Firebox: Novelty Flavoured Toothpaste

...
On a mission to locate some Christmas presents, I stopped by Firebox.com for inspiration. 

Whilst there I came across these!

Yep.  You've read that correctly.  Bacon-flavoured and cupcake-flavoured toothpaste!

They are 70g and fluoride-free.

According to one of Firebox's comments, they are novelty products and a bit of fun - they are not intended as substitutes for 'real' toothpaste.   (If you're interested in either of them, but have any concerns you can always run it past your dentist to get an opinion on it.)

And just to clarify, the bacