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Health and Wellness Kids/Babies

BrushyBall stays a head by teaching kids how to brush teeth

Getting kids to brush their teeth is another one of those parental challenges, and it’s one that has the potential to make for some very long nights.

In order to motivate kids to brush their teeth and take the mundane routine out of it, BrushyBall  was created. As noted in Episode 6 of the Backerjack podcast, the battery-operated personal tooth brushing coach for kids has teeth that light up in a specific sequence of six sections. The toothbrush training toy, designed by a dentist, teaches kids by having them follow along with the flashing lights. Music and verbal cues are a part of the thorough process that lasts for about two minutes.

The plastic Muppet-like head isn’t too intimidating, and the developer would ideally like to license well-known characters to keep kids more engaged, but it seems to take up a fair amount of countertop space. Backers looking for a way to encourage kids to floss might want to check out Gummy Floss. This campaign seeks to raise 50,000 by April 5, 2015. For $20, backers get one product with an expected delivery of April 2015.

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Health and Wellness

Garppy offers the scoop on rinsing after you brush your teeth

Getting kids to brush their teeth is one of life’s bigger challenges. They find the activity tedious, boring, and then there’s the extra precious few seconds it takes to actually rinse.

For those who have gotten bored with using a traditional cup, Garppy offers an alternative. The scoop-like gadget attaches to a tooth brush so that a cup doesn’t have to be used, creating something new and different for a week or so. The scoop and strap are made of food-grade silicone and are touted as packing and traveling well, especially for those long flights when one wants to be able to brush one’s teeth on the plane.

While this new thing might keep the kids engaged in brushing their teeth at home for a short time, adults looking for some quick convenience would be just as well off to use paper cups. This campaign seeks to raise $1,600 by February 28, 2015. Early bird backers get one product for $2 with an expected delivery of March 2015.

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Health and Wellness

Oraglide Tongue Cleaner aims to make your breath sweeter

As embarrassing as bad breath can be for an adult, it is at least twice as much so for the teen population whose age alone often means a significant lack of self-confidence. One amazing 13-year-old, Sheil Patel, is taking advantage of bad breath by creating his own business to help others overcome this problem. Oraglide gives those who suffer from bad breath a potential solution. Since the cause of bad breath is often tongue bacteria, this product cleans the tongue through its “u” shape and by removing the white film that is a culprit of bad breath.

There isn’t much of anything new about this tongue scraper as compared to others, but backers love kids with crowdfunding campaigns. Go, Sheil, go! Backers interested in oral care may also want to check out the Goodwell and CLEARsmile campaigns, and pet lovers whose furry best friend has this issue may be interested in the Zumby campaign. This campaign seeks to raise $65 by January 1, 2015. For $15, backers get one product with an expected delivery of January 2015.

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Pets

Zumby becomes a weapon in the war on dog breath

Dogs have bad breath, though research shows their mouths are cleaner than ours. Ew. Even so, dogs still get gum disease, just like humans do. Regular brushing can prevent this, but it’s unlikely that owners will get a chance to brush their dog’s teeth everyday. Playing around, however, is another matter. That’s why the folks at Zumby have created a toy that not only entertains your dog, but cleans their teeth as well. Using vague-sounding micro-current technology, harmful bacteria is killed all without the dog knowing.

According to the campaign, this technology works on humans as well. It begs the question: why aren’t the Zumby people making a human version? Still, this clever product is great for dog lovers who can’t bear to watch their pooches suffer. One Zumby will set backers back $50 for delivery in April 2015. This product is looking to met a $35,000 goal on Indiegogo.

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Health and Wellness

CLEARsmile uses microbubbles to clean your teeth

The Premise. Brushing, flossing and rinsing are three essential ways to keep our mouths clean. The problem? Most skip the flossing and rinsing and decide to just brush their teeth putting themselves and their teeth at risk for bad oral health. Good oral hygiene is essential not only for a great smile but for lifetime health as well.

The Product. CLEARsmile is an overall oral health product that keeps your mouth clean in one easy step. It uses power washing and a special solution to clean your mouth. A mouthpiece goes against the teeth and, when activated, the device uses pressure to clean the teeth and suction to pump the solution into the sink. The product is about the size of a Polaroid camera with tubes hanging out of it.

The Pitch. While not the flashiest campaign video in the world, the creator of CLEARsmile is captivating in explaining his product. After seeing lots of dirty mouths in the elderly and underprivileged, he decided to invent something that would make oral hygiene easy by replacing the traditional toothbrush, floss and mouthwash model. As a dentist himself, the authority he has in speaking about his product makes him trustworthy and competent. CLEARsmile is looking to raise a modest $16,500 on Kickstarter.

The Perks. Early birds can clean their teeth with CLEARsmile for only $99. At a regular price, one goes for $125. Estimated delivery is set for December 2015 as the product has yet to be made yet.

The Potential. The possibilities for CLEARsmile are endless. Not only will this product be a smash hit for parents trying to keep track of their children’s brushing habits, but also for the underprivileged as well as sick. Since the product is created by a dentist, there is little doubt that CLEARsmile really replaces the daily morning and evening brushing routine. The one downside of this product is that it lacks any kind of tongue scraper. Even so, CLEARsmile is a smart, relatively cheap and innovative way to keep your mouth clean.