us that while they may mask unwanted flavours leading to bad breath, they’re not going to clean the way a normal brushing would.

As long as you plan to do a thorough cleaning later we think that in a pinch they really come in handy leaving your mouth feeling more refreshed that with gum or mints. And, they’re so handy you can take them anywhere.

Our overall rating, and one of our highest to date, is 4½ bags out of 5.