DENTAL TRENDS
Existing manual and electric toothbrushes use friction and mechanical movement for cleaning. Most users are unwilling to brush as long as needed to remove plaque as required by these toothbrushes. The result is a build-up of gingivitis that leads to gum disease.
These existing toothbrushes are not efficient at removing plaque which leads to the increased use of friction and mechanical movement to clean teeth. This difficulty is also why it’s necessary to regularly floss on top of brushing to remove plaque. Additional teeth cleaning tools result in extra time, energy, and commitment. Prolonged, aggressive brushing required to remove plaque with manual and electric toothbrushes can injure gums and lead to dental issues. Gums will become sore, and the action itself can damage gums, opening pockets between the teeth and gums that could require dental surgery to correct.
Ionic technology has helped bridge the gap. However, existing ionic toothbrushes are manual and do not offer the benefits that sonic or rotating heads provide. Although the ionic technology works similarly to the iToothbrush, the manual toothbrush heads cause extra work, are less effective than sonic or rotating heads, and lead to gum issues.
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PERIODONTAL STATISTICS
7/10
Canadians will develop gum disease at some point in their lives
(Canadian Dental Association)
20%
of the Canadian population has active periodontal disease and does not know it
(Canada.com)
21%
of adults have, or have had, a moderate or a severe periodontal (gum) problem
(Canadian Health Measures Survey,
2007-2009)
1/2
adults worldwide are affected by gum disease
(World Dental Federation, 2018)
Gingivitis leads
to gum disease
Existing manual and electric toothbrushes use friction and mechanical movement as the primary modes for cleaning teeth. Most users are unwilling to brush as long as needed to remove plaque as required by these toothbrushes. The result is a build-up of gingivitis that leads to gum disease.
The current manual and electric toothbrushes are not efficient at removing plaque. This fact leads to the increased use of friction and mechanical movement to keep teeth clean. The difficulty in cleaning teeth is also why regularly floss is required to remove plaque. This extra step results in additional time, energy, and commitment to clean. Fewer people floss their teeth than those who brush them, leading to increased periodontal issues.
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Silicone Bristles
The same gum damage that results from brushing too hard can also be caused by using the wrong toothbrush. Gum damage typically results from those using the medium to hard nylon bristles of traditional manual toothbrushes.
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Silicone toothbrushes are the new standard. Silicone brushes replace traditional nylon bristles. Silicone is softer and gentler on both the gums and teeth. How soft are they? New parents first used silicone toothbrushes for their infants because their gums are more sensitive than adults.
High-Efficiency Combination
Existing ionic toothbrushes are manual and do not offer the benefits that sonic or rotating heads provide. Although the ionic technology works similarly to the iToothbrush, the manual toothbrush heads cause extra work, are less effective than sonic or rotating heads, and lead to some of the same gum issues.
The U.S. National Institute of Health corroborated both sonic and ionic toothbrush technology’s benefits significantly reducing gingivitis. The iToothbrush builds on their findings that ions flowing through the gums, and the tooth reducing gingivitis and removing plaque. Toshihoro et al. discovered the process that describes how anions are activated that inhibit coupling between pellicle and bacteria, mediated by calcium bridges. This process results in the ionic toothbrush’s effectiveness in removing plaque. The iToothbrush combines these technologies.
