Don't Forget to Brush

In my eyes the toothbrush is the epitome of lazy design. The bristles have a limited lifespan which means that it is a product which will have to be replaced regularly. Fifty million pounds of toothbrushes are tossed into U.S. landfills every year. However, nearly all toothbrushes are made from plastic rather than a bio-degradable material. I only found one true exception from the hundreds of designs available on the market -

http://radiustoothbrush.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=16.

It seems that this design alone manages to break the plastic preconception.

Mr. Toothbrush then adds insult to injury by being incredibly greedy too. The most expensive toothbrushes can cost up to £200 with audacious claims of "precision sonic waves" to shine up your enamel. However, it has been scientifically proven that it is technique over technology that keeps teeth clean - only a bad workman blames his tools. For the last year or so i have been using 21p Asda own brand toothbrushes as opposed to £5 professional models and there has been no difference, still no fillings or criticism from the dentist.


Toothbrush manufacturers use fear to sell toothbrushes. People, quite rightly, value their teeth especially because they only ever get one set. Companies play on the fear of losing teeth and then increase prices and produce countless upgraded models. This could also be attributed to the laziness and impressionability of the consumer, who should really just learn how to brush properly. Companie's greed preys on our laziness.