The Roc-B-Tween toothbrush
Between 1932 and 1988, over 500 different toothbrush designs were patented in the United States, each professing to provide significant improvements in tooth cleansing. Among these, the Roc-B-Tween toothbrush, patented in Oakland in 1938, offered oscillatory movement with a “rack and pinion-like effect” occurring between the bristles of the toothbrush and the spaces between the teeth, effectively cleansing a “vital spot.”
Mattick, BE 2010 A Guide to Bone Toothbrushes of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Corp; McMath, JF Dental Instrument. Patent 2122619. 5 July 1938. Print.
Roc-B-Tween toothbrush
This Roc-B-Tween brush (A343.2) has a natural bristle head and a blue plastic handle.
University of the Pacific Permanent Collection, Donor: John D. Mann, DDS ’90
Roc-B-Tween toothbrush
The replaceable brush head is small, and the hinge is recessed between the handle and pivoting head to “avoid pinching of delicate mouth tissues or membranes.”
Roc-B-Tween toothbrush packaging
Marketing copy on the box proclaims thorough cleaning of every crevice.
Roc-B-Tween toothbrush patent drawing
Patent granted in 1938 to J.F. McMath of Oakland.