Big Mouth Toothbrush seeks to bring a big change to the way that people take care of their teeth. The new patent-pending electric toothbrush has a much larger brush head than traditional electric brushes, and its creator, Dr. Bobbi Peterson, says that this is the key to producing a dentist-like teeth cleaning. But, will the Sharks take a bite of this new dental device? Read our Big Mouth Toothbrush Shark Tank update to find out.
What is Big Mouth Toothbrush?
The Big Mouth Toothbrush is an innovative, patent-pending, new sonic toothbrush which not only cleans your gums and teeth simultaneously, but also delivers a dentist-like clean. Big Mouth by Bobbi LLC is the company which produces the product, and it is located in Brooklyn, New York.
The Big Mouth Toothbrush claims to elevate your daily oral routine with 5 distinct cleaning options: Clean, Polish, White, Massage, and Sensitive, each powered by Sonic precision, offering an impressive 50,000 vibrations per minute for a deep, comprehensive clean.
Who created Big Mouth Toothbrush?
Dr. Bobbi Peterson, an Orthodontist, is the inventor of the Big Mouth Toothbrush. Bobbi grew up in Newark, New Jersey, the youngest of 8 siblings, and she says that while her father was a dentist, her mother still worked three full-time jobs in order to take care of the family.
Bobbi also had a child, her daughter, while she was still a teenager, but she contends that this did not hold her back; rather, her daughter provided her the motivation to graduate high school early and move directly on to college.
Bobbi went from graduating high school early into Drexel University for four years, and after getting her undergraduate degree in Biology, she immediately started 4 years of Dental School at Howard University, followed by a 3-year residency in Orthodontics. After her residency, she immediately opened her own practice, which she still operates as Aces Braces, now with two locations, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
How did Big Mouth Toothbrush get started?
Big Mouth founder Dr. Bobbi Peterson had been an orthodontist for nearly 20 years when she came up with the idea for The Big Mouth Toothbrush. Bobbi spoke about the origin of the Big Mouth in an interview with Flaunt Magazine. She told the publication that she had started noticing an increase in gum disease and gingivitis in her patients not long after pandemic lockdowns ended when people began seeking out care.
After hearing patient complaints of pain, Bobbi was inspired to create the perfect toothbrush that would hit those hard-to-reach places between your teeth while still being gentle on the gums and comfortable to use. The result? A unique toothbrush with an even more unique name: The Big Mouth Toothbrush. Dr. Bobbi told Flaunt, “I wanted to create something that would make taking care of your oral hygiene easier and more enjoyable. The Big Mouth Toothbrush makes it possible for people to brush their teeth effectively without sacrificing comfort or convenience.”
What happened to Big Mouth Toothbrush before Shark Tank?
In a publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, Dr. Bobbi explained that she was interested in how to make an electric toothbrush with a wider head, capable of covering more tooth surface area in the same amount of time while reaching the plaque build-up areas and the gums, so she began planning designs and contacted an engineer. Bobbi also told the Orthodontist’s Association publication, “After making four prototypes, we arrived at a design that covered a larger tooth surface area at a size that would fit comfortably in most teen and adult mouths.”
Once she had a working prototype, Bobbi then began to work with a patent attorney to file for a U.S. patent, and when she entered the Tank, a design patent was pending for the Big Mouth Toothbrush.
How did Big Mouth Toothbrush develop before Shark Tank?
When Big Mouth Toothbrush founder Dr. Bobbi Peterson pitched in the Tank, the company had just launched 6 months prior to taping her episode, so she didn’t have a long sales history to report. However, Bobbi told the Sharks that in 6 months, she had sales of $60k, but that there had only been 4 months with active sales.
Bobbi explained that there were two months without any sales because when she discovered that she was the first black person to design an electric toothbrush, she did some focused marketing, and during Black History Month, she completely sold out of product, and even though she had already reordered toothbrushes, she remained sold out for 2 full months.
What do customers think of Big Mouth Toothbrush?
Interestingly, when we did a search for online reviews for the Big Mouth Toothbrush, we discovered that the original model, which was pitched on Shark Tank with a retail price of $69.95, is no longer available either on Amazon or on the company website, but the Big Mouth Toothbrush 2.0 Sonic is offered at $139.99, both on Amazon and the company website.
Since we do not know whether the original model will again be offered, we took a look at the Amazon reviews for the Sonic 2.0, the new model, at a price of $139.99. Thus far, there are only 12 ratings on Amazon, with an average rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars. Of Amazon reviewers, 66% give it a 4 or 5 star rating, and 20% give it only 1 star.
What are customers saying about Big Mouth Toothbrush 2.0 Sonic?
