Smile-breaks
It’s Flexible and it Hugs Your Teeth…
I’ve never had my teeth hugged, have you? All these years… No teeth hugging.
When I rushed down the dental care aisle at Longs, I never suspected I’d end up with an affectionate toothbrush that would embrace my teeth on a daily basis. Without even being asked.
I was looking for a toothbrush with soft bristles that wasn’t the same color as anyone else’s in the family. When my son and I both had green toothbrushes I accidentally packed his toothbrush in my suitcase. That toothbrush had the hardest bristles I’ve ever set tooth on. I knew the minute they brushed my teeth I had the wrong toothbrush. My son didn’t much like my soft fluffy bristles either.
So at Longs I passed on the blue and the green and grabbed the first purple one I came across. Purple’s not exactly my favorite color – especially for brushing my teeth – but I was in a hurry.
At home I opened the package and pulled out my new purple toothbrush.
Wow! Pretty sleek! Curvaceous purple insets tapered to slim nothings down the back of the smooth white handle. I could get attached to this one. The head was two-toned, the top was purple with white freckles; below it was white. The front of the handle was dotted with nobby little purple circles.
Design is everything! I wonder how much they pay those toothbrush designers… This wasn’t one of those pricey battery-powered pulsating dental machines. It was just a toothbrush.
But it was captivating. No wonder they named it the Navigator. Actually they named it the Navigator because of its moving head that flexes around your teeth as you brush up and down and over and around.
How can it do that? It doesn’t have any dials or switches. It doesn’t run on electricity or batteries. It’s completely hand-powered. The really strange part of it is - only half of the head moves. The top half, in case you were wondering. The little purple nobs on the handle don’t do anything. They kind’a bump against your hand while you’re brushing - to keep you awake I think.
Curious why a toothbrush needed to flex its head, I turned the package over. Instructions were printed at the top. First you “bend back.” Then you “pull.” That’s it. “Bend back and pull.” Strange way to brush your teeth…
Oh wait! That’s for opening the package. There aren’t any instructions for brushing. Well, you know how to brush. Up and down; back and forth; sideways. Whichever you prefer.
The benefits were stated, with illustrations, beneath the instructions. As you brush with the Navigator Flexible Head, you’ll be delighted to realize the top half of its head is “bending over to clean your back teeth.” And you’ll be even more delighted when you feel its bristles flexing in “to hug and get between your teeth.” (All quotes are from Colgate-Palmolive™, backside of the Navigator Flexible Head toothbrush package.)
Well, that about covers the bending and hugging. The third illustration shows the gentle nature of the Navigator as its bristles flex away from your gums. Talk about being spoiled! After just seven days with my new toothbrush I don’t know how I ever got along without it. All that hugging and flexing and gentle touching… I’m hoping it’s contagious.
The problem is, the package says I’ll need to replace my Navigator in three months. Well, you know what that means. In three months it will have been re-designed. New and Improved. Its firm head will stimulate your gums. Its soft but hardy bristles will scold your teeth for chewing on that caramel candy.
You just can’t get attached to anything these days. They grow up, get re-designed, move away. Guess I’d better run down and buy a dozen of those Navigators – shall I pick up a couple for you?