A 10-year vision has become a reality for Kasey Pitillo, the creator of Happy Teeth Natural Baby Dental Products. Astounded by the lack of knowledge among parents regarding dental care in infants and children, Pitillo set out to develop better oral habits in the nation’s youngsters.
The result is Happy Teeth Natural Baby non-fluoridated toothpaste (1.4 oz), and the Pure Baby Toothbrush by Radius. The hope of Pitillo and her partners is that use of these products and oral health care awareness for children will become second nature for the nation’s young families.
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“Most children’s visits to the dentist are troubleshooting trips,” Pitillo said. “They come to the dentist because they have a cavity or a toothache. I want to help prevent those visits by promoting preventive oral care in infants and children.”
Happy Teeth launched just last month, and the reception has been very good among dental professionals. Pitillo is marketing to pediatric dentists, pediatricians, and even OB-Gyns, asking them to help educate parents and expectant parents about the importance of good oral care and the Happy Teeth line.
Happy Teeth products are fluoride free, safe to swallow, made with xylitol, and are all natural. The Happy Teeth line currently includes toothpaste and a Pure Baby toothbrush, and plans are to add other products soon, including infant gum wipes.
“There are very few natural oral care products for infants and children,” she noted. “I feel it’s a void that needs to be addressed. And not just products, but an awareness of oral health care lifestyle needs to be adopted, and that’s where the Happy Teeth website comes in.”
Education for parents and children are offered on the brand’s website at gethappyteeth.com. Parents can download a free e-book about children’s dental care, watch educational links about brushing basics and baby bottle tooth decay, sign up to receive a newsletter, and access the free educational and resource center. Children can watch a “brush-along” video with singing brushing instructions.
“My goal is to help families and children develop good oral habits that last a lifetime,” Pitillo said. “We want families to be aware of good oral care before that first tooth even appears.”
The mother of three children ages 10 and under, Pitillo worked for both Laclede and Discus Dental in their marketing departments. This gave her excellent connections to help with her product development and promotion. She also called upon her nieces, nephews, and own children to help with the taste testing. She was familiar with the product First Teeth from Laclede that it is no longer on the market, and felt the time was right to introduce a similar oral care product.
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“Statistics in the U.S. are pretty grim,” Pitillo said. “Tooth decay is the No. 1 chronic childhood disease in America. Five percent of babies have some tooth decay by nine months of age, 15% by 12 months, and 17% by four years of age. More than 40% of children have cavities by the time they reach kindergarten, and 51 million school hours and 164 million work hours are lost annually due to tooth decay issues.
“There is no ‘go-to’ product for parents in the area of oral care for the infants and young children,” she added. “I hope that Happy Teeth can fill that void, and that dental professionals will help promote it to the young families in their practices.”
Visit gethappyteeth.com for more information and to order products.
