By: Blonde Two
From time to time we Blondes are sent free products to field test and promote. We are always honest about our findings and any products we don’t keep for ourselves find their way into our expedition stores. Great for us, great for you and great for our youngsters.
When you spend a lot of time sleeping in small tents with another person you learn a lot of unusual things about them. I have no idea how many nights B1 and I have camped together but I do know that we have very different approaches to teeth brushing. If we had to categorise our oral hygiene habits I would classify myself as a ‘wild brusher’ and B1 as a ‘considered cleanser’. I am quite happy to brush without water and then swallow the resulting foam. B1 thinks this is horrid (she is almost certainly right) and prefers to use water, if possible from a tap.
One thing we have both been keen to try for our wild camping (and other) adventures, is toothpaste tablets. Which is why we were particular chuffed to be sent a packet of Dental Crush toothpaste tablets by the lovely people at Naked Company (I neither know nor care if these people were actually naked or not, we chatted via email). Storm Dennis put a stop to our planned wild camping outing and toothpaste tablet field test but we did our bit for society and ‘camped’ in a lovely pub room instead just so that we could conduct a proper Blonde tooth test. A bit like The Old Grey Whistle Test but much Blonder! Here’s what we found out.
More convenient than a tube of toothpaste
If you ever do any wild or backpack camping, you will know that losing even small amounts of weight in your rucksack can make a huge difference over a long day’s walk. It stands to reason therefore that carrying two 5mm toothpaste tablets is going to be lighter than carrying even the smallest tube of toothpaste. We decided that you would need a sensible carrying system so that you didn’t lose the tablets or get them damp. We wondered if a contact lens pot might be the right size.
Less plastic than a tube of toothpaste
As well as having less plastic, these toothpaste tablets had less of lots of other things as well. In fact, being naked, they had no preservatives or binding agents in them at all. What they did have however was fluoride, which I am sure you will agree if you have ever had root canal work, is a very important ingredient (Naked also have a fluoride-free toothpaste tablet version available).
Less foam and very minty
If you prefer a non-foamy toothpaste, these tablets would be a good option for you. All you need to do is chew them then brush, and your mouth and teeth are left feeling really minty (extremely minty in fact) and clean. They give off a very strong mint taste as chew, which proved a bit overwhelming at first but definitely resulted in fresh breath. All good field tests include a video so here I am below, trying not to laugh as I am brushing…
Well that brightened up my breakfast this morning as I battle with a streamer of a cold.
Hope the cold has improved Conrad. As you can imagine, we did a fair bit of giggling during filming!
Curiously enough, my dentist recommends not rinsing the toothpaste away, as the longer it stays in your mouth, the more good the ingredients may do. Though I am not convinced – it’s a bit like washing the cup and leaving it to soak in the dirty washing up water. The other thing I read somewhere – it is better to clean your teeth before a meal than after because the enamel is soft when you have just finished eating and takes half an hour or so to harden again. If you eat first then brush the soft enamel, you do more harm. Funny things, teeth!
I can’t wait to share that news with B1! We have ongoing discussions on the topic!