brush it aside

What's more to life? Get the music right in your head!

That Tune in Your Head Could Be Your Toothbrush
By WARREN BUCKLEITNER
NY Times
Published: March 1, 2007

Put a rock band in your mouth, along with a dab of toothpaste, with Tooth Tunes, a $10 musical toothbrush from Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro. The theory is that two minutes of brushing is needed to give teeth a proper cleaning. So the brush is really a kind of timer.

The feeling is a bit eerie. The sound is transferred through the brush tip, into the teeth, and right into the inner ear, so you feel the music. Because volume is related to pressure, you can turn up the volume by applying steady pressure to your teeth. Unfortunately, you can also hear better when not brushing, which children can soon learn.

The brushes, first released last fall, are being sold nationwide this month in stores or at www.toothtunes.com. They feature 17 artists, including the Black Eyed Peas, Hilary Duff, Kiss and others. There is even one that plays “Y.M.C.A.,” so theoretically you can have the Village People in your head.

The switch is slime-proof, and batteries are included, providing power for up to six months. When they run out, you throw the brush away — and, Hasbro hopes, buy a new tune. Now you can tell your child to “keep brushing until Queen has finished, honey.”