Yesterday,BrushyBall LLC launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the manufacturing and marketing of its educational toothbrush training coach for children. Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform based in the United States that helps to bring creative projects and products to life.
The educational toy, also named BrushyBall, was developed by entrepreneur Robert Malen when he realized that singing toothbrushes with built-in timers were not teaching his four-year old daughter how to brush her teeth properly. “When I asked her if she brushed her teeth, she could truthfully answer, “yes,” because she brushed until the music stopped,” explained Malen. “However, when I watched her brush, I could plainly see she was only focusing on a few teeth.”
RELATED | Educate your patients before their children's first dental visits
Malen set out to design a product that would teach proper brushing technique in a fun way. After five years of self-funded research and development, Malen produced the prototype for BrushyBall, a sink-top toy that uses a follow-the-leader sequence to demonstrate and encourage proper tooth brushing. BrushyBall also serves as a convenient toothbrush holder.
According to Malen, “BrushyBall is by no means a solution in search of a problem. In fact, a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a disturbing uptick in the number of cavities among children aged five to 19 years old, and within that group, the largest increase was in the three- to five-year-old age group. We need to nip this trend in the bud — when children are first learning about oral hygiene. And what better time to launch than February, which is National Children’s Dental Health Month?”
With a suggested retail price of $29.95, BrushyBall currently has three main target markets:
- Online and brick and mortar retailers that currently sell power toothbrushes
- Dental professionals, who could use it as a chairside educational tool
- Dental practices, which could use it as a private-label retail opportunity
Initial reaction to the BrushyBall prototype among dental professionals has been positive. During a recent news segment on WDIV-TV, dentist Dr. Mitchell Milan said, “It’s one of these simple ideas that simply makes sense!”
Malen intends for BrushyBall LLC to be a company that gives back to the community. He is committed to donating generously from a percentage of profit to Operation Smile, a non-profit organization dedicated to correcting cleft palate deformities in children worldwide.
Click here to see a BrushyBall demonstration video. For more information about BrushyBall LLC, visit www.BrushyBall.com or send an email to [email protected]. To contribute to BrushyBall’s Kickstarter crowd-sourcing campaign, visitthe Kickstarter campaign page.
