Comfort Toothpaste

All of the advertising money spent in the toothpaste industry is a waste for this family. I would say that I am more of an emotional consumer when it comes to oral hygiene. I used to only buy whatever brand ended up being the lowest price with a coupon. (Although I don't go as far as to buy the store brand of toothpaste - do they even make that?) But now I am more sentimental than anything when it comes time to choose the toothpaste that sits on our bathroom sink.

I'm sure this isn't a topic that a lot of people give much thought to. It's toothpaste - who cares? But it became poignant to me when I realized my kids were becoming "attached" to certain brands and flavors. Toothpaste is one of those distinctively different things in every family. It's not a conscious decision, much like where cereal is stored in the kitchen cabinet. It's just the way your family does it ; and therefore it becomes an item of comfort.

But doesn't everyone remember what brand their family used growing up? I have clear memories of loving the cool Aquafresh dispenser. We used Pepsodent and Close-Up (the red cinnamon gel!!!) and my mother even brushed her teeth with plain baking soda. These are permanent fixtures in my childhood memories. And then when Crest came out with sparkly, blue kids' toothpaste with stars in it - that was a luxury item.

All of these thoughts came flooding back to me when we received a sample tube of that same Crest bubble-gum sparkly toothpaste. My kids were enthralled and literally sucked it off the toothbrush. Isn't the sense of smell supposed to be the strongest memory-inducer? It conjured up memories of camp, sleepovers and the pediatric dentist office.

Our household uses the many varieties of Tom's of Maine toothpaste. It isn't sweetened by saccharin, so it is more mild than conventional brands. Their flavors like mango, gingermint and cinnamon clove are definitely worth trying.

Instead of comfort food, I think about comfort toothpaste. It's a product that sticks with us for life - think about what brand you are using and how that started!