Meet Dean CEO & Founder of ToothRush. In my opinion he’s got a phenomenal concept that will change the way we go about cleaning our teeth.
Wild fact 92% of people have cavities and this could change that for the better!!
More: www.ToothRush.com.au
Transcript
Tobi Skovron: Hey guys. Welcome back to the vlog. I’m Tobi, calling in here from CreativeCubes. This is Dean from Tooth Rush. R-U-S-H.
Dean: R-U-S-H.
Tobi Skovron: Not B-R-U-S-H.
Dean: That’s right, yeah.
Tobi Skovron: You dropped the B, right.
Dean: Yeah.
Tobi Skovron: Sweet. So, couple things Dean. Over here we have our Instagram Live audience.
Dean: Hey guys.
Tobi Skovron: In the middle we have our Facebook Live audience. And just to the left with little iPhone, we have our YouTube audience.
Dean: Beautiful.
Tobi Skovron: So, for those of you that don’t know, a couple weeks back, probably like maybe three weeks ago now, MYOB, the accounting software in conjunction with Startup Victoria and CreativeCubes, we hosted our first pitch night in history and on that night … Well, I guess leading up to that night, we had 45 businesses apply for the prize and the prize was 12 months rent free, thanks to MYOB and Startup Vic. 12 months rent free here at CreativeCubes, we had 45 businesses apply on the day we kind of culled that down to 12 businesses and one of the nine winners was Dean right here.
Tobi Skovron: So, I was blown away by what Tooth Rush is. Full disclosure, one of my favourite gifts as a kid, was my electric toothbrush, but I think Dean’s was something that will blow that away and apart from wanting to invest in the company which I haven’t yet, he hasn’t invited me but I’m hoping that will change soon, we’ll discuss your funding strategies.
Tobi Skovron: He’s come up with a pretty cool concept called Tooth Rush. Dean, tell us more about, what you’ve got, what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, et cetera.
Dean: Sure. Thanks Tobi. So, basically it’s a comfortable silicon mouth guard. I’ve brought in a model here today, fits in the user’s mouth, and both the top and bottom teeth rest inside. Then, a liquid toothpaste runs through the mouth guard and patented technology breaks off the plaque and rinses it away in 10 seconds.
Tobi Skovron: So, no more scrubbing. So one of the biggest issues that I face, and my auntie’s the best dentist in Melbourne, is that I brush too hard. I’m too paranoid about the cleaning. And I think my gums are receding as a result.
Tobi Skovron: So, you’re saying there’s no more brushing. Did I hear correctly ultrasonic cleaning?
Dean: Yeah, yeah.
Tobi Skovron: Okay.
Dean: That’s the thing. We’ve been using toothbrushes since 3,000 BC. There’s been various improvements throughout the ages, but 92% of people still have cavities in their teeth, and one in five people have gum disease.
Dean: And so, for those of us that try and brush really well, a lot of us have irreparable gum recession. The toothbrushes today aren’t really solving the problem, even though we have these electronic toothbrushes and things like that.
Dean: This uses ultrasonic technology. There’s no bristles in the mouth guard, so you cannot brush too hard. And because the process is now controlled by this patented technology, it’s done perfectly every time. Ten seconds and it’s done properly. You can’t brush too hard, and you won’t have any plaque left on your teeth.
Tobi Skovron: Amazing. Amazing, right? What I love about it is I really do … So one of my favorite Biblical stories is David and Goliath. I love it. CreativeCubes, my previous businesses, were the Davids of the space. What I love about this is Colgate, Oral-B, Phillips, they really have a real strong market share.
Tobi Skovron: But they don’t have this. Their sort of innovation, I’m calling you guys out, by the way, their innovation is a different colour bristle that changes colour so that I know when to change it. This is a complete game-changer, in my opinion. How are you going about your funding for what you’re doing?
Dean: So, the launch is via crowdfunding. This is designed to create a large user base so that people can sort of understand the technology and get used to it, and that sort of thing. Crowdfunding is a great launch so that people can see the videos and see what the product is about, where we’re coming from, and that sort of thing.
Dean: And yeah, with Philips and Oral-B, they keep bringing out new products, but the recent data shows that 92% of people still have cavities, and that’s not something we should accept. That’s why this sort of product needs to come out.
Tobi Skovron: That’s a big number.
Dean: Yeah, and people just accept it. I think it’s crazy.
Tobi Skovron: I’m being an entrepreneur, you accept nothing. So, I voted for Dean and Tooth Rush, because I really do … And it wasn’t my decision, by the way, he won it with a decision of the majority of the panel, but I really do see this as Uber-esque. I see this as the taxi industry, not that teeth and taxis are the same, but I see this as the Oral-Bs and the Colgates and the Philips of the world, they’re not developing the right piece of the technology. I’ve got the Philips … I think it’s a Philips black toothbrush, when you press too hard, a red light goes on, and I’m constantly battling that red light, making sure that I’m not pressing too hard.
