Anna Timm, CPA
Director of Integrated Marketing
Our story
SmartMouth: a family story, built on science
Most fresh-breath products only cover up bad breath for a little while. Dr. Marvin Cohen wanted to do better. Three generations later, SmartMouth is still a family company, still guided by the same commitment to science, and still making rinses that give you fresh breath for 24 hours with twice-daily use.
Meet the family- Family-run, St. Louis
- Clinically tested
- Three generations
- 1965Dr. Cohen opens his dental practice
- 1993Goes after the cause of bad breath
- 2003Andy joins the SmartMouth team
- TodayAnna and Haley carry it forward
Dr. Marvin Cohen: where it started
A dentist who went after the cause
In 1993, Dr. Marvin Cohen, a dentist and bad-breath researcher, set out to go after the cause of bad breath instead of masking it. He developed SmartMouth’s patented zinc ion system, a two-solution formula that targets the sulfur compounds behind bad breath.
- Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Dental Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis (DDS 1965)
- Practiced for nearly 50 years, until shortly before he passed away in November 2014
- Presented on breath disorders across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, and at the 2nd International Workshop on Oral Malodour in Leuven, Belgium
- Author of an article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica Medical and Health Annual 1998
From the family album
Andy Burch: building the company
He believed in it before anyone knew it
While Dr. Marvin Cohen pioneered the science behind SmartMouth, his son-in-law, Andrew “Andy” Burch, shared his belief that this groundbreaking innovation had the power to change lives.
Working side by side, Andy and Dr. Cohen grew SmartMouth from a direct-to-dental product into a nationally recognized oral care brand, united by a shared mission to make effective, science-backed oral care solutions accessible to everyone.
Andy led with kindness, valued his employees, and cared deeply about the people around him. Although he passed away in December 2020, his spirit remains a part of SmartMouth, in the company he helped grow and the family who proudly carries his vision forward.
Part of the SmartMouth team 2003 to 2020. CEO 2013 to 2020.
Anna and Haley: the next chapter
Two sisters carrying it forward
Today, Andy’s daughters carry the family’s vision forward. Both grew up hearing the SmartMouth story at the family table, and both are proud to help write its next chapter.
Haley (Burch) Smith
Director of FP&A
The science
Read the research yourself
Everything here traces back to Dr. Marvin Cohen, a dentist who practiced for nearly 50 years and studied bad breath throughout his career. The research that followed is public, so you can read it for yourself.
-
Germs plus protein
Bacteria in the mouth break down protein and release sulfur gas. That gas is the smell.
-
Two solutions
Two solutions stay apart in the bottle until you pour, so the formula is fresh and active when it reaches your mouth.
-
Zinc blocks the gas
Zinc ions bind the sulfur compounds, for fresh breath for 24 hours with two rinses a day.
12-hour study
Peer-reviewed
A peer-reviewed study of SmartMouth’s zinc-activated technology.
Read the study on PubMed2019 clinical trial
Randomized controlled trial
A randomized controlled trial of SmartMouth Clinical, published in Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry in 2019.
Read the study on PubMedWhite paper
12-hour fresh breath evaluation
The full evaluation, available on SmartMouth.com.
Read the white paperIn the news and on the record
On the record
Britannica
Dr. Cohen’s article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica Medical and Health Annual 1998, pp. 311–313.
Washington University
Dr. Cohen’s background at the Washington University School of Dentistry.
DentistryIQ
“Mouthwash is an answer to keeping breath fresh,” coverage of Dr. Cohen and SmartMouth.
Read the articleThe range
Find your rinse
Original, Clinical and Dry Mouth. Five quick questions and we will point you to the right one.
Find your rinseWe hope you feel the family behind every bottle
SmartMouth Oral Health Laboratories is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and remains a family company. It started with one dentist’s curiosity, grew through a son-in-law’s belief, and continues with two daughters who care about getting it right.
Thank you for letting us be part of your routine.
Questions
Good questions
Who founded SmartMouth?
SmartMouth was founded by Dr. Marvin Cohen, a St. Louis dentist and bad-breath researcher who practiced for nearly 50 years. His son-in-law, Andy Burch, helped grow it into a national brand, and today Andy’s daughters, Anna and Haley, carry it forward.
When did Dr. Cohen start SmartMouth, and what is the zinc ion system?
Dr. Cohen set out to go after the cause of bad breath in 1993. The result was SmartMouth’s patented zinc ion system: two solutions that stay apart in the bottle until you pour. Once combined, the zinc ions bind the sulfur compounds that cause bad breath.
How long does SmartMouth give fresh breath?
Fresh breath for 24 hours when you rinse twice a day.