My former dentist suffered a mid-life crisis, sold his practice, and moved himself, and his hopefully still-happy family, to the front range of the Rocky Mountains. He thought he’d find a more fulfilling life than he had in Western Pennsylvania, and intended to practice dentistry in his new location. From conversations with, and overheard among, the staff, one could infer that the move did not go as well as had been hoped. I knew him from having had my teeth cleaned in his office every six months for several years. He was a very intense man, concerned about many things about which he spoke in a very loud voice.
Coincidentally, about the time my dentist went West, I purchased a vibrating electric toothbrush, called “Sonicare”. It claimed to remove plaque, according to the information displayed on a pallet of them being sold at Costco. The price was, I believe $129.00. Replacement brushes, that cost about .35 cents to manufacture, sell in blister packages of three. Each package retails for $35.00. It is, therefore, an extraordinarily profitable item with a very profitable built-in income stream following.
For three years, I’ve used the new toothbrush faithfully, using a new brush every year. Since my dentist was no longer there, I no longer got calls reminding me that “It’s time to come in and have your teeth cleaned.”. Having been unusually busy during this period, I simply forgot about having my teeth cleaned at a dentist. Finally, it hit me: “You may have cavities that you can’t see. You may have serious plaque build-up between your teeth that isn’t visible. You really do have to go see a dentist.”
So, after three years, I went to a dentist for an exam and cleaning.
“Your teeth look very good.”, he said when he’d finished. “There was hardly any plaque.”
Sometimes, things do work as advertised.
I could only hope, for the sake of my old dentist, that Sonicare hadn’t sold many toothbrushes in the Eastern part of the Rockies.
It would be prudent to investigate the feasibility of making brushes for their products and selling them on the internet.
