redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports – Your Universe Online
Good news for those who aren´t getting enough caffeine in their coffee, sodas, energy drinks, chewing gum, waffles, marshmallows, or other snacks and drinks — you may soon be able to get a dose of the stimulant while performing basic dental hygiene tasks!
Yes, according to the Huffington Post, Colgate-Palmolive has filed a patent application for an oral care device that could administer chemicals when it comes into contact with a person´s mouth or teeth.
Among the substances listed as those that could potentially be delivered through the toothbrush is — you guessed it — caffeine, which is listed in the patent as a “homeopathic teething or inflammation soothing additive.”
Other substances which could be administered by the toothbrush include various flavors, capsaicin (a substance found in chili peppers that could be used to create a warming sensation), appetite suppressants, or painkillers like benzocaine (which could be for teething children), Gawker reporter Maggie Lange explained.
Each of the device´s chemical-releasing patches would last approximately three months, according to the Daily Mail, and the different types of brushes would be differentiated by different shaped tongue cleaners. In other words, an apple-shaped one would be apple flavored, a snowflake would release a substance that would provide a cooling sensation, and a candle or flamethrower would indicate that the brush would release a warming substance.
“While Colgate could not be reached for comment about the potential for bringing the product to market, it shows startling innovation for a company selling a dental-cleaning implement that has gone conceptually unchanged for more than 500 years,” said Rich Abdill of the website Motherboard.
“But this innovation comes at a turbulent time for the ℠caffeinate everything´ movement,” he added, referring to Wrigley´s decision to remove their caffeinated “Alert” gum off the market pending FDA research into the product.
As for the regulatory agency´s stance on Colgate´s proposed toothbrush, Abdill said that it is “unclear” and that “trying to find someone at the organization to speculate proved to be less than fruitful“¦ Standard toothbrushes don´t need to wait for FDA approval to be sold, so long as their design is submitted to the agency.”
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