Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonnal Ladvvaa.
Hi Sonnal, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My education background is a Masters in Clinical Psychology & a Masters in Marketing Management. I am a licensed psychotherapist & Divorce Mediator, having a private practice in OC. My focus is couples therapy & I love it when I have clients from the Indian diaspora that is still shy & hesitant to ask for help.
As for our company TOKII- it’s a patented toothbrush with an attached sliding tongue scraper. Comes along with a hygienic holder & a waterproof travel pouch. (https://www.tokii.com) The idea for this 2 in 1 product belongs to my husband, Suresh Ladva, who is an Aerospace Engineer managing Sales as VP in a Fortune 200 company. We are of Indian Origin & using a tongue scraper twice daily is something that we grew up with.
On one of his travels, Suresh forgot his tongue scraper & this kept him feeling weird & miserable for an entire week. Unable to find one in stores nearby in NY, he was left frustrated & on his way back home on the plane, all he thought, ” Had my tongue scraper been a part of my toothbrush, I would not have forgotten.” He started to search for any such existing product came back with none. Also did a patent search & found none that satisfied him. His conviction & passion about this nonexistent product was contagious & soon I joined him in this journey. Hours, days, months & years got us the joint patent for the existing TOKII design. We have a Utility & Design Patent & a Trademark for the name TOKII. The journey had just begun. We started sourcing in India, China, Mexico, Canada. Suresh was very keen to manufacture it here in USA. It was just not economically viable. We did focus groups with friends & family on our initial designs. I was deep into the research on origin, benefits & efficacy of tongue scrapers as that was the missing piece in oral care here in USA. However, there seemed a market for tongue scrapers based on our research on sales of plain individual tongue scrapers of all sizes & shapes. I read science papers, peer journals, and medical journals such as Lancet, Pub Med, etc… I was & am particularly drawn toward Ayurveda, the 5000-year holistic science where tongue scraping originated from.
Our garage & living room during COVID were strewn with TOKII stuff. From Product to Packaging, we meticulously designed & redesigned every part of TOKII at home.
Our first design did not do well at the manufacturing level. We ran into certain technical glitches. We came back to the drawing board & redesigned the TOKII. We crisscrossed continents & lo & behold, the TOKII was here in 2021/2022.
Our kids Nikhil & Deeva contributed lots in all aspects of the product. It was a true family affair.
We launched on Amazon, to begin with & went on to designing & marketing on our website https://www.tokii.com
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The famous American actress & comedian Lily Tomlin said, “The Road to Success is Always Under Construction”… and we are still constructing. Being a family start-up, we were bootstrapping & learned everything ourselves to realize our American Dream.
We ran into design issues the first time…we fell but bounced back. Got our heads together & redesigned.
We learnt the hard way that it’s good to start outreach or educating people on benefits & value of tongue scraping & the other benefits of TOKII before the product lands in the warehouse. We lost time but came back.
We learnt the hard way that it’s important to learn the specialization of marketing agency before we hire them. We lost a lot of time & money with a big marketing agency who had no history of working with oral care companies. Big mistake. They messed up our website & we had to start all over literally.
The biggest lesson learnt is that even though we read about solopreneurs & DIY, we cannot do everything ourselves. We need people; we need a good team to run a business.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
TOKII is an oral care company whose first product is the same name. Our mantra is that oral health is overall health.
Our product, TOKII, is a patented toothbrush with an attached sliding tongue scraper.
It comes with a hygienic holder & a waterproof travel pouch.
Our goal is to help people take control of their health by paying attention to their mouth in its entirety.
With the 2 1 combo of TOKII toothbrush & the attached sliding tongue scraper, we are drawing attention to the significance & value of tongue scraping as part of our daily oral care regime.
For a first-timer & or for a frequent traveler, the 2 in 1 feature reduces the resistance to try tongue scraping as the scraper is part of the toothbrush & its benefits are instantly seen after its first use.