One satisfied Amazon purchaser declared, “I saw Dr Bobbi on Shark Tank, and l was very impressed with her and her product. I tried it, and l am absolutely sold on this concept. The ample brush size cuts my brush time in half and the 5 settings are amazing. I highly recommend it.”
Another happy Big Mouth purchaser stated, “I ordered my Big Mouth Toothbrush Sonic 2.0 yesterday and received it today! I had to try it immediately, and let me tell you, it was so refreshing! It did all the work for me, and it feels so different compared to a manual toothbrush. I felt like I was at the dentist and a spa at the same time! My teeth and gums feel super clean.”
The most critical review we found was not about the new product, but was from a purchaser of the original Big Mouth, who was very disappointed in the company: “I actually love the product, however, I was informed today that the white toothbrush refills have been discontinued. This is quite annoying because I haven’t even had my pink (original model) toothbrush for a full year. The only compensation that was offered was to give me black toothbrush heads if I own a black (new model) toothbrush. This is of no help, and I should be at least reimbursed up to half for a toothbrush that is of no use.”
If the company has actually discontinued the original Big Mouth Toothbrush so soon after its introduction, it might be a good idea for them to offer a substantial discount to folks who would be willing to upgrade to the new model!
When did Big Mouth Toothbrush appear on Shark Tank?
Big Mouth Toothbrush appeared on Shark Tank in Season 14, Episode 15, which aired on March 3rd, 2023. The company pitched to regular Sharks Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, and Robert Herjavec.
Big Mouth Toothbrush was not the only dental-care product to appear on Season 14 of Shark Tank, check out our story on a creative way to clean your teeth while you’re on the go in our FUNKKOFF Shark Tank update.
Big Mouth Toothbrush Shark Tank update, what happened next?
Dr. Bobbi Peterson entered the Tank and asked the Sharks for $150k in return for a 10% equity share in her business.
Bobbi started her pitch by telling the Sharks, “There is a huge problem that affects 50% of the world’s population. We’re talking about gum disease.” She then described to the Sharks how dental problems affect other aspects of one’s health. She revealed that people with periodontal disease are at two-to-three times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease or stroke than those without gum disease.
Bobbi next displayed some fairly disturbing photos of people with advanced gum disease, and she tied this into the fact that advances in electric toothbrush technology have led to smaller and smaller brush heads on electric toothbrushes.
After donning a lab coat and telling the Sharks that she was a practicing orthodontist, she showed the Sharks her product, the Big Mouth Toothbrush, which she said has a larger head so that it covers more surface area when you brush while creating a more massaging, relaxing feeling.
The Sharks now examined the Big Mouth Toothbrushes which they had in front of them, and Lori Greiner started the questions when she commented, “You have more settings than I’ve ever seen on a brush.” Lori then listed the settings: “Gum Care, Sensitive, Clean, Polish, Whiten.” And then she asked Bobbi, “So I was wondering, does this cut down the time?” Lori learned from Bobbi that the Big Mouth Toothbrush cuts down brushing time by about half.
Kevin O’Leary spoke next, asking Bobbi if what she said about a larger head on a toothbrush was true, why didn’t the big guys in the business just make a larger head? Bobbi told Mr. Wonderful that they couldn’t just copy her design because she had a design patent pending on the brush, including the oversize dimension of the head.
O’Leary continued his dialogue with Bobbi telling her that he had written his MBA thesis on the dental industry, so he knew the big players in the market and how they worked. However, before Kevin could say any more, Robert Herjavec piped up and said to O’Leary, “Of course it was, but that was 150 years ago!”
O’Leary insisted that he understood the market for electric toothbrushes and that no company had ever broken ground against the big names in the market, and Mark Cuban spoke up to say, “But it takes a great orthodontist from Brooklyn to come up with a good idea.”
Next, Robert directed attention back to the business when he asked for the retail price, and he learned that the Big Mouth Toothbrush sold for $69.99 and that it cost Bobbi $14 landed. Mark Cuban assumed that Bobbi was selling them in her practice, but he wanted to know where else they were being sold, and Bobbi informed him that they also sold the toothbrushes online.
Robert continued his questions by asking Bobbi how many she had sold, and she told him that the company had only launched 6 months prior to her appearance in the Tank, and they had sales of $60k; however, she explained that for two months she had been out of inventory, so this only represented 4 months of sales. Bobbi said that when she discovered that she was the first black person to have designed an electric toothbrush, she ran a promotion during Black History month, and this had completely depleted her inventory.
Barbara Corcoran joined the questioning and asked Bobbi to tell her something about herself. Bobbi then explained that she was the youngest of 8 siblings, and that she had a child herself when she was a teenager, but rather than being set back by being a young mother, her daughter gave her the motivation to graduate from high school early, and then immediately start 4 years of an undergraduate degree in Biology.