Tobi Skovron: But 92%, it’s still not solving … Based on the statistic of 92% of people still having cavities … Oh, by the way, I sit in the 8%, but … At least I think I sit in the 8%. It’s not solving the problem, guys. And so, ultrasonic, I’ve got a bit of history in ultrasonics. My dad built an ultrasonic machine for the automotive industry, which I still like number one in its field 25, 30 years after it was invented. So, I understand ultrasonic pretty well. It’s safe.
Dean: Yeah. We worked with experts across dentistry, physics, and a product development firm, as well, to ensure that it’s of the highest quality, meeting all the regulations, whether it’s the FDA, or in Europe the notified bodies. It doesn’t need to be submitted to the TGA in Australia, because there’s no therapeutic claims.
Dean: But, yeah. All of the electrical certifications, all of that sort of thing, tried and tested. and then, ready go.
Tobi Skovron: I love it. I’d be very interested to see the comments in the comments section post the live video. So, Dean, how long do you think it’ll take until we, as consumers, can actually go to a Chemist Warehouse, or a Kohl’s, or Wooly’s, to buy this. Is it going to sit in a specialty department, are you going to go mass, when can I get ahold of it?
Dean: Yeah, good question. At the moment, the business model is direct to consumer, online only.
Tobi Skovron: Awesome.
Dean: So, crowdfunding launch and then product sales on the website. At the moment, you can go online and get the product. If you hit me up, my email … Or, you just hit me up, info@toothrush.com.au, you can get a discount for subscribing early. The crowdfunding launch will be about March or April next year. That’ll raise money to further development of the product, get ready for manufacture and that sort of thing, with the product launching in about October next year.
Tobi Skovron: So, one thing that I’ve seen being done in the US, very successfully, is subscriptions. I’m going to buy the device, and then I guess I can’t just go put regular toothpaste in it?
Dean: No. As you just said before, the cleaning mechanism uses ultrasound, and that needs a medium to travel from the source to whatever it’s cleaning. This uses liquid toothpaste. Tooth Rush also provides the liquid toothpaste capsules, as you do, and that fits in the hand-piece. So, the hand-piece connects with the mouthpiece, in order to supply it with the cleaning solution.
Dean: This is a big one at the moment, it’s just a model that we’re going to continue developing, but yeah. This is also part of the business as well, because-
Tobi Skovron: So, as a consumer, I’ll buy the device from toothrush.com.au, or maybe through affiliates or however you decide to place the product. And then, are you going to offer me a subscription for the gels and the cleaning solutions, that automatically ship to my house so I don’t have to worry about that type of stuff?
Dean: Yeah, yeah. So, that’s how it works. It’s a subscription basis. Currently working on the business model at the moment, whether it’ll be buy the mouth guard and then get one year’s subscription free, and then go on to a subscription basis monthly after that for the liquid toothpaste. Or whether it’s get the mouth guard for free so that you can try this new product, and just pay for the subscription to the toothpaste.
Dean: It’s still early days at the moment. If anyone wants to leave feedback, let me know what you think of it.
Tobi Skovron: If anyone wants to leave maybe a couple million dollars as well, this is a game-changer. In my humble opinion, this is a game-changer. I’d love to see you get this to market faster. I appreciate that R&D and production and all that sort of stuff takes time, but I love this. I hope you guys love it too.
Tobi Skovron: We got to wrap this up. Dean is residing, at least for the next 12 months, here at CreativeCubes. So, if you wanted to come down and visit him, or discuss this more. Maybe you’re in the dentistry space, maybe you’re in venture capital space, maybe you’re in the legal space. Whatever the case may be, if you think you could add value to Dean, I want to see this product on the shelves or online, and I’m in. I’m in. I will buy a lifetime supply straight off the bat.
Tobi Skovron: So, this is the open part of the segment. Where can we find you, by the way? Toothrush.com.au, are you on social at all?
Dean: We’re just briefly on Facebook to make an appearance, but yeah. The website, toothrush.com.au, it’s like toothbrush but without the B. Pretty easy to find.
Dean: And, again, come say hi. Like Richmond CreativeCubes, it’s a really cool space. A lot of really cool people working in here. Tobi’s a cool dude as well.
Tobi Skovron: I wouldn’t go that far, but I love what we’re building here. I love the culture that we’re building here, I love the people who are building great businesses here, and this is a great example. There’ll be more on the show. I’m going to take a timeout next week, I’m actually going to be offline, but I’ll resume the vlogs the following … I think it’s the week of the 30th. So, stay tuned for some more vlogging then.
Tobi Skovron: This is the part of the segment where it gets a little awkward, where Dean sort of sits here while I hustle my ass over, turn off the iPads, turn off the iPhone, and disconnect. Please leave some comments. If you need some further information, ask. We look forward to seeing this live, mate. Congratulations.
Dean: Thanks, thanks.
Tobi Skovron: Thanks a lot, it really is huge. All right, guys. Stay tuned, thanks for watching.
Dean: Yeah. Looking forward to your comments and definitely, yeah. Come and say hi, and get in touch. Thanks a lot.
