The Zent Story

Zent was founded when an obsession with oral health intersected with a close friend needing a gum graft at 28 years old from aggressive brushing. Yes, he literally brushed away his gums before 30!

But let’s start from the beginning…As a teenager, I became obsessed with oral hygiene out of necessity. I didn’t take care of my teeth, and by the time I was 15 years old, I had a mouth full of cavities. Not wanting to ever repeat spending what seemed like every other week in a dentist’s chair, I started brushing and flossing regularly. What I quickly learned was that flossing regularly was challenging, so I set out to design and invent an easier way to floss.

At 19 years old, I invented “The Flosser”; an automated apparatus for flossing one’s teeth that would automatically pivot to the next bit of floss thereby preventing the same strand from being used twice. An interesting concept, but I’m sure you can figure out how that turned out. Aside from the fact that flossing by wrapping it around your fingers is still the best way to do it (in the shower with a mirror does make it much easier though), I was 19, broke, and didn’t know the first thing about how to actually start a company. Here are the original drawings:

Fast forward 10 years when a close friend needed gum surgery at 28 years old from brushing too hard. I asked him why he couldn’t just brush lighter? He said:

1. He couldn’t help it, and

2. Even if he could, how would he know if he was brushing hard enough to clean his teeth, yet soft enough not to do damage?

And that’s when the idea hit me….a toothbrush that physically prevents brushing harder than a certain amount of pressure! But what was the right pressure?

The research didn’t present itself until 2003 establishing 150 grams as the optimum pressure to get teeth clean without causing damage. It took another 12 years before I started developing Zent Flex. And after a couple of years and many failed attempts, I enlisted the help of some talented mechanical engineers to design and create what is now Zent Flex: the first and only toothbrush with the perfect pressure.

In my spare time, I’m an active volunteer teacher and mentor for Junior Achievement whose mission it is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in life. I also love tennis, yoga, and spending time with my family.

I use my Zent Flex every day and will never go back to an electric - unless it has Zent Flex technology. if you don’t love yours, it’s on us.