world’s lightest toothbrush possibly?

[Ty Ty]

I know this is only a small thing but it's fun to find the little things that don't cost much.

I stumbled across this toothbrush at Wal-Mart when I was looking to replace my toothbrush at home. It looked pretty light and it was I think $.79, Dr. Du-More's is the brand. I liked how the handle was flat versus the rouned handle Oral-B. I figured for $.79 why not.

I was pleasantly surprised at the weight, it fluctuates between .2 and .3 oz on my scale for the whole toothbrush versus my Oral-B cut down version that was .5 oz. So for $.79 you get a full handled toothbrush that weights about half what a traditional Oral-B toothbrush weights cut down plus it is cheaper. Can't beat that in my opinion.

Plus with the flat handle I think it will make it better to hold if you do decide to cut it down. I am going to leave mine the way it is.

[Link .]

My free toothbrush from the dentist is .1oz for the full size brush.

They are from this company

http://www.nexadental.com/Professionals/info/ORALPROD/prem/index.asp

[Ty Ty]

Darn, that was short lived :)

Still a good option if you don't have a dentist appt anytime soon.

[John S.]

Really need to measure in grams for better accuracy. I've been using Dr. Du-More's for years, but never used it backpacking. Have thought about it, so now I will get another one for that purpose. After I bought my earlier ones, they seemed to have disappeared. Thanks for posting.

[David Thomas]

Ty: Nice find – way cheap and pretty light without any mods.

When I consider toothbrushes, I wanted to multipurpose the handle in some way. Bristles on one end, spork on the other? Have the luxury of an easier to hold/use toothbrush and spork because they share the handle weight?

Or a pen/toothbrush?

How do we know the toothbrush was invented by hillbillies? Because otherwise, it would be called a teethbrush.

[German Tourist]

The lightest toothbrushes are probably finger tooth brushes used in baby care and prisons like that one:
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Sprouts-Toothbrush-Silicone-Finger/dp/B003JNELB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1329327236&sr=8-5
Although they look great and are incredibly light weight they do not work. I once bought a whole bunch of them and did not like them at all. Very messy and they did not clean the teeth properly.

[Steven Evans]

Anna, 0.1 oz really is light for a toothbrush. I have been using a 4 paws dog/fingerbrush for the last few years and even that weighs 4 grams (0.14 oz). What model is it that you have? I am crazy enough to order one to save 1 gram (and have a full size brush) :)

[Kevin Babione]

I've used both the fingertip brush and the Colgate Wisp. They both leave you feeling like you wiped your teeth rather than that you just brushed them. The other thing about the fingertip (i.e. prison) brush is that you really want your finger to be clean before using it. I had a nasty experience with that when I woke up to a lot of bugs one morning and put my bug stuff on before brushing my teeth…Ugh.

I'll have to stop by Wal-Mart to pick a couple of these up. I'm willing to carry a couple of extra grams to have a better brushing experience.

Thanks for the post!

[David Thomas]

Christine,

I agree about those finger-tip toothbrushes. Can't get lighter, but not very convenient. And I worry about shoving my whole finger into my mouth 3-4 times a day. Sure, I'd try to wash my hands well before hand, but any sanitation mistake can really wreck your trip.

I'm liking these:

http://www.gumbrand.com/search/?guid=2d6e7ab32f464481bf3ade102cd6a62d&operator=OR&F_All=Y&keyword=interdental&gclid=CJX-5d_QoK4CFWcbQgodkBDC-g

10 cm / 4" when extended. The brush end inverts and stores more compactly into the handle. The bristles are treated to resist bacterial growth on the bristles. That and a super-mini tube of toothpaste (or none) from a Chinese hotel and it's a very light set-up. 2 grams for the brush (0.07 oz) and 6 grams (0.21 oz) on the toothpaste but it gets lighter as you go. 8 for $4.75.

[John Nausieda]

Price is $35 for the traveler! That is Cuben territory!

[Thomas Conly]

This past summer I thru-hiked the AT with a toothbrush I put together. I sawed off just the top of my toothbrush and hot glued it into a carbon fiber arrow shaft. The handle was full length and it weighed .1oz. I can't remember what it was in grams but it was actually less than .1oz. I even got the carbon fiber for free. The archery range had some broken arrows so I used the broken bits. I'll post a picture when I get home if anyone's interested.

[Steven Paris]

Also, the Colgate Wisp. The "freshening bead" actually pops right out, leaving just the brush/pick. Not as comfortable as a regular toothbrush but fine for a short trip.

http://www.colgatewisp.com/wisp/HomePage

[Ben Whitsett]

David,

I would throw that brush away… after having come in contact with that filthy scale!!!!

[Kattt]

I know it's a long shot, but if you know you are hiking in Echinacea ( purple cone flower)territory, it makes a great antiseptic tooth brush. Best if it hasn't dried yet.

[Ben C]

David, isn't that a proxy brush that goes between your teeth instead of a regular toothbrush?

[Mary D]

Having been forced to spend many thousands of dollars on restorative dentistry over the years, I can assure you that any shortcuts to good dental hygiene on the trail are most definitely not worth saving a couple tenths of an ounce of weight! You need a toothbrush that will easily reach your back teeth and you need to floss daily. Besides, dental floss is a multiple use item, doubling as sewing thread.

The brush in the first post looks fine!

[Mobile Calculator]

…

[Link .]

Steven,the I have the orapro faze 3 and the orapro classic they weigh 3 grams each for the whole brush.

[John S.]

That's an amazingly low weight for a toothbrush. Might have to "secure" one from a dentist. The Dr. Du More's seem to last longer than other toothbrushes I have used in the past.

[Clint Hewitt]

I think I remember a while back reading about some tribe of people chewing on all things sugar cane.

No toothpaste, no flossing and they had better health then first world countries.

It purported that just the act of brushing/ chewing with the fibrous stalk would clean there teeth. The sugar would dissipate/ dissolve out and they would keep chewing after words so the sugar had no ill effects.

Not that sugar cane grows in all the areas we hike in. I wonder if another naturally occurring resource could be found at the end of each day. eliminating the weight all together.

I personally always bring my tooth brush and floss, but I do not always bring tooth paste.

[Michael Cheifetz]

not at the level of cutting down single grams yet…so i just stole my daughters toothbrush…but having read the DIY @thomas spoke about makes me think that one could cut down a full size head and fabricate something with a shepherd's hook tent stake and get double duty

[Link .]

http://www.amazon.com/Ekotec-Refills-Soft-4-Toothbrushs/dp/B000Z92AK4

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/3668/

[David Thomas]

Michael: You mean like threading the end of a tent stake and tapping the same thread into a brush-only portion of a toothbrush?

It would be worth people's expressions to be (apparently) brushing your teeth with a tent stake. Maybe I'll put one together. -David

[Michael Cheifetz]

yeah david – thats what i meant.

[Thomas Conly]

I thought about making a double duty handle/tent stake as well but cummon, the carbon fiber weighs less than 3 grams. At what point do we become ridiculous? My goal when going lightweight is to never sacrifice comfort or convenience. I just pack the lightest gear I'm comfortable with and can afford or justify the price of. Tent stakes are dirty and I need them to hold my tarp up when I want to brush my teeth. That being said, if I saw someone brushing their teeth with a tent peg I'd probably shake their hand. :) On that note, my pegs are also made of carbon fiber arrow shafts. 1.6 oz for 10 of them.

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