There are few things you can do without on your body. Of course you can cut your hair and your nails, that’s no problem. But for the rest it is important that everything stays in place and in good condition. Nice considerations when I was in the dentist’s chair this week. For the infamous root canal treatment.
I have become a fan of Couto toothpaste
You probably don’t know it, dear readers, because it is a portuguese brand. Even the younger portuguese do not know it anymore. They make toothpaste, mouthwash, aftershave, hair products, hand and face cream. Among other things, because they make more but I am most interested in the toothpaste and mouthwash.
I once came across it in a large supermarket, and was attracted by the cute packaging. I do like a bit of old-fashioned; good traditions should be kept alive, don’t you think? The box contained instructions for use and the history of the company, and an old-fashioned tube. Those aluminum-like metal ones, where you have to remove the cap, turn it over, and pierce the tube with the embedded tip.
Charming. I read the history of toothpaste out loud to myself (I still enjoy speaking portuguese), and learned that Senhor Alberto Ferreira do Couto developed this paste in 1932 as a pharmacist together with a dentist, especially for people with gum problems.
I don’t remember who came up with this brilliant saying, unfortunately not me: “Everything goes down with age, except your gums.”
How true! And coming back to that little dentist’s-chair-philosophy above, you may be able to do without your appendix and one kidney, but you still want to keep your teeth as long as possible, don’t you? The alternatives are quite drastic and expensive, and I suspect that no one likes that fiddling around in your upper entrance.
Keeping what you have presents all sorts of challenges. They are not major life problems but you still have to deal with them every day. Up until then I had tried various things and stuck with Sensodyne. Maybe the idea alone helps, I don’t know, but in any case it isn’t very strongly minty tasty.
I’m not so fond of mint. Already learned that as a child, never to trust advertising, because when I put such a huge stripe of Colgate, as in the commercial, on my toothbrush and bravely started brushing, I almost burned my mouth. A tenth of that is more than enough.
I tried Parodontax for a while. Meh. You get used to it, but when I started using it again after a while I couldn’t cope with the salty palate anymore. All toothpastes are so intrusive in terms of flavour! Not the Couto, that has a very mild taste and you notice the quality of the ingredients.
Another advantage of Couto: there is a variant without fluoride
The mouthwash ditto, mild in flavour. I use it for a shorter period than toothpaste, because you use toothpaste for as long as you have teeth. Mouthwash is an extra that you should not overdo because the good bacteria need to be given the chance to survive to do their good things in your mouth. Couto mouthwash tastes like Crodino. Do you remember that? Does it still exist?
Also something old-fashioned. In my non-alcoholic periods I drank Crodino, and otherwise Campari. (Now nothing anymore, not even cerveja.)
Apparently that C in the name is enough to make me addicted… or else products with a C taste different… well, maybe food for thought the next time I’m in the dentist’s chair. Last time next month.
I’m really looking forward to it …
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We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, Holland to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal.
A big step, especially with two small children.
We are busy to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa which has been turned into several holiday houses, rooms and a campsite.
You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.
Since 2018 we call ourselves the first B&B&B in the world – Bed & Breakfast & Bathrobes. You can buy a home-made unique bathrobe/housecoat with us.
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