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Wellness & Healthy Living

Blizzident "toothbrush" is claimed to clean your teeth in 6 seconds

By Ben Coxworth
October 02, 2013
Blizzident "toothbrush" is claimed to clean your teeth in 6 seconds
With the new Blizzident toothbrush (if it can be called a toothbrush), a full and complete cleaning of the teeth can reportedly be accomplished in just six seconds
With the new Blizzident toothbrush (if it can be called a toothbrush), a full and complete cleaning of the teeth can reportedly be accomplished in just six seconds
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With the new Blizzident toothbrush (if it can be called a toothbrush), a full and complete cleaning of the teeth can reportedly be accomplished in just six seconds
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With the new Blizzident toothbrush (if it can be called a toothbrush), a full and complete cleaning of the teeth can reportedly be accomplished in just six seconds
The Blizzident toothbrush is actually a bristle laden mold tailored to your teeth
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The Blizzident toothbrush is actually a bristle laden mold tailored to your teeth
The Blizzident toothbrush
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The Blizzident toothbrush
The Blizzident toothbrush
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The Blizzident toothbrush
A role of floss can be held in a dispenser on the front of the brush
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A role of floss can be held in a dispenser on the front of the brush
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When it comes to things that people don't do as often or as well as they should, tooth-brushing would have to be at the top of the list. While it usually just comes down to laziness, a lot of people claim that they don't brush their teeth properly because they don't have time. Well, with the new Blizzident toothbrush (if it can be called a toothbrush), a full and complete cleaning of the teeth can reportedly be accomplished in just six seconds.

Before they can receive a Blizzident, users first have to go to their dentist and get an impression made of their teeth. Next, a 3D digital model of that impression is uploaded to the Blizzident company's server. The company proceeds to create a 3D-printed plastic negative mold of the teeth, which is lined with approximately 400 toothbrush-style angled bristles. That mold is the actual Blizzident toothbrush, and is sent to the buyer.

To brush their teeth, users just put the Blizzident into their mouth, bite up and down into it, and grind their teeth back and forth. Because it's an exact fit for their teeth, six seconds of chomping and grinding is reportedly long enough for the bristles to get into all the nooks and crannies, including between teeth and along the gum line.

If they wish to, users can also thread dental floss between the individual tooth impressions on the Blizzident, causing that floss to be pushed up between the teeth when they bite down. A role of floss can be held in a dispenser on the front of the brush.

Finally, a tongue scraper/brush bridges the top of the toothbrush. Users just run their tongue back and forth against it.

One Blizzident is said to be good for a year of use, after which users can get a completely new one, or send their old one in for cleaning and re-bristling. A buyer's first brush will cost them US$299, with subsequent replacement units priced at $159, and refurbishments of existing units costing $89. The company also notes that getting the initial impression made by a local dentist should cost between $75 and $200, depending on the technique used.

Animation depicting how the brush is claimed to work can be seen in the video below.

Source: Blizzident via Quartz

"6 sec toothbrush" - blizzident.com

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Wellness & Healthy LivingCleaningToothbrushTeethBlizzdent
15 comments
Ben Coxworth
Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.

