According to a report mentioned in an article by The Mail Online, half of the 12 million children living in England have rotting teeth or are at risk for tooth decay.  30,000 of these affected children visit the hospital each year due to severe rotting to have their teeth removed.
This is a serious problem and one company based in the UK has been working to provide dental hygiene solutions for babies, toddlers and children.
The company, Brush Baby, has a mission to “help provide the best start for early years tooth care and make tooth decay a thing of the past so that children can go on to have the beautiful smiles that they deserve and we all enjoy.”
Their latest dental hygiene solution is called the BABYSONIC – the smallest electric toothbrush currently available.  Designed for children between the ages of zero and three, the brush weighs 36 grams and runs on a single AAA battery.  It also vibrates instead of spins to reduce unwanted pressure on young children’s gums.
Before the BABYSONIC, the majority of parents used manual baby toothbrushes to keep their newborn’s teeth clean.  And some parents who believed in the greater power of the electric toothbrush used adult-sized electric toothbrushes on children, even though they are too big and sometimes damaging.
Now, with the BABYSONIC, children can use an appropriate-sized electric toothbrush at a young age and grow more accustom to maintaining better oral hygiene.  Also, because of the BABYSONIC’s size and gentleness, young children aren’t at risk of “over-brushing” or harming their gums.
While a huge part of the teeth-rotting problem in England is due to sugary snacks between meals, another huge part is lack of brushing habit.  With an appropriate toothbrush and strict brushing schedule, the percentage of children with oral hygiene issues in England will plummet.
It’s also possible that the BABYSONIC will expand its market to the U.S. where cosmetic dentists in San Antonio and other parts of the U.S. will use it to fight child tooth decay.
If and when it hits shelves in the U.S., we’ll be sure to let all our parent patients know.