Things that are not mint-flavoured and go in your face, a confusingly-titled two-part list

[kaberett]

1. Oral-B Pro-Expert Clean Mint toothpaste. Blue, sparkly, and cinnamon-flavoured. I don't understand why it's called Clean Mint. It contains, as best I can tell, no mint, apart from a slight cold sensation. The flavour compound is cinnamal. It is blue and sparkly and cinnamon.
   
2. UltraDEX mouthwash (previously RetarDEX). Optional mint-flavoured sachet. Absent the optional mint-flavoured sachet, it tastes slightly of chlorine.

(I am Not A Fan of mint-flavoured things if they are anything other than field/garden mint, in which case I love them; peppermint and spearmint are Not My Friends because, approximately, they taste too loud, and given that I am utterly unwilling to floss because hands and only reliably brush my teeth twice a day if I'm living with someone who will coax me on the topic at bedtime because executive dysfunction and also hands, my dentist is much happier when I am using mouthwash. I am aware that other people feel similarly about mint, and a partially overlapping set of people are in a similar position with respect to this specific healthwork. Here are the things I use, people, and may they bring you if not actual joy then at least diminished resentfulness.)

Comments

[azurelunatic]

... When you are next Out This Way, please allow me to hand over my portable, travel sized, US-plugged water flosser jobbie. It is Much Less Hands.

[highlyeccentric]

... those exist? What are they officially called? I want one!

Not for hands, for getting under braces wires.

[azurelunatic]

The brand I have is called Waterpik. (I have the bathroom-sized one, and there was also a travel-sized one with it, which was theoretically handy but I tend to use it less then.)

[highlyeccentric]

Amazing.

[buttonsbeadslace]

Oh my gosh they LIE about being mint flavored? This is wonderful news thank you so much. Where I live there is exactly one cinnamon-flavored toothpaste (that's actually marketed as cinnamon, I guess) and most stores don't carry it. I am very very glad to have more options.

[mathemagicalschema]

yes the fake minty DEATH it is deserving of abolishment

my challenge is finding not-mint things that have fluoride :\

[kaberett]

THIS TOOTHPASTE CONTAINS FLUORIDE. If you can't source it over there I am legit willing to send you a tube to see how you like it.

[me_and]

I also have a fennel toothpaste which contains fluoride and is sold by the local health food shops. It isn't bad, as these things go. Between us, Kaberett and I could probably ship you a sample pack...

[birke]

I dislike mint for different reasons: sometimes mint-flavored things make my mouth hurt, and sometimes brushing my teeth with mint before bed makes me feel hungry rather than pleasantly, sleepily full. So a long time ago I switched to anise-flavored toothpaste and I like it much better.

For mouthwash, I've been using Vademecum. Also not minty, but generally horrible-tasting. My mom sent me like.. eight bottles of concentrate when she was still living in Norway, and I have yet to get through it.

[ewt]

I have a water-pik flossing device -- it is battery-powered, and seems to go several weeks between charges if I use it once or twice a day. It is noisy, which took some getting used to, but which I don't mind so much now.

It seems to be better than just brushing and mouthwash, but not as good as actual flossing. There is an option for putting mouthwash instead of water in the reservoir, which I have not tried yet, but think I might this week because there is one bit of gum that keeps getting inflamed and unhappy and it's between two teeth it's quite difficult to clean between.

My dental hygienist keeps recommending the little floss-onna-stick things, but getting the ones that are the right shape for back/side teeth rather than front teeth seems to be remarkably difficult.

(I don't mind mint things, but have some hands issues with flossing and some trauma isssues with home/maintenance-level dental care generally -- though not generally problems with going to the actual dentist, now I've found one.)

[azurelunatic]

Additionally I've had trouble with those for the floss itself being Wrong. There are several options for Wrong, none of them good.

[feanelwa]

Omg thank you. I hate mint toothpaste, it's like my mouth is on fire.

[highlyeccentric]

MINT THINGS ARE EVIL. Except, as you say, garden mint things. I generally pick a very mild peppermint paste and acclimatise to it, reluctantly.

You're right, peppermint is LOUD, that is exactly what is wrong with it. It's loud and... sort of metallic. Like a loud noise inside a tin can.

I would like to find whatever moron decided that medication for upset stomachs should be spearmint flavoured and SET HIM ON FIRE. Spearmint *makes me gag* why would I take that when I'm feeling gross???

[pipisafoat]

i use non-minty arm&hammer toothpaste (http://www.armandhammer.com/personal-care/toothpaste/Products/advance-white-extreme-whitening-with-stain-defense.aspx)

[silveradept]

Mint flavor toothpaste can go DIAF. What I have is not that, thankfully, and the mouthwash isn't, either. Much sympathy for having to navigate the loud mint flavor markets.

[jazzyjj]

I once had some cherry-flavored toothpaste. I forget where my mother got it but it was very nice. I personally don't really mind mint-flavored toothpaste. What I do mind though, are those tubes of toothpaste that have a strong peroxide flavor. I mean, isn't the purpose of brushing teeth to get rid of bad breath?