Where do you go to my lovely…

when you are brushing your teeth? Staring into the mirror last night, thinking that I really need to get a new toothbrush, I pondered yet again why they never seem to use toothpaste in the movies. Thorough teeth brushing can be a messy business (well for me anyway: fcuk, I’ve messed toothpaste on my top over my right boob, again, and need to change the top!). Extended brushing can also mean a slightly unpleasant burning sensation, which I hope means that the toothpaste is working. (Or it could mean that my tongue is extra sensitive because I'm a smoker, nah!) Still, surely the Special FX department can invent some foamy, non-drip, non-burny substance that makes it look more realistic than in the movies? And really, does ANYONE brush their teeth for that long?

Then (still brushing) I wondered when people first learnt to douse their toothpaste with water before brushing. And whether it’s in the instructions on the box. Are there instructions on a toothpaste box? I’ve never looked! (Mental note to look the next time I buy a tube.)

So that got me to thinking about when toothpaste was invented (spit), I mean I know they used to use ash (rinse), but toothpaste, as we know it, (spit).

I started Googling and skimming through reams of info, and came across this diagram, which I thought was infinitely more interesting than the history of toothpaste!

The red area represents the material used for stripes, and the rest is the main toothpaste material. The two materials are not in separate compartments; they are sufficiently viscous that they will not mix. Applying pressure to the tube causes the main material to issue out through the pipe. Simultaneously, some of the pressure is forwarded to the stripe-material, which is then pressed onto the main material through holes in the pipe.

So now I'm wondering how many holes and how many colours it's possible to add. And wouldn't that be cool?

Just one squeeze and it’s fun, Mum!