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Oral care is an important part of your overall health. Improper care can lead to irreversible emotional, physical, and financial consequences.
There are quite a few startups out there that want to help you take care of your teeth before they reach the point of no return.
Brands such as Quip (toothbrushes), Candid (aligners), and Twice (toothpaste) will get you excited to brush, straighten, and whiten your teeth, without overcharging you.
From prescription medication and eyewear to daily multivitamins and hair-loss treatments, consumer startups are tackling every aspect of your personal health. That includes oral hygiene - how you care for your teeth and gums.
In addition to emotional and physical consequences, there are financial consequences to practicing poor oral care. Compared to other health care services, dental care presents the highest cost barriers to the US population.
Oral care startups hope to keep you one step ahead of these barriers by getting you excited to brush your teeth or floss regularly. While a new electric toothbrush or toothpaste won't be able to solve a cavity you already have, good habits like brushing twice a day with an effective toothbrush and flossing regularly are smart preventative measures to keep you out of the dentist's chair beyond your regular check-ups.
New oral care brands are also tackling cosmetic procedures like teeth whitening and teeth straightening, which are often prohibitively expensive and inconvenient. By lowering costs and making at-home solutions, they give customers further reason to smile a little wider.
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The following 11 online startups make toothbrushes, toothpaste, aligners, and other oral care accessories to help you take care of your teeth and smile:
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Quip's American Dental Association-accepted electric toothbrush has a sleek and simple design. The battery-powered brush is lighter, less bulky, and more travel-friendly than a traditional electric brush, but it's still thorough in cleaning your teeth. The included mirror mount helps reduce bathroom counter clutter, while the affordable refill plan (which ships for free) ensures you're always using an effective brush head.
Boka's electric toothbrush features activated charcoal bristles to help limit bacteria growth and give you a pleasant brushing experience. Combine that with its toothpaste, which contains nano-hydroxyapatite (instead of fluoride) to naturally repair enamel, for a unique but effective twice-daily routine. You can choose from a variety of product bundles to subscribe to, or feel free to shop for brushes and accessories a la carte.
Goby's take on the electric toothbrush more closely resembles traditional designs, with its round oscillating brush head and storage stand. However, it charges by USB so it's more portable, and there are always cool limited-edition designs (often in collaboration with artists) to shop. The brush offers two speeds, normal and sensitive. We recommend the subscription option, which is more flexible than those of other startups.
You may recognize it from it's viral "corn test" video, but the Burst electric toothbrush has several features to boast about, including three different brush modes, a strong motor that delivers 33,000 vibrations per minute, and anti-microbial charcoal bristles. One of the strongest aspects of the brush is its four-week battery life. Customers also love the brand's whitening strips.
Braces and Invisalign are expensive, which is why startups like Candid are stepping in with solutions that are not only more affordable, but also more convenient to use. By using its starter kit or visiting one of its physical studios, you can receive a personalized, orthodontist-approved plan to straighten your teeth. It'll send you all the aligners you need at once, and the total cost of treatment is less than $2,000.
SmileDirectClub is older than Candid and has helped improve the smiles of more than 650,000 customers. Get started with its at-home impression kit or visit one of its many "Smile Shops" for a 3D scan of your teeth. Then, you can choose one of two types of aligners: the Clear Aligners, which you wear for 22 hours a day, or the new Nighttime Clear Aligners, which you only wear for 10 hours each night. It also sells an affordable LED teeth-whitening kit.
Glowup's teeth-whitening kit combines a whitening agent personalized to the user's teeth sensitivity and discoloration level with a 16-minute light treatment to deliver pain-free and noticeable results. After taking its online quiz to determine your specific whitening needs, you'll receive this kit to use in the comfort of your own home. The company says customers can see up to eight shades of difference in brightness after a week of use.
A premium toothpaste with a social mission — that's Twice, a new company cofounded by Lenny Kravitz that donates 10% of profits to the GLO Good Foundation, which serves communities with life-changing dentistry, education, and supplies. It makes two kinds of whitening, cavity-preventing toothpaste: one for morning use and one for nighttime use. Both are formulated with vitamins and aloe vera to soothe your teeth and gums, but the flavors differ to give you an awakening or calming experience, depending on the time of day.
Wildist is created by a P&G and Etsy alum, and the influences of these experiences are clear. While quality, efficacy, and transparency are at the heart of its natural toothpastes and deodorants, it also strives to make these everyday personal-care products visually captivating. Right now, it sells three types of toothpaste — try its sensitive version, formulated with ginger, or its nighttime version, formulated with soothing chamomile.
This oral-care brand prides itself on using natural ingredients and environmentally friendly packaging in all of its products, which include adults' and kids' toothpaste, mouthwash, and toothbrushes. You'll find coconut oil, activated charcoal, and real mint as common ingredients in its top sellers.
Does anyone really need luxury floss? If that means the floss is extra strong and thick, not to mention flavorful, then yes, you need Cocofloss. The soft, textured floss is gentle on your gums while scrubbing away plaque and removing food particles. It doesn't fray as easily as regular floss, which ultimately means you waste less product and money.
