Time for a Product Review
It has been a little while since my last product review, so I figure I’m about due. Like most of my past product reviews, I was contacted by a company rep interested in having their product reviewed. On this particular occasion, I was contacted by a rep at Paragon International, which is a company that develops and distributes oral health training products. Since I haven’t reviewed any teaching aids in the past, I figured this would be a great item to share with you – so the rep was nice enough to ship the product to me.
They Sent Me a Dog
To my amazement, the rep ended up shipping me a dog! Ok, so it was only 10″ tall and of the plush variety, but I got you’re attention, right? Anyway, the dog, Lil Ollie Z Mutt, is part of a troupe of plush oral care teaching aids known as the “Plak-Posse Palz™,” which is marketed under the name, StarSmileZ™. In addition to the Plak-Posse Palz, StarSmileZ also offers Zoo Animal Teaching Aids®(larger teaching aids), accessories for the animals(toothbrushes, totes, etc.), and family/professional packs for those of you who want to bring the Zoo to you.
Vibrant Colors
Ok, back to Lil Ollie Z Mutt, which will be the focus of this review. My first impression of Lil Ollie as I broke it out of the package was the vibrant color palette that was used – from the yellow fur, to the purple polka dots, to the blue hair. This got my attention, so it surely would get a kids attention – for whom this product is intended.
Life-like Teeth
Another physical feature of this product that jumped out at me was how life-like the molded teeth were. There was almost an eerie resemblance. They not only look like real teeth, but minus the plaque, they felt like real teeth too. In my experience, with teaching aids of any type, the more realistic the aid, the easier it is to make a connection between the aid and the real-life situation it is meant to mimic. This product does that well.
The Infamous Torture Test
After looking Lil Ollie over, it was time for the patented Dental Heroes “torture test”. I must admit, I didn’t want to submit Lil Ollie to too much torture because he’s pretty darn cute – there I said it. But, I feel as though durability is important in a product, so I submitted it to the torture test anyway. I tried to mimic the conditions that the average child would subject it to – which included twisting, pulling, smashing, throwing, and even letting my dog, Buddy, have a go at it. I’m happy to say Lil Ollie survived, and is doing well. In fact, he passed the torture test with flying colors. This is a solid product. I’d venture to say that it’s made to resist wear and tear better than many of my dog’s toys! That said, I’m confident that most kids won’t have a problem keeping Lil Ollie alive to teach another day.
Effective as Teaching Aid
So far, I’ve established that in my opinion, Lil Ollie Z Mutt is a vibrant, life-like, and durable product. But, I think the most important question to answer is whether or not I think this product can effectively teach children the importance of establishing healthy, long-term oral hygiene habits. In short, yes. I think this product has all of the ingredients to effectively engage children – vibrant colors, the “cuteness” factor, the ability to interact, and the addition of a new friend. Beyond that, I can see a child brushing Lil Ollie Z Mutt’s teeth, or any of the StarSmileZ animals’ teeth and thinking to themselves, “I want to brush my teeth too”. Heck, it made me want to brush my teeth if that counts for anything, and I’m far from a child(I hope).
Two Paws Up
Bottom line: I give this product two thumbs(or paws in this case) up.
Purchasing Information
If you’re interested in purchasing Lil Ollie Z Mutt($24.95), or any of his friends, Paragon has established a number of ways for you to do so:
- Visit www.starsmilez.com
- Call 1.800.919.0077
- Fax: 352.332.1828
- Mail Order
- Ask Your Dental Distributor
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