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15 comments
Racqia Dvorak
both awesome and disgusting
Ozuzi
Since you could do this sitting in front of the TV without grossing your family out people would probably do this type of thing for longer than they brush.
Replacements sound like a project for a 3D printer wizz.
wle
silly what am i going to do with the other 1:54 anyway?
mvp
Unbelievable! People waste so much precious time on social media, email, gaming, and whatnot yet they can't find a minimum of 2+ minutes to give their oral hygiene a thorough cleaning with a quality and far less expensive toothbrush and strand of dental floss.
I value my teeth and gums. 6 seconds will not cut it for my routine. Somehow, I see this device as a 'fail'. I'll stick to old fashioned tooth brushing, toothpaste, and spitting into my bathroom sink.
moreover
Unconvincing, considering how effective the high speed bristles of a "sonic" Philips or Oral-B electric toothbrush are. You simply can't replace those fast movements with a few lazy chews and expect the same results.
chatbratstar
This is great for people with dementia, early on. I think it should be marketed to dentists who see dementia patients. Yes, I have early stage dementia, genetically based. If it could have a non-harmful flavor added for each use, it may be even easier to get the demented persons to use it.
Grunchy
I know why this is a good idea, it's because brushing your teeth conventionally is a nuisance. Flossing is even more so. Even if it's only 2 minutes, it's still a hassle. My only concern is clean-up afterwards. All those bristles have a lot of surface area to grow bacteria on. I throw my regular toothbrushes in the dishwasher - why not?? I think this is a good idea if you can clean it in the dishwasher.
Sharif Alam
I've read this article and now I'm a bit scared - is really not flossing on regular basis connected with heart disease? Where can I find more information?
josephshawa
ME: As a thinking dentist, let me try to chew through these comments and this "invention":
"Since you could do this sitting in front of the TV without grossing your family out people would probably do this type of thing for longer than they brush."
ME: If it only takes 6 seconds, then why would you spend MORE time at it? Unfortunately, it won't get the troubled spots if you have any. In fact, it may simply pack more debris into an already existing food trap. What about deeper pockets in you gums? Can you feel the bristle get in there when all 32 teeth are getting done at once?
"Replacements sound like a project for a 3D printer wizz."
ME: Yes, and mouths change over time.