Bobbi also told Barbara that as soon as she graduated from college, she then spent 4 years in Dental School, followed by another 3 years in residency for Orthodontics. Finally, just one week after she finished her residency, she said that she had opened her own practice.
At this point in the pitch, it was obvious that all of the Sharks were impressed by Bobbi’s educational credentials and work ethic, but would they be willing to dive into the deep waters of this very competitive industry?
Did Big Mouth Toothbrush get a deal on Shark Tank?
Big Mouth toothbrush successfully got a deal on Shark Tank. Barbara Corcoran agreed to invest $150k for 20% equity in the business, along with a royalty of $2 per unit sold, in return for her investment.
Lori Greiner was the first Shark to state her intentions when she told Bobbi that what she had done was really smart, but she was worried that she was working in a very crowded space and that she was going to have trouble getting her product into market.
Robert spoke up next and told Bobbi, “Look, the story is you; you’re incredible.” However, like Lori, Robert was worried that she would need millions of dollars to get traction in a brutally competitive market. Mark Cuban also shared thoughts similar to Lori and Robert, and Mark added he was worried that with Bobbi’s practice, on top of the new product, she might have a hard time managing both businesses at the same time.
With three Sharks out, Barbara asked Bobbi what she would use the money for, and Bobbi told her that she needed to hire dedicated staff to box up and ship the product, as well as find space in order to move the business out of her dental practice. And, Bobbi added, that she would love to go into retail.
Barbara then said that she was thinking about investing until she heard about trying to get into retail, as she thought that this was crazy, so she bowed out as well. Now, there was a single Shark left swimming, Mr. Wonderful.
O’Leary said, “Bobbi, a very credible presentation, but it’s a brutal market, there hasn’t been a new entrance who’s gotten market share in 20 years.” Kevin also said that he would want to get 10 times his $150k out, and he just didn’t see how that could work here. He then informed Bobbi that perhaps she was asking for too much money.
Just as it appeared that O’Leary was going out, Bobbi said, “I’m in the process of hiring orthodontists. I plan on giving 100% of my time to this. I’m at the point in my life that I can do this.” Finally, she said, “So, what type of offer?”
O’Leary then said that the only way he would consider this was an offer Bobbi would not want to hear. He offered $150k for 25%, and he also wanted a $5 per unit royalty. Robert was flabbergasted by this, and asked Kevin, “Is that a real offer?”
Bobbi agreed that she didn’t like the offer because the $5 royalty was killing her, but she countered at $150k for 20%, with a royalty of $2 per unit. Mark Cuban looked at O’Leary and said, “That’s close Kevin, it’s close.” However, before Mr. Wonderful had a chance to respond, Barbara Corcoran jumped back in to say, “I’ll take the deal,” and Bobbi quickly agreed to the deal with Barbara.
What happened to Big Mouth Toothbrush after Shark Tank?
Like many Shark Tank companies, Big Mouth Toothbrush experienced an incredible Shark Tank effect immediately following its episode airing. According to a News 12 report in New York, Big Mouth completely sold out of product, selling over 2,000 units, in less than 24 hours after appearing on Shark Tank.
In an appearance on the Super Entrepreneur show with Joe Pardo, Dr. Bobbi revealed that there was at least one misleading edit to her Shark Tank episode, as she indicated that the final deal struck between herself and Barbara Corcoran included a royalty of $2 per unit until Barbara had recouped her money, but the episode could easily have led viewers to believe that the royalty was in perpetuity.
We found no definitive evidence whether or not the deal with Barbara has closed; however, Bobbi told Pardo at the time of his interview, that while the deal was still in the due diligence period and had not closed yet, Barbara had been in contact, and her team was already assisting Big Mouth. Another indication that the deal may have recently closed, or will do so in the near future, is that Barbara Corcoran appears next to Dr. Bobbi on the banner in the Amazon Big Mouth Toothbrush Store.
Finally, it appears that the company has already discontinued the original model of the Big Mouth Toothbrush which Bobbi had demonstrated in the Tank, and they are now offering only the new Big Mouth Toothbrush Sonic 2.0. While the original toothbrush was priced at $69.99, this new model is listed at $139.99, both on the company website and on Amazon.
During the Pardo interview, Bobbi spoke to him about the new product, and she indicated that the major difference is that the original model generated about 10,000 vibrations per minute, while the Sonic 2.0 was able to generate 40,000 vibrations per minute.
It will be interesting to see what happens to Big Mouth Toothbrush with Barbara fully on board. Will Bobbi insist on trying to break into retail, or will she try to capture a niche market, making sales online and through dental offices?