Startup Ozen is aiming to disrupt the oral care market with the launch of what it claims is “the first new patented toothpaste technology for sensitive teeth in nearly 30 years”.
The brand has today (8 June) made its fmcg debut, rolling four premium lines into more than 800 Boots stores.
Sensitive Formula Toothpaste in Fresh Mint and Mild Mint (rsp: £10/75ml) for everyday use and on-the-go Sensitive Formula Oral Care Gel in Mild Mint and Mint Free (£15/30ml) are made with Ozen’s patented AeroGraft technology, formulated to clean and protect sensitive teeth. The pump-action gel was “the first product of its kind in the category, designed to be applied directly to sensitive areas before hot or cold drinks or other common sensitivity triggers”, the brand said.
Ozen is the brainchild of Dr Niall Kent, an NHS maxillofacial surgeon. The result of more than 10 years’ development, its AeroGraft tech employs aerogel, a porous synthetic material that is one of the world’s lightest solids.
AeroGraft activates the moment it enters the mouth and is resistant to acidic conditions. It works by physically sealing exposed dentinal tubules – the microscopic channels in the hard middle layer of teeth. It also releases calcium and phosphate ions to form a protective mineral layer on the tooth surface. Typically, sensitive toothpastes work either by numbing the nerve or slowly blocking tiny channels inside the tooth over days or weeks.
Sensitive teeth affected “millions of people and can have a significant impact on their lives”, said Kent. “It stops people enjoying an ice cream, a hot drink or sweet foods. I’ve even seen people attending A&E from the pain.”
Established treatments had been “masking the problem rather than solving it. The technology had not changed in decades,” he added. “This really is sensitivity done different.”
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