The soft bristles infused with activated bamboo charcoal are perfect for the health of our teeth. It not only cleans teeth but also massages the gums & prevents injuries or scratches caused by harsher bristles.
The senior population & those with sensitive gums really enjoy using TOKII.
Using the TOKII helps in reduction of plaque & stains on teeth;
Reduces bad breath, also called Halitosis.
Removes toxins & bacteria on tongue with the removal of the coating.
Reduces incidence of Gum disease.
Improves sense of taste as well as appearance of the tongue.
Not scraping the tongue accumulates debris on the surface, which leads to bad mouth odor, which, if neglected, starts building tartar & cavities soon enough.
A 2004 study in the Journal of Periodontology comparing tongue scraping to tongue brushing revealed that:
The tongue scraper showed a 75% reduction in VSCs (Volatile Sulphur Compounds), while the toothbrush only achieved a 45% reduction in VSCs.
The TOKII tongue scraper, which is half-moon-shaped, fits well in any mouth.
How to Use:
Extend the scraper out of the toothbrush before you begin using TOKII. This will prevent the scraper from touching your palm.
Go as far back as you can in your mouth & slowly but firmly scrape the tongue with a forward movement.
Rinse the scraper with warm water & repeat a couple of times till the tongue feels clean.
Flip the TOKII over, apply toothpaste just a pea-sized amount & start brushing.
The soft bristles infused with activated bamboo charcoal is antibacterial in nature, helps in reduction of bad breath, whitening teeth, kills germs & removes plaque when used consistently over a period of time.
Once done, clean the bristles, insert scraper back into the TOKII & put it on the hygienic holder till the next use.
If traveling, put all these in the waterproof travel pouch & you are good to go. TOKII is also full recyclable & does not add to the landfill.
We want people to become aware that digestion starts in the mouth. We are all obsessed with teeth whitening and cosmetic smiles but neglect the largest organ in the mouth, which is the tongue.
The tongue is a map of all internal organs in our body.
Just an additional 10 seconds of tongue scraping twice a day will reduce visits to the dental office for just regular checkups.
Medical research has now shown that Oral health plays a crucial role in relation to dementia as emerging research suggests a potential link between poor oral hygiene, specifically periodontal disease, and an increased risk of developing dementia.
Some recent studies also show that if you have gum disease in a moderate or advanced stage, you’re at higher risk for heart disease than someone with healthy gums. And second, your oral health can provide doctors with warning signs for a range of diseases and conditions, including those in the heart.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We are a small family business startup & have invested our own resources.
1) Tongue Scraping came from the 5000-year-old Wholistic Science called Ayurveda. California is home to some great Ayurvedic Institutes, too. TOKII would love to collaborate with Schools, private practitioners & anyone who uses Ayurveda in their daily lives. Our product, TOKII, would surely align with their principles of wellness.
2) Dental experts & practitioners such as dentists, dental hygienists & periodontists could also support us by conveying the benefits & value of tongue scraping in oral care. We are happy to work with them, too.
3) Wellness Clinics, Spas, Yoga Studios & Gyms: For those that are frequent, these centers could also benefit from using TOKII.
We would be happy to discuss any collaboration that will be a win-win situation for both parties involved.
4) Seniors in-home care, assisted living, or just healthy seniors can also bring their wisdom on dental care to us. We are happy to visit these senior centers to make a presentation on oral care & give special pricing to all who collaborate with us.
5) Our website, https://www.tokii.com, also invites partners/affiliates who would love to spread the word of oral care to people by selling our products. Our affiliates & their clients that use the special code get pricing advantages.
6) All moms who believe in wellness & understand oral health can also connect with us for our affiliate partnership.
Pricing:
- $19.95 one-time buy
- $15.96 – Subscription
- Contact for Affiliate commissions & pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tokii.com
- Instagram: @gottokii
- Facebook: @Gottokii
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@gottokii?lang=en https://tinyurl.com/TOKII-toothbrush https://tinyurl.com/TOKII-Oral
