The perfect toothbrush.. I have nearly found it.

(Before the main event, let me share a smaller useful info-bit. If you are looking for a good nail-clipper go for the brand “Bell”. The larger size, which I recommend should be about Rs 50/-. It’s Made in Korea and works wonderfully well. I think you can find it in most large stores.)

I wonder is any of you have noticed that toothbrushes don’t last very long these days. For me a new toothbrush used to be a major event in childhood. And now I was throwing away toothbrushes almost every month. So, not happy with this I decided to look for the perfect toothbrush or at least a better one. I asked friends traveling abroad to get me toothbrushes from the US and Germany, both countries reputed to make stuff that is “built to last”. I tried every toothbrush that was advertised. Some of the more memorable ones (the advertisements, not the toothbrushes).

o Flexihead: The advertisement shows a toothbrush head/ bristles pressed against a tomato and the flexihead does not leave a dent on the tomato skin. The head of the toothbrush is connected to the handle though a zigzag plastic. It is supposed to make the toothbrush flexible and therefore does not damage the gums. That was true. Unfortunately while brushing, the damned thing almost doubled over so that in order to keep the bristles in my mouth while brushing, I had to hold it by the head. This meant that three of my fingers were inside my mouth. I did not buy it again.

o The indicator toothbrush. It has a row of blue coloured bristles. When the colour disappears , it is time to get a new one. I admit it did help in deciding when to throw it away, but that was about every three weeks.

o Cross angled bristles: This high end one from Oral B has a few tufts of bristles at an angle to the main set. Is supposed to provide a brushing action superior to its lesser brethren. (daanton aur masoodon ke’ kone’ kone’ mein safaai karta hai). An iconic product from the great American Marketing Machine.

o The Ferrari toothbrush. Precisely angled so that it moves easily in your mouth. Proved to be no better than an Ambassador Mark IV.

And so it has gone on. I haven’t yet discovered the perfect toothbrush, but I have found a working solution. I use the brand Jordan. Its about Rs 20/-, cleans well, handles well and lasts about 2 months. Its often not seen in general stores so one must buy it from medical stores.