This next evolution in the toothbrush will undoubtedly cause much hatred within the Crest and Colgate companies. A Japanese company called Shiken has made a prototype solar-powered toothbrush that would eliminate the need to squeeze out a bit of toothpaste every time you brush your teeth. The Soladey-J3X is a toothbrush that holds a titanium dioxide rod in the brush tip underneath the bristles. When you put the brush into your mouth you get the bristles wet, which also wets the rod which then releases electrons. The electrons then react to the mouth’s natural acid which breaks down the plaque that accumulates from the natural bacteria found inside that hole at the front of your face.

The Soladey-J3X is being tested by dentistry professor Dr. Kunio Komiyama and his colleague Dr. Gerry Uswak at the University of Saskatchewan. Komiyama invented the first kind of solar-powered toothbrush 15 years ago but this new model is twice as powerful as his earlier invention due to a solar panel stationed on the toothbrush’s base that collects more energy than the first model and needs as much solar power as a calculator.

According to his early results Dr. Komiyama found that the Soladey-J3X completely erased the two kinds of bacteria that create plaque on the lab cultures he tested the brush on. Like I said, if you own stock in a company that makes toothpaste maybe you might want to cash it in now.

via New Launches