Caffeine and You

Coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks, caffeine and people

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT THIS BLOG
    • About Kate Heyhoe
    • Archive
  • BUZZ
  • CAFFEINE BASICS
  • RECIPES
  • SHOP
  • Contact
  • March 27, 2023
You are here: Home / Archives for toothbrush

Colgate Patents Caffeine-Releasing Toothbrush

May 16, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Share Button

ColgateBrush

Too lazy to make coffee? You’re in luck. Colgate’s designed a toothbrush that releases caffeine as you brush.

It could also dispense meds, Benzocaine for teething infants, or an appetite suppressant, says the company. Or it could simply deliver groovy taste sensations. But don’t race over to Walgreen’s just yet: this invention isn’t released, but it is filed with the U.S. Patent Office.

Colgate-Palmolive’s plans show a patch on the brush, designed to slowly release a substance with repeated uses over time. Each patch would visually indicate its function – such as flames for cinnamon, a leaf for aloe vera, or (my favorite) a lightning bolt for tingling sensations. Zap!

The material could be released in several ways – by abrasion, temperature swing, a change in pH or by dissolution.

Add to Wish-List

And why do we need this? Colgate’s patent application notes:

While consumers may seek to clean their tongue or teeth, there has not been a toothbrush which provides a chemical sensory response in a mouth to enhance a user’s brushing experience. Further, consumers have not been provided with a visual method to select a toothbrush which provides a sensory response. Hence, there is a need for a toothbrush that provides a biochemical sensory effect when in contact tissues of the mouth and supports a method to visually communicate the sensory effect to a user prior to use. 

So I wonder…If kids can develop cravings for caffeinated sodas, could they also get addicted to caffeinated toothbrushing? Who knows: there may be an upside to Colgate’s contraption, and a boost for those who really need to work on their oral hygiene.

Click to see patent diagrams and application for Colgate Palmolive Company’s Oral Care Implement No. US 20130048020 A1.

 

Filed Under: Buzz Tagged With: caffeine, product, toothbrush

RECENT POSTS

The Nutella Cookbook: Steal This Book?

The Nutella Cookbook: Steal This Book?

Recipes

Would you steal Nutella? In 2013, thieves stole $21,000 worth of Nutella from a warehouse in German  [...]

Nutella and Orange Whoopie Pies

Nutella and Orange Whoopie Pies

Recipes

The combination of Nutella and orange makes eating these little cakes complete bliss… Makes 15 Wh  [...]

Nutella Truffles

Nutella Truffles

Recipes

Bite into one of these truffles and what a surprise – a caramelised hazelnut in the centre! Makes  [...]

Mini-Nutella Croissants

Mini-Nutella Croissants

Recipes

Treat yourself at breakfast or teatime with these mini-croissants made with the famous hazelnut choc  [...]

5 Ways Coffee Fights Cancer

5 Ways Coffee Fights Cancer

Buzz, Coffee, Health Effects

Will coffee help keep you cancer-free? Possibly. Coffee reduces the risk of certain cancers, acco  [...]

Sparkling Moroccan Mint Tea

Sparkling Moroccan Mint Tea

Recipes, Tea

For Sparkling Moroccan Mint Tea, just add carbonated water (see below). I've made this with green, b  [...]

5 Ways to Up Coffee's Caffeine

5 Ways to Up Coffee's Caffeine

Buzz, Coffee

Wanna Up Your Cup? Tweaking Coffee's Caffeine The amount of caffeine in your coffee depends on   [...]

Coffee + Cocoa + Chile Rub

Coffee + Cocoa + Chile Rub

Recipes

A pot of cowboy coffee and steaks on the campfire? Hmmmm.... maybe a backyard grill and icy marg  [...]

Why Bees Buzz to Caffeine

Why Bees Buzz to Caffeine

Buzz

As it turns out, bees like caffeine. Maybe that's why they buzz... Bees, as we know, are importan  [...]

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Mini's

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Mini's

Recipes

When it's 100 degrees outside, I head indoors to make cheesecake – miniature no-bake cheesecakes, in  [...]

Chocolate's Next Conquest: India

Chocolate's Next Conquest: India

Buzz, Chocolate

In Western tradition, a dinner guest brings a bottle of wine as a host or hostess gift. In India,  [...]

Espresso-Flavored Char Shu with Java Marmalade

Espresso-Flavored Char Shu with Java Marmalade

Recipes

You know those glazed pieces of pork hanging in Chinatown restaurant windows? This is my coffee-spik  [...]

Iced Coffee Syrup, for Sparkling Coffee Spritzer

Iced Coffee Syrup, for Sparkling Coffee Spritzer

Recipes

Coffee Spritzers, here we come! Think coffee with cool, bubbly carbonation. These babies go down   [...]

10 Best Coffee Quotes From *Living* People

10 Best Coffee Quotes From *Living* People

Buzz, Fun

10 Best Coffee Quotes from Living People - Tired of quotes as stale as yesterday's coffee,   [...]

Brain Candy: Sugar May Boost Coffee's Effects

Brain Candy: Sugar May Boost Coffee's Effects

Buzz, Caffeine Effects

Sugar + caffeine = synergy? Combo boosts memory + attention, says one study.  Glucose and caffein  [...]

Hit-and-Run Driver Pleads "Starbucks Defense"

Hit-and-Run Driver Pleads

Buzz, Caffeine Effects

True story: Excessive caffeine, a mental disorder, and no sleep lead to tragic consequences... At  [...]

Cheating Death: Do Coffee Drinkers Live Longer?

Cheating Death: Do Coffee Drinkers Live Longer?

Buzz, Caffeine Effects, Coffee, Health Effects

Death is inevitable, but a major study shows... "Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death." I re  [...]

Modern Rush: Ready-to-Drink Tea

Modern Rush: Ready-to-Drink Tea

Buzz, Tea

Cold, Instant, and On-the-Go: How We Like Our Tea  More Americans go inside convenience stores   [...]

SHOPPING


All Products

Categories

Tag Cloud

ABA addiction alcohol antioxidant appetizer beet beverage Beverage Lobby brain Brazil cacao caffeine caffeine amount caffeine effect caffeine effects cancer candy cappuccino carcinoma cassina Chapter Chapter 04 Chapter 05 Chapter 06 Chapter 07 Chapter 08 cheesecake children chile chocolate chocolate recipe Coca-Cola cocoa cocoa nib cocoa powder coffee coffee drink coffee recipe coke cola cola nut cookie dietary supplement dopamine dose energy drink energy gel energy shot FAQ FDA food food label Fun grilling guarana gum habit half-life hazelnut health health effect health effects history infographic java kids lethal dose marinade memory mental focus mental health military miniature dessert mint mood Mt. Dew neurotransmitter news Nutella orange people pork product recipe risk safety salad seasoning soda soft drink sugar tea teacup teen theanine theobromine trend withdrawal women yerba mate

CONNECT

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Follow @KateHeyhoe

 
 

© 2017, Kate Heyhoe and CaffeineAnd You.com. All Rights Reserved

Meet Kate

About Kate Heyhoe

I'm an author and journalist specializing in food and cooking. Caffeine Basics is my ninth book. I've written about the U.S. wine industry, international foods, shrinking your "cookprint," and cooking with kids. Great Bar Food at Home was a James Beard Award finalist, and Cooking Green: Reducing … More

Policies and Archives

  • Archive
  • Policies

Sites We Like

  • Coffee Krave
  • FoodWine.com
  • Sprudge
  • The Tea Stylist

Copyright © 2017 Kate Heyhoe · Log in