The Tooth Fairy™ is a patent-pending appliance (20040118427 Palfy et al., 2002) for use by the millions who wear retainers, dentures, plates and sports mouth guards and require improved oral hygiene. Hand brushing is messy and of limited utility, while effervescing tablet soaks are expensive, sanitize poorly and leave an unpleasant long-lasting aftertaste. It also offers a means to complete this routine chore for those who are unable or who lack the dexterity to clean and sanitize their dental prosthetic, such as young children, the elderly and the disabled. Three separate technologies are combined in the Tooth Fairy™ – advanced ultraviolet light peroxidation (UV-peroxidation), hydraulic vibration, and cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) UV light emission.

UV-peroxidation sanitizing technology uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and a specific band of UV light. Cleaning occurs concurrently through sub-sonic, sonic or hypersonic hydraulic vibration. To complete a cleaning-sanitizing cycle, one removes and opens Tooth Fairy’s internally mirrored hermetic cleaning chamber, places one’s dental prosthetic inside, fills the chamber with peroxide, closes it and inserts the chamber back into Tooth Fairy’s ‘base unit’. The user selects the vibration level, sets the cleaning cycle duration (in minutes) and depresses the ‘start’ button. The CCFL lamp irradiates the mirrored cleaning chamber with UV light and a variable speed micromotor vibrates the cleaning chamber and its contents.

When the correct frequency of UV light irradiates peroxide, the molecules absorb the photons. Bonds between adjacent oxygen atoms break, splitting each peroxide molecule into two extremely aggressive hydroxyl (OH-) free radicals. In seconds, free radicals destroy all bacteria, viruses, prions and organic matter, then recombine into water. Particulates, dislodged by vibration, deposit as sediments on the cleaning chamber floor. The Tooth Fairy™ cleans and sanitizes better than the dentist’s autoclave, without the needless expense of repetitive office visits. In as little as 5-minutes, one’s highly “used” retainer, denture, plate or mouth guard is rendered perfectly clean and sanitized, and kept that way indefinitely inside the hermetic cleaning chamber.

The Tooth Fairy™ is inexpensive; it uses very little energy and is very green. The CCFL lamp generates no heat. Products of cleaning are carbon dioxide, water and salts – the peroxide is completely destroyed. Since, no hazardous materials are used or created, the user may comfortably dispose of the liquid contents down the drain with no lingering guilt.

The Tooth Fairy™ has two versions, a stand-alone nightstand unit (Illustration #1) and a portable unit (Illustration #2). They are identical, except that the portable version includes on-board rechargeable batteries and a docking station, allowing it unlimited mobility and to be operated during transport. This makes it ideal for teens who attend camp or sleepovers, and adults who frequently travel. Since power usage is low, batteries may be used for several weeks of daily use before recharging.

As the world’s population increases, the Tooth Fairy™ will gain ever-growing demand among all age groups due to its low cost, ease of use, reliability and unequalled performance in maintaining superior oral hygiene.