High-Tech Toothbrush Uses Solar Power, Not Toothpaste

What's so special about that goo you squirt on your toothbrush twice a day? Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (Motto: We know teeth!) are looking into whether a light-powered toothbrush developed by a Japanese company is as effective as conventional methods.

The toothbrush uses a titanium dioxide rod that releases electrons when it is exposed to light and water. Those electrons reportedly react with acids in your mouth to break down plaque and banish the Cavity Creeps to Toothcatraz.

The study is just getting underway, but developer Kunio Komiyama says it has been effective in "completely destroying" bacterial cultures in lab tests. A dental conference also gave the toothbrush a recent acknowledgment, too. So maybe there's something to this...

So... it cleans teeth, but does it leave you with minty fresh breath, too, or will Tic Tacs be spared from oblivion? Regardless, I'm already seeing a fantastic opportunity in using this technology (if it really works) in toothbrushes for kids. My children just suck the toothpaste off then chew on the toothbrush bristles for a while, leaving me to try ultimately to do the job for them. It makes me wonder how clean their choppers are really getting. A model that required no toothpaste might actually help in a strange way to get kids' teeth substantially cleaner.

LINK: Solar toothbrush could make toothpaste obsolete