THE LITTLE BRUSH WITH BIG AMBITIONS - TEENY TEETH
Local mum Emma Hawke has turned bathroom battles into a nationwide mission to change Kiwi smiles.
If Emma had been told a few years ago that she’d be shaking up the toothbrush aisle, she would have laughed. But life as a mum has a way of highlighting the gaps that need filling – and for Emma, that gap was staring back at her every morning and evening in her own bathroom.
Brushing her child’s teeth was a twice-daily struggle: a wriggling toddler, a frustrated mum, and a toothbrush that simply wasn’t cutting it. “Every parent I spoke to had the same issue,” Emma says. “We were all trying our best, but it just wasn’t working.”
At the same time, an oral health crisis was unfolding across New Zealand. More than 7,000 Kiwi kids are treated in hospital every year for tooth decay – most of it preventable. Emma couldn’t shake the thought: what if the problem isn’t just people, but the tools we give them?
That question sparked the idea for Teeny Teeth – bringing the three-sided toothbrush to Kiwi families and making brushing faster, easier, and more effective for toddlers, grandparents, and everyone in between. “The three-sided toothbrush takes the battle out of brushing,” she says.
Teeny Teeth has the whole family covered with kids’, teens’, and adults’ brushes in both electric and manual versions, plus food-grade silicone teethers. Scientifically proven to deliver a more effective clean, the innovative three-sided head covers multiple tooth surfaces simultaneously, ensuring every corner of the mouth is reached. This advanced coverage also means enhanced plaque removal and a deeper clean, even in those hard-to-reach areas.
All teethers and toothbrushes are made from non-toxic, food-grade materials, safe for even the tiniest mouths. And because promoting healthy smiles starts with trust, every product undergoes rigorous testing to meet or exceed industry standards.
The response has been instant. Families have found it life-changing. Busy parents are relieved. The elderly and people with disabilities are finding brushing manageable again. Word spread, and soon Teeny Teeth caught the attention of the FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) world.
This year, Emma was named a finalist in the Start-up Suppliers category of the Foodstuffs Emerge competition – a proud achievement for the business and a launchpad that has seen Teeny Teeth pick up new suppliers. “It’s surreal,” she says. “We started small, and now we’re talking about changing oral health nationwide.”
But for Emma, the mission is bigger than sales. “We’ve got a real chance to stop the cycle of poor oral health – to give kids the best start and make parents’ lives easier at the same time.”
From bathroom sink struggles to national supermarket shelves, Teeny Teeth is proof that small ideas – and three-sided brushes – can have a big impact. And for Emma, this is just the beginning.
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