WHAT'S NEW UNDER THE 'HAUTE' SUN? ANGRY BIRDS PRODUCTS

KIM MILLER, RDH, BSDH

What do Angry Birds and good oral hygiene have in common? Well, not much, until Dr. Fresh® announced its new licensing agreement as the exclusive U.S. manufacturer and marketer of Angry Birds® branded oral care products.

This summer marks the launch of their first product, FireFly Angry Birds Squirt 'N' Brush Tooth Foam. Wow, that's a mouthful! (No pun intended.) This foam is designed to squirt directly into the mouth. Dr. Fresh expects this product will change the way children look at the task of brushing their teeth. When combined with a FireFly brush, I agree.

Each FireFly brush blinks for 60 seconds, which teaches kids at a very young age to brush for one to two minutes. FireFly brushes are designed for ages 4 to 24 months, 2 to 4 years, 5 to 7 years, and 8+ years. All of the brushes have age appropriate handgrips and soft bristles. I love the variety of characters available at fireflytoothbrushes.com, and I look forward to seeing Angry Bird products soon.

Daniel Enriquez, vice president of sales at Dr. Fresh, says, "We are thrilled to partner with a brand whose fan base is ardent, large, and growing, and to leverage that appeal in products designed to encourage healthy oral care habits, especially among children."

I must be honest, I was not very familiar with Angry Birds, but I found this Angry Birds trivia interesting enough to share with you. The Angry Birds game has been downloaded more than half a billion times across all platforms since it launched in 2009, and is the recipient of a host of industry awards. A possible TV series and feature film are now in the works.

For more information, visit drfresh.com or fireflytoothbrush.com, and be sure to view the videos. They're worth watching.

WATERPIK LAUNCHES COMPLETE CARE

Waterpik's Complete Care recently launched at the CDA in Southern California. This combo unit features the Water Flosser and the Sonic Toothbrush. Used in combination, this routine produced some great results, especially in the reduction of gingival bleeding and plaque removal when compared to manual brushing. I love how the research supports the importance of telling patients that correct power brushing is not enough. Interdental cleaning with an irrigation device is also essential for good dental health.

The Complete Care Package includes:
Waterpik® Water Flosser
• Advanced pressure control with 10 settings
• Reservoir capacity of 90+ seconds
• Hinged lid plus covered brush/tip storage
• Five tips - two Classic Jet Tips, Plaque Seeker® Tip, Orthodontic Tip, Pik Pocket™ Tip

Sensonic® Professional Plus Toothbrush
• Two speeds - high for superior plaque removal, low for gentle cleaning
• Two-minute timer and 30-second quadrant pacer
• Deluxe recharge indicator gauge
• Premium, travel toothbrush case
• Two brush heads

I believe patients like the convenience and ease of having one device that can handle their home care needs. Check it out at waterpik.com.

WHAT IS PERIOGEN®?

One of my readers, Ashley Petroski, RDH, wrote to ask about this product. I had never heard of it before she shared her experience.

"Yesterday I had a four-month recall patient come in who typically has a lot of calculus. After ultrasonic scaling, he asked how his mouth looked, and I was impressed because he didn't have much calculus or staining. His appointments typically take 80 minutes, and yesterday it took about 50 minutes. He told me that he found this Periogen product on Amazon and started using it in March. There was a drastic difference at today's appointment."

I've learned that Periogen is manufactured by a small company in San Diego. The Tartar Dissolving Oral Rinse, Powdered Concentrate comes in 3-ounce jars. The formula is comprised of the following safe and proven food-grade dental industry ingredients - STPP/sodium tripolyphosphate (antioxidant), TKPP/tetrapotassium pyrophosphate (emulsifier), baking soda (maintains a healthy 7.6 pH), citric acid (product delivery and pH control), and fluoride .04% (charge source, 40X less than toothpaste).

Periogen is designed to be used every day and dissolved in the tank of a Waterpik Ultra for maximum benefit. In fact, they have a starter kit that includes two jars of Periogen Powder and the Ultra Water Flosser for sale on the website. I checked with my friends at Waterpik and they said they have no "official relationship" with Periogen.

Here's the recommended routine:
• Brush morning and night
• Use floss, toothpicks and/or an interdental brush to keep food from between your teeth throughout the day
• Irrigate with a WaterPik Ultra and Periogen® before bed each night

HERE'S HOW PERIOGEN IS DESCRIBED ON THEIR WEBSITE

"Introducing the pain-free way to remove disease-laden tartar from both above and below the gum-line. Periogen® dissolves tartar with regular irrigation when added to your daily oral care regimen. The dissolution of tartar precludes the need for painful deep cleanings, root planing and scaling. With tartar dissolved, harmful bacteria, including destructive flesh-eating anaerobic bacteria, have no structure to live and multiply in, thus halting gum diseases and canker sores."

HERE'S A BRIEF IDEA OF HOW IT WORKS, FROM THE WEBSITE

"Periogen does not dissolve the hardened tartar directly, but acts to dissolve the binding agents - the 'cement' that holds fossilized bacteria and debris together. Microscopic study of Periogen® in action shows that thousands of individual fossilized bacteria disconnect and float free from cemented-together tartar 'communities' with each application. Each application is as effective as the last, until tartar is dissolved into its most fundamental microscopic components."

Those are some big claims. So I checked further. What kind of research has been done, who did it, and what are the public and professional world saying about his product?

There are some blogs, but they're old. There are several links that lead back to their website or to outlets to make a purchase. I didn't find any published studies. There are however, lots of positive comments by consumers on Google, several YouTube testimonies, and I've told you about Ashley's experience. I also checked out Hygienetown and found about a half dozen positive comments. If you or a patient has used Periogen, let me know about your experience at [email protected].

KIM MILLER, RDH, BSDH, is the cofounder of PerioFrogz.com, which provides current oral-systemic research summaries and patient education downloads. She speaks internationally, provides hands-on training, writes articles and webinars, and practices dental hygiene in Redding, Calif. Contact her at [email protected].