Core77

A Design to Supplant the Toothbrush?

By Rain Noe - July 17, 2012

in Object Culture

"Their teeth look great," the vet said, during a recent check-up of my two pooches. "How often do you brush them?"

I don't brush my dogs' teeth; I think that's an insane thing to do. And I'm not about to pay somebody $600 to do it. I just regularly give them marrow bones, as the act of using their teeth to rip raw meat off of a bone, followed by scraping every last inch of that bone clean, keeps their teeth clean naturally.

It would be awesome if eating corn on the cob would automatically keep human teeth clean, but sadly that's not the case. And I'd never heard of an alternative to the toothbrush, toothpaste and water we all use to keep our teeth clean--until now.

A British company is busily flogging their Rolly Chewable Toothbrush, a small, fugu-looking thing that you pop into your mouth and manipulate around using your tongue. The bristles are coated in Xylitol and flouride, and there's no water needed.

I know, it sounds crazy. But it's so crazy that it just, might, work.

Presumably the company sank most of their money into R&D—and decided to save a few bucks on advertising:

Still, I'm dying to try one of these things.

o

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Jerry S

12 years ago

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I submitted a similar concept into the Core77/Pop-Sci challenge
in 2004. Check out the Dental Pods in the Honorable Mention category. http://www.core77.com/challenge/humanpower/
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Tom Mc

12 years ago

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Just don't inhale sharply or this will be scrubbing the inside of your intestines clean too
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Oren

12 years ago

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I've alway heard of apples referred to as nature's toothbrush for their similar effects to marrow bones.
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Africantreehugger

12 years ago

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Africans have been using this for centuries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadora_persica
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ctc

12 years ago

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This has Xylitol in it which can kill your dog! Do not use this on your dog!
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Keith F

12 years ago

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I just buy some marrow bones and I use my teeth to rip the meat off the bone. My teeth look just like your dog's...but without the pointy bits.
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Azrehan

12 years ago

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Looks like a good idea.

We all brush the delicate layers of enamel off our teeth every day. Apparently flossing is much better than brushing for decay prevention.

I'd just be worried about people swallowing something so small.
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Charlotte

12 years ago

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http://www.fuzzybrush.com is the less pretty version you can get in the restrooms of British rest stops and I think some restaurants/bars. I did try one once, it was a pretty strange feeling, definitely something you'd need practice at!
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