Dental superhero for kids

Philips has launched a new version of its innovative Sonicare for Kids toothbrush aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 10. The kid-friendly power toothbrush is designed to help children develop effective brushing habits early, for a lifetime of good oral health.

The upgraded Sonicare for Kids comes with a selection of eight funky designs for its interchangeable decorative front panels, which can be peeled on and off to suit the child’s whims. Also, the packaging features the Sonicare for Kids swathed in a red cape, underlining its super-hero credentials.

The brush is not just eye-catching though; studies amongst children in the target age group shows that Phillips Sonicare for Kids removes significantly more plaque than a children’s manual toothbrush – up to 75% more in hard-to-reach areas [1]

‘This is important because I often see children who have cavities because they are simply not removing enough plaque from their teeth and parents are surprised and frustrated because they’ve tried to teach their children how to brush effectively’ says Mhari Coxon, dental hygenist and professional relations manager, Philips Oral Healthcare.

Research conducted amongst dental professionals (who were also parents of children in the target age group) showed that 91% preferred Sonicare For Kids as the primary toothbrush for their own children[2]. Plus, 93% were highly satisfied with the cleaning performance[3].

Kid smart

The new brush can achieve results this good because it is based on the core Sonicare technology which creates a dynamic cleaning action to drive fluid between teeth and along gums, helping to thoroughly brush away plaque. However it also brims with additional features to make it even more effective for children.

These include an innovative KidTimer function designed to help young users reach the recommended two minute brushing time by progressively increasing the brushing duration incrementally over a period of 90 days so that they brush for longer every day without realising it. Thanks to the in-built timer and quad pacer with rewarding musical tones, children using Sonicare for Kids also brush for significantly longer than manual brush users and place equal importance on all four quadrants of their mouth. It was also designed by experts in child ergonomics to make sure that the way it is used, held and interacted with is as easy, effective and enticing as possible for a child.

Sonicare for Kids features two intensity settings including a sensitive mode which is  gentle on developing teeth and gums to help kids make the transition from a manual to an electric toothbrush. It also features two different sized brush heads to accommodate growing mouths, as well as the option of a sensitive brush head.

As Mhari Coxon concludes: ‘With Sonicare for Kids, parents can provide thir children with a simple way to start achieving exceptional results now, as they develop consistent, effective brushing habits for a lifestyle of good oral care.’

Advantages for dental professionals

• Clinically proven to achieve better oral health results in children

• The kid-friendly features are designed to increase compliance for better long term brushing habits

• clever ergonomics help kids handle the toothbrush more effectively and make it less technique sensitive to encourage better brushing results

• Sonicare for Kids will help youngsters transition to a ‘grown up’ Sonicare and set up good lifetime of brushing habits.

Advantages for parents

• The specially designed ergonomic handle helps parents to teach their children how to brush and encourage kids to brush properly on their own

• It also has a robust, durable design

• Clever in built technology helps children to brush for the appropriate duration helping them transition to independent brushing.

• It ensures that tooth brushing gets done properly so that their children’s future check-ups are healthier.

Sonicare for Kids will have an RRP of £50 and replacement brush heads will retail for £15 for two.

Sonicare for Kids makes its colourful professional debut at The Dentistry Show on 28 February 2014. More information can also be obtained by  visiting www.sonicare.com or calling 0800 0567 222.