"silly what am i going to do with the other 1:54 anyway?"
ME: Silly that some electric toothbrush companies equate "clean" with a "time period". How long does it take to remove paint? Depends on the surface, the paint, and the operator. Will elaborate later.
"Unbelievable! People waste so much precious time on social media, email, gaming, and whatnot yet they can't find a minimum of 2+ minutes to give their oral hygiene a thorough cleaning with a quality and far less expensive toothbrush and strand of dental floss."
ME: Hey, if I could do it in 6 seconds rather than any number of minutes I would. Every mouth is different but neither 6 seconds or 2 minutes is the "right" number. Floss is mostly ineffective and a de-motivator because of the time and frequent difficulty involved.
"I value my teeth and gums. 6 seconds will not cut it for my routine. Somehow, I see this device as a 'fail'. I'll stick to old fashioned tooth brushing, toothpaste, and spitting into my bathroom sink."
ME: "Old fashioned brushing" is just about as thought out as most "old fashioned" things. You need to actually think about what it is that you are trying to accomplish. I'll go over it at the end.
"Unconvincing, considering how effective the high speed bristles of a "sonic" Philips or Oral-B electric toothbrush are. You simply can't replace those fast movements with a few lazy chews and expect the same results."
ME: How do you know how effective "high speed bristles" of electric tooth brushes are? Have you looked into the mouth of a regular user of electric toothbrushes? I'll be honest. They "look" great. Unfortunately, they are typically inflamed bloody messes.
"This is great for people with dementia, early on. I think it should be marketed to dentists who see dementia patients. Yes, I have early stage dementia, genetically based. If it could have a non-harmful flavor added for each use, it may be even easier to get the demented persons to use it."
ME: This might be the best response in the bunch! I agree. But, there is still the stuffing the crud into the gaps problem.
"I know why this is a good idea, it's because brushing your teeth conventionally is a nuisance. Flossing is even more so. Even if it's only 2 minutes, it's still a hassle. My only concern is clean-up afterwards. All those bristles have a lot of surface area to grow bacteria on. I throw my regular toothbrushes in the dishwasher - why not?? I think this is a good idea if you can clean it in the dishwasher."
ME: Another good response though cleanup really isn't an issue. Too much has been said about "dirty" toothbrushes. "Throw away after colds" for example. How, "dirty" do you think your toothbrush is compared to your mouth? Answer: Not very. Most don't even know what "dirty" means. Hint: Colonies.
"I've read this article and now I'm a bit scared - is really not flossing on regular basis connected with heart disease? Where can I find more information?"
ME: NO! Flossing isn't as useful as you'd think. Actually it's mostly ineffective and can be damaging if not done properly and it really is a PAIN for the time involved.....that's why MOST PEOPLE DON'T DO IT! More on inflammatory disease later.
So WHAT SHOULD YOU DO???
Understand the problem.
What is the problem?
Not decay. Well, if you don't want to get cavities then don't eat sugars. If you want to eat sugars then wait 3 hours between doses. It takes THREE HOURS for teeth to harden back up to normal after the sugar is done...whether you brush or not. Besides, you don't want to be brushing easily eroded softened teeth, now do you? If you cannot wait three hours between sugar exposures and you aren't fat, ill with diabetes or other metabolic/inflammatory problems, or in dentures? You will be soon enough so you might as well take up smoking too.
But, cavities aren't what we are talking about. You don't even need to brush to get that "No Cavities" sticker at your next exam.
We are talking about INFLAMATION. It is caused by YOUR immune system reacting to chemical "communication" among bacteria living in colonies we call PLAQUE. How do we stop the inflammation? BREAK UP THE COLONIES where they are causing the immune response. WHERE? At the gum line all the way around the teeth and BELOW the gum line all the way around each tooth. Where are all the immune cells coming from? From the tissue at and below the gum line. Where do those fancy electric brushes work best? On what you see and feel. That is why they sell.....And it makes your gums "LOOK" great! Yet, you are missing almost all of the important colonies when you rely on your 2 minute session. And to add injury to insult, you are WAY OVER BRUSHING= Eroding your root surfaces. Do you have any grooves cut into your teeth yet?...you will. Floss? That gets below the gums. BUT, if it worked well I wouldn't be talking right now.
TRY THIS: Use one or two bristles(OK that's an exaggeration but REALLY, I mean just a FEW) and try to get them to go all the way from the face side of your teeth to the palate/tongue side. Like you would a toothpick. Once in there, work them a bit. Poke Poke Poke IN n OUT. Same thing up into the gums between the teeth and below the curved gums you see in the mirror as well as the inside ones.
NOT CIRCLES. NOT BACK AND FORTH. NOT UP AND DOWN. JUST POKE POKE POKE.
ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!!!!
People ask, "But won't that push the bacteria further in? NO. The bacteria are there already-IN COLONY FORM- we are going to break them up so the immune system doesn't get signaled to come out and fight.....and it pushes chunks of stuck food through. We NEED the bacteria there. A sterile mouth would not be a good thing. (opportunistic infections, digestion) If you bleed then you already have an immune response (Gingivitis). It will be gone tomorrow if you keep at it. If not you need a cleaning. Most proud owners of electric toothbrushes with good "looking" gums bleed when they attempt this and are shocked by how they have been misled.
So far no technology does this sufficiently below the gum line. If you do nothing else but the spaces in 30 seconds you will probably be doing a better job than you ever have PLUS it is hard to miss all the easy stuff you have been spending your time on. Poke around. Explore. FEEL EVERY SPOT that you get into.....something you cannot do is evaluate the effectiveness of the job when you do the whole mouth at once as with the above "invention".
And YES, you probably will have less inflammatory diseases like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer, etc, etc. once you eliminate the bleeding.
As far as toothbrushes being dirty? Do they still break up colonies? Then they are doing their job.
Recommendation: Cheap medium stiffness bristled brushes. Throw it away when it doesn't get in there easily anymore. Soft brushes are for scrubbers that don't want to do damage. Also, I have found that many fanatic flossers often cut their gums way high/low cuz it "hurts so good". This brushing technique doesn't do that....but it does feel good.
POKE Don't STROKE :)
If you want to ask anything of me feel free to email me josephshawa@gmail.com
Joseph Shawa DMD
Grunchy
Wow, this sounds like good advice.
I have a special toothbrush for going behind the back teeth, it has a tiny tuft of bristles that it weems will work perfectly for this.
You're suggesting to basically floss between all the teeth, using just a few bristles of the toothbrush, am I right?
Great, I'm gonna try this!
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