Teethbrushing timer per quadrant

September 17, 2009 2:54 AM

TeethBrushingFilter: where can I buy a visual teeth brushing timer?

Bit of a weird one. A lot of pricey tooth brushes come with two minute timers that alert you every 30 seconds to move to the next quadrant in your mouth.

I'd like something similar, and visual, that I can stick on the bathroom wall. I hit it, then every 30 seconds until two minutes the next quadrant lights up.

I know I could use a timer, but it's morning, I'm looking for something I won't get annoyed with.

posted by devnull to health & fitness (14 comments total)

I wonder if you could find an hourglass that'd give you two minutes. I guess most egg timers would be three minutes, but maybe they make them in different increments?

Hm. They do. Here is the first result I got at Google...
posted by bink at 3:09 AM on September 17

I'm looking for something that will show which part of the mouth is up next. I suppose I could have four hour glasses stuck to the tiles :)
posted by devnull at 3:26 AM on September 17

The Oral B Triumph with SmartGuide does this.
posted by dance at 3:43 AM on September 17

oops.
posted by dance at 3:43 AM on September 17

Yes that's the kind of thing - but without the toothbrush.
posted by devnull at 4:26 AM on September 17

I know you said visual, but my daughter has a cheap toothbrush that plays "Old McDonald" as she brushes, four verses of "Old McDonald".
posted by Pollomacho at 5:08 AM on September 17

An electronic kitchen timer could migrate to the kitchen when you're not brushing your teeth. Dual-tasker!
posted by mdonley at 6:03 AM on September 17

The Oral-B Triumph has a wireless remote display which I think does what you want. It's pricey though.

http://www.google.com/products?q=oral+b+triumph+smartguide&hl=en&aq=f
posted by mgkk at 6:14 AM on September 17

Let me just clarify -- you want something that is not just a timer, but ALSO gives you a visual depiction of the part of your mouth you're supposed to start brushing next?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:20 AM on September 17

I think he's looking for a 2-minute timer which will beep every 30 seconds within those 2 minutes. I don't think it needs a picture of the mouth on it, just something visual to show how the 30-second increments are progressing??

I will recommend that you search for an Interval Training watch in sporting goods stores. I have seen some which were built as applications for the iPhone or the Palm devices, but they have free-standing ones as well. You set the total time of the exercise (2 minutes) and you set the interval time (30 seconds) and then turn it on. Usually you can preset it so that the next day it's ready to go with just a quick touch.
posted by CathyG at 6:30 AM on September 17

You joke about 4 hour glasses, but one nice approach would be if you could get a 30sec, 60sec, 90sec, and 120sec hourglass, mount them together (side by side) in wood, and you have the functionality you want.

Alternatively, I think this is going to be a custom job. An electronics nerd could buy a 558 timer (or a few 555 timers), a few LEDs, and some other random stuff and make this up fairly quickly. Perhaps there's money to be made in this...
posted by JMOZ at 8:24 AM on September 17

Add those timers to an old version of Simon and you could get fun color coding too! I guess it would depend on whether colors would annoy you or make it more fun.

But you would get different tones for each quadrant and the wonderful buzz of a wrong answer when it is time to spit!
posted by langeNU at 8:31 AM on September 17

Lee Valley used to sell a set of four egg timers all the same size ( about 2 1/2 -3 inches high) but with different amounts of "sand" in them. It was a little project where you made up the holder out of wood. Each "hourglass" had different colours too. Green, blue, red and yellow. The times were 1,2,3 and 4 minutes. I couldn't find them on their site, but they still might carry them. You could put make a holder and put it on two pivots and just flip them each morning-night. If they still carry them.

This is similar to what JMOZ was talking about.
posted by Taurid at 11:34 PM on September 17

Something that looks like Simon is exactly what I imagined for this! I don't think it exists... yet.
posted by devnull at 12:48 AM on September 18