Shopping for toothpaste reminds me of Tom, the German exchange student our family hosted for a school year when I was a senior in high school. Our family picked him up from the airport and on the way home we stopped at the grocery store for some ice cream. As we travelled through the store, he stopped in every aisle and stared in disbelief. When I asked what was so fascinating, he explained that he was in awe of the vast selection of items the store had. Most fascinating was the rows and rows of toothpaste. He asked me how I was able to choose one when there were sixty varieties. My answer at the time (this was 1983 mind you) was "the prettiest box".
I still have no idea what the best toothpaste is. From whitening to gel to fluoride its all a blur. There is a wide range in price so that doesn't help either. As a consumer, I'm tempted to think the best toothpaste is the most expensive but in the back of my mind I'm pretty sure if I use that logic I'm likely a victim of exactly what the toothpaste manufacturers want me to think.
I spotted Ultra Brite on the shelf and I had a flashback to my youth. Ultra Brite was really popular back in the 70's and 80's. Farrah Fawcett even did Ultra Brite commercials (I'm posting one of the commercials below so you can see what I mean). It was known as the "sex appeal toothpaste". It was one of the least expensive toothpaste choices at Walmart Market (one dollar!) and I decided to buy it.
Sex appeal for a buck? Yes please!
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| Sex appeal for one dollar? Best dollar I've ever spent. |