The world of dentistry will be revolutionized if Japanese manufacturers and a University of Saskatchewan researcher have their way. A company by the name of Shiken, based in Japan, is seeking to take dentistry in the future. Yes, they have visualized it to be a time when your toothbrush may no longer need your toothpaste to get the job done. The idea is to have a solar-powered toothbrush which will cause a chemical reaction in your mouth to eliminate plaque and bacteria from your mouth.

Sask dentistry professor Dr. Kunio Komiyama thought of it first when he created this type of toothbrush 15 years ago. A titanium dioxide rod was contained in the neck of the brush a little below the nylon bristles. Light falling on the wet rod would release electrons, which would react to the acid typically found in the mouth, helping break down plaque. The latest model is called the Soladey-J3X and works in the same way, except that it’s twice as powerful. The toothbrush needs about as much light as a solar-powered calculator.

Via DiscoveryChannel