I went to get what has become my usual choice for Tom’s of Maine toothpaste last night. I’ve been using Wintermint gel for the last three tubes. But the grocery store didn’t have it. All they had was Wintermint paste. But they did have Spearmint gel. What has made the Wintermint gel so good is the addition of sugar alcohol, which makes the flavor really pop. Would paste be as good?
I looked at the ingredients for both flavors. The Wintermint had xylitol, but it was the fifth ingredient on the list. The Spearmint had sorbitol as its first ingredient. I was in a quandry: I know I like Wintermint, but would this be sweet enough? The Spearmint has Sorbitol, but it’s untested, and could be a disappointment.
I got them both.
As it turns out, the gel IS sweeter than the paste. This is great news! I can rotate my toothpaste flavors! All I have to do is find Tom’s of Maine gel formulations. Ehhhxcellent!
Anybody want a tube of Wintermint paste?
I’m on my second tube in a row of Tom’s of Maine Wintermint toothpaste. I used to revel in buying new toothpaste. I’d look everything over and find something I’d never had before. Then that first tooth-brushing would be really good, or it would make me cringe because I’d be using that toothpaste for the next several weeks.
But now it looks like I’ll use the same toothpaste all the time.
A former co-worker once said he tried to shave in a different way every morning to keep from becoming stale and inflexible. I felt offended because I always start with my right sideburn, then my left, then my upper lip, chin, and neck. Am I stale and inflexible? I don’t think so. I think it’s about being efficient.
So is my repeated use of the same toothpaste a rut I’m stuck in? Well, my trips to the toothpaste isle aren’t as exciting anymore, but I’m glad to be using something I consistently like. Toothpaste rut? Let’s just say I like brushing my teeth.
I got a new tube of toothpaste a few weeks ago. I wanted to use it for a while before posting a report. This is another flavor of Tom’s of Maine toothpaste. It’s called Wintermint. What’s different about this flavor is that it is sweetened. It makes such a difference in flavor! The Wintermint has a strong minty taste. It is exactly like regular toothpastes. Except for the sweetener. It uses xylitol.
I’ve been doing a little reading about xylitol. It is not calorie free. That must be why there are no diet soft drinks that are sweetened with it. If most of the world is okay drinking sucralose and aspartame, which have zero calories, why introduce a diet drink that actually has calories? I wish someone would. There seems to be a host of other reasons why a person might want to use xylitol though. How come I haven’t heard more about it? Is there a “sucralose mob” or an “aspartame consortium” that are suppressing information? …or is it because in large amounts xylitol has a laxative effect?
Whatever the case, here are the results of my experiment: After weeks of use, I think I can pretty confidently say that xylitol does not leave a funny taste in my mouth. The toothpaste tastes good, and leaves me with no regrets.
Lloyd and Lauren gave me toothpaste for Christmas. This was no small feat, since I have some particular requirements in regard to toothpaste. The most difficult condition is my aversion to sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin. The toothpaste they found is sweetened with xylitol. It’s a set of five tubes of various flavors. They are quite unusual: Rose, Honey, Lavender, Lemon Tea, and Cola.
I opened all of them while I was in Nebraska. I wanted to sample them and have Lloyd and Lauren taste them too. I think the strangest one is Rose. I won’t say that I don’t like it; I’m the first to grab a rose flavored Turkish Delight candy. But it is a little weird to brush my teeth with something that tastes like my grandmother’s Rose Milk lotion.
My next set of experiments will be to combine flavors. Obvious choices include Rose/Lavender and Lemon Tea/Honey. But how about Rose/Cola? Combinations of three flavors might be even more interesting. Let the mixtures begin!
Eureka! I have a way that my non-sweetened, all-natural toothpaste can almost taste like real, live, artificially sweetened, artificially flavored toothpaste. How, you say? A combination! My favorite tasting Tom’s of Maine toothpaste has always been Cinnamon-Clove. Gingermint, however, has a burn to it that resembles the strong mint flavors of other brands of toothpaste. I suppose it was obvious what I should have done all along, but it didn’t occur to me: put a little of each on the brush.
The flavor while brushing is the delicious cinnamon oil, then while rinsing, the burn of the ginger kicks in. The whole experience is delightful. The only problem is that I keep putting too much toothpaste on the brush at one time and end up with a huge amount of suds in my mouth. The amount of lather is like I’m brushing with bubble bath or something. But it’s tasty, wonderful bubble bath.
