An important aspect in dental care is the psychological effect assisted brushing has on the caregiver as well as the patient. The oral hygiene of the people caregivers help may become neglected if they are feeling overwhelmed by balancing their many duties, patients, and own self-care. Brushing another person’s teeth is a difficult procedure that requires appropriately designed cleaning aids and training on the complex positional requirements needed to maintain a proper technique. Two outer rows of curved bristles gently nestle their way between the tooth and the gumline to remove plaque and food debris from the sulcus.

For many years American dentist George Collis felt that toothbrushes were difficult for his patients use. The complicated ‘scrub and roll’ technique was hard to teach to children, and many adults also failed to apply it properly. Drawing from his experiences trying to brush his elderly father’s teeth, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the time, Dr. Collis invented the first ever 3-sided curved bristle toothbrush.

If caregivers were given the proper tool to work with and reasonably doable instructions, they would approach this task with less trepidation and their anxiety would not be transferred to the defenseless person needing aid with daily oral infection control.