Necessity – the mother of invention

Sian Ellingworth initially studied dentistry at university but transferred in her second year, graduating with a degree in biochemistry.

Roll on a few years and, faced with the problem of one of her sons hating the routine of cleaning his teeth, she drew on her original life plan to solve the problem. Her son also disliked strong-flavoured toothpastes, with Sian eventually resorting to buying flavoured paste from America, which was neither ideal nor cost-effective.

The 47-year old Buckinghamshire mother of two had her light bulb moment, having exhausted all options in her bid to engage him. Spurred into action, she commissioned important research that revealed 15% of respondents struggled with similar problems. They were also confused about how much toothpaste should be used – a ‘pea-sized’ amount seemingly not the clearest indicator. The experience drove her to develop Buddies.