Hey, Mom…We’re Out of Toothpaste: New
Products Make Teeth-Brushing a Blast
By Janie Franz
November 2003
Stage 4 Oral-B Toothbrush
Getting kids to brush their teeth can be a lot easier when you offer them
dental hygiene products they’ll love.
Brusha, Brusha, Brusha!
Dental care products have come a long way from plain toothbrush handles.
Braun Oral-B offers a line of toothbrushes geared for different
ages: Stage 1 Brushes are soft-bristled pastel-colored brushes
for infants to 2 years (ergonomically designed for adults to brush their
child's teeth); Stage 2 and Stage 3 Brushes (age 2-8) have
chunky handles in bright colors, packaged in Mickey Mouse, Winnie
the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear and Disney princesses (Snow
White, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) designs; Stage 4 Brushes
have bold color combinations that extend from handle to brush head.
Crest Astronaut Spinbrush Pro
Zoothbrush toothbrushes ($2--$6) have handles with a variety of
familiar characters: Hotwheels, Barbie, Power Puff Girls,
Scooby Doo, Tweety Bird, Tigger, and Taz.
Its new line of Bob the Builder brushes have wavy handles shaped
like Bob and one of his houses. Spiderman sits atop a giant red
skyscraper handle, and Hello Kitty designs are just plain cute.
Crest Spinbrush Pro toothbrushes, however, have taken the colored
toothbrush "one giant leap" forward, with a battery-powered
toothbrush shaped like an astronaut ($5.99). The on/off switch
is cleverly disguised as a button on the spacesuit. The company also makes
powered toothbrushes in the shape of cellphones, racecars, mermaids, dophins
and ice cream cones.
Mystery Musical Timer
Braun Oral-B’s Battery Toothbrushes ($15.99) feature bright battery
bases with replaceable brush heads in Disney character designs. Their
power toothbrushes ($39.99) come with a Mickey Mouse
rechargeable base and replaceable brush heads imprinted with Disney characters.
The Mystery Musical Timer plays one of 16 Disney favorites for
one minute while kids brush their teeth, keeping them brushing for the
right amount of time and leaving them eager to brush again and find out
what tune will play next.
Character Brushes
Crocodile Creek's Toothbrush Holder with Timer ($12.50)
is another fun way to make sure kids are brushing long enough. These holders
come in flower, heart and animal shapes. Brushtime Bunny
($29.95) is a travel kit that includes floss, toothpaste, a rinse cup,
and also comes with a built-in mirror. The kit itself also functions as
a coin bank that plays a catchy little tune, "Brush, Brush, Brush."
Freddy Flossisaurus
Bugsy Malone
Finally, Zoo Animal Teaching Aids (ToyDirectory)
brushing buddies puppets ($89.95) are quirky 15-inch animals that come
with a full set of plastic chops and a toothbrush to brush them with.
Freddy Flossisaurus, a purple dinosaur; and Bugsy Malone,
a bug that’s too cute to swat, can help any child learn to brush and floss
correctly.
Writer's Bio: The mother of two grown children
(an artist and a musician), writer Janie Franz once was a radio announcer
and did booking for a rock band.
