A toothbrush innovation may make messy toothpaste obsolete within a couple of years, according to the firm that developed the new tool.

The new Proton Magnesium Toothbrush does away with the traditional way of cleaning teeth thanks to a weak electric current produced by parallel strips of copper and magnesium embedded in the head of the brush that react in water.

The toothbrush, which went on sale in February, is produced by Kagoshima Supersonic Technical Laboratory Co., based in Kagoshima.