The Bathroom Shelf Edit // Dental Care

My bathroom shelf goes through cycles, sometimes it's full of products I love, sometimes it's there to force me to use up products I'm not keen on but can't palm off to other people. Other times it's my place of experimentation, a platform for trying new things. Sometimes with great results, and sometimes not. Now is one of those times.

Lately, I've been quite fixated on my teeth. I hate them. There, I've said it. I think they are awful but aside from having expensive work done, there isn't a huge deal I can do about them so I decided to turn my shallow focus on them towards a more healthy avenue and make sure they are as healthy as can be. Step in three new products that I've added to my routine with mixed results:

WELEDA RATANIA TOOTHPASTE

A product that has been sitting in my toothpaste collection (yes I have a collection) for a while. I was finding that using my good old fav - Jason Powersmile, while great for my teeth was starting to make my gums sore. So I sought out this Ratania toothpaste from Weleda that promises to care for the gums as well as doing all the other jobs a good toothpaste should. I would one hundred percent say my gums have improved, less soreness and less receding. My gums very rarely bleed now which is terrific. I'm not sure I can really say it 'tightens gum texture', I mean what does that even really mean? But none the less my gums are looking and feeling in much better condition. As for the other aspects of the toothpaste, the texture is good, not too gritty or chalky and the mint flavour is subtle but refreshing. Teeth feel clean and my breath is freshened. All good stuff. It also amuses me that it is such a bizarre colour - a pinky toned mauve. The bf still finds it a tad bit disconcerting...wait til he sees the charcoal one I've got in my stash! Would I recommend this toothpaste? Absolutely. Will I repurchase? Certainly. At just under £5 it's pretty pricey but then most natural toothpastes are so I'm not up in arms about it.

RADIUS SCUBA TOOTHBRUSH*

This is one of those products where the theory is sound, but in practicality terms it just doesn't work out. This bizarre and very intriguing looking toothbrush is the Scuba Toothbrush from the brand Radius. I was totally intrigued and thought it sounded brilliant with all it's fancy technical jargon. The brush head is huge! it's about twice the size of a standard toothbrush head and is completely oval. According to the marketing it has over 300% more bristles than a regular toothbrush which helps you not only reach and cover more tooth surface but also evenly distribute pressure and avoid damaging your teeth. Sounds great, expect it is too big to fit in your mouth comfortably. If like me you don't have the largest of gobs then your pretty much stuffed because you simply cannot reach the back teeth without contorting your mouth into extreme shapes and having to wedge it in tight spaces. It's uncomfortable and unpleasant. I thought the size would make it perfect for cleaning my tongue, however the 45degree angle of the handle may be great for using on the front surface of the teeth but it stops you being able to give you tongue a good scrub without smashing your front teeth with the handle. Without being TMI my gag reflex has never been more active than when trying and failing to clean my tongue with this. The handle is also very very short, however the design (mine is a right-handed one) does make it very comfortable, so that is one good thing I can say about it. I also find that the bristles are so dense that it makes it hard to clean and toothpaste gets clogged in it no matter how clean and careful you are. I wish I could be complimentary about this as it really is a great idea sadly it just is not practical. It's also deathly expensive, almost £13- for a toothbrush!

ORGANII ALOE MOUTHWASH*

On to better things! This is a great product. 

I've been using natural mouthwashes for a good few years and flittered between a few different ones and I've always struggled with the taste of them. Thankfully that issue has been resolved with this Organii Mouthwash in the Citrus flavour. It is citrusy but not overpoweringly so, but enough to mask any typical mouthwash flavour. This doesn't burn my mouth at all (I'm assuming thanks to the aloe vera) and leaves it feeling super clean and fresh. You know sometimes you chuck the shot of mouthwash a bit too far and choke on it a bit? Well, that's not so bad with this one because the taste doesn't make me gag and it doesn't have the alcohol edge to it like other mouthwashes do despite the fact is does contain ethyl alcohol. Other top notch factors include the fact that it is certified organic by ICEA. Plus the packaging is made from 100% recycled plastic and is completely recyclable after use.