3M Oral Plaque Remover

Advanced r&d for plaque removal chemistry

An interesting assignment while working at 3M, the oral care team was exploring a 2-part chemistry that would quickly remove excessive plaque buildup in extreme cases. Removing the need to “chip” away at the plaque with traditional dentistry tools.

Illustrated workflow

The advanced chemistry is a 2 part process: Part A has two components (Liquid & Dry powder) once they are mixed evenly it’s applied to the plaque. Part B is just a liquid and is applied over Part A. Within seconds the excessive plaque buildup is broken up and can be effortlessly removed with traditional dental tools.

Step, Jump, Leap Concept Framework

An internal workshop between the Oral Care R&D team and Industrial Design lead to 5 concepts for exploration. Early concept renderings and diagrams helped communicate a potential future delivery device for the advanced 2-part chemistry. Concepts were later shared internally and externally with customers to gauge interest.