Stuff Your Patients Are Talking About: The Brushies

One night as I was pursing Instagram, the cutest photo of little ones brushing their teeth with bright brushes caught my eye. Turns out the brushes in the photo weren’t just brushes but finger puppets to make brushing fun called The Brushies. Having a 2 year old, I definitely wanted to try them out on her and know a little bit more about the company and product.

The Brushies were created by two mom doctors, a dentist and a psychologist, that had a hard time getting their own kids to brush, let alone their patients. So, have a fun and interactive way to brush was a must and The Brushies were born. They are made of 100% food grade silicone that is all natural and BPA and phthalate free and can be put in the dishwasher to be cleaned (my favorite feature).  The set also some with a book to read along and get to know the 4 different Brushies characters to make the brushing experience more interactive and fun.

I tried them on my daughter and she loves them! I wish I had them earlier in her life when she fought brushing more than she does now. She loves reading the book and playing along with the Brushies finger puppets. The only thing I noticed was they were a tad large since they cover an adult finger, which may be hard to use on a 6 month old. However, the gift pack is a perfect shower gift for any new mom.

If you want to purchase one for yourself or learn more about them, check out Amazon  or their website. 

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*Congrats to Katrina Bennon for winning our Brushies giveaway! Please email hygieneedge@gmail.com with your contact information.*

What Your Patients are Talking about: Quip

What you seen this new toothbrush brand called Quip? We did a giveaway a few weeks ago with a few brushes for National Dental Hygiene Month. They also do quite a bit of advertising on social media. If you haven’t seen it, I’m sure your patients have and they will no doubt be asking you about it very soon.

Quip sells toothbrushes, both manual and electric, and toothpaste. They also offer a replacement system where every 3 months, new brushes, brush heads, or toothpaste is sent to the patient automatically which is pretty handy for most of our patients that don't think too much about their oral health care. Their brushes come with a slim travel case.

A couple things I liked about Quip after using it for a few weeks:

1.    The subscription component. I love the ideas of having a new brush automatically shipped to a patient after 3 months of us. It will definitely make patients aware how fast 3 months will go between toothbrushes, and keep them up to date with changes their brushes.

2.    The handle design. First off, it just looks clean. Second, the handle is weighted, so if you place the toothbrush down on your sink counter, the bristles are always going to pointing up and never touching the counter, giving it the perfect placement to completely dry in between brushings.

3.    On the back of the toothpaste, there is a diagram of exactly how much toothpaste to use on the toothbrush. Sometimes, patients associate the mint taste of toothpaste with being clean and can go a little overboard with placing so much paste on their brush. However, with limiting the amount of toothpaste will hopefully make patients aware of how their teeth actually feel without biofilm.

Some things that weren’t my favorite:

1.    The electric toothbrush. Though it is advertised as being comparable to a Sonicare or an Oral B, it definitely isn’t. It would compare more to a Spinbrush since it is battery operated and the vibration of the bristles doesn’t come close to how a Sonicare works. I ended up using the electric brush as a manual without turning it on. For patient’s, recommend they try out the manual toothbrush instead of spending the extra money on the electric brush.

2.    The bristles are a bit on the tough side when compared to an extra soft or sensitive toothbrush. For a heavy brushing patient, I probably wouldn’t recommend this brush system for them.

They also have a new professional section where dental professionals can order their own products to try out for cost. So you don’t have to take my word for it, you can try it out yourself! Once you have, let us know what you think!

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 Have your patients asked about Quip, or any other product advertised on social media, yet?

Things your Patients are Talking About: Smile Direct Club

We all know the ins and outs of Invisalign- initial radiographs, follow up appointments, impressions, photos, post op instructions, oral health education. This list goes on and on. And because of that, it can be pricey. And as we all know, patients love the cheapest options for their oral health.

In comes Smile Direct Club- an affordable option to Invisalign. Sounds perfect, right? Though it is cheaper and sounds like the dream treatment, it definitely is not.

First, the patient never has to set foot in a dental or orthodontic office. Sounds perfect, right? This can cause MAJOR problems for the patient since they never have to have their periodontal health checked, radiographs exposed and roots evaluated, or decay treated that could worsen with any kind of orthodontic treatment. Instead of going to an office, the patient takes their own photos with their phone and take impressions with a mail in kit. They do not require a bite registration with their evaluation.

Second, it is the same price for everyone. After the impressions and photos are sent to the company, they evaluate if the patient is a candidate for their treatment for a fee of $95. If the patient does qualify for the treatment, is it a flat fee of $150, no matter how many trays they need. Also, if only the maxillary qualify, it is the same price.

Third, occlusion and TMJ issues are not included in the treatment planning. This could cause major problems down the road, and cost a lot more money to fix the problems than the original price that an orthodontist would charge.

And fourth, the company does not directly work with insurance. The patient is responsible for all the upfront costs. Then, they are are to work with their insurance for reimbursement. Since they are a few company and not a typical way for orthodontic treatment, there is no guarantee insurance companies will pay anything for the treatment. 

So, if a patient brings up an "teeth straightening procedure that they saw on Pinterest", you'll hopefully know a little bit more about how to educate your patients on this new company.

What are your patients talking to you about? Let us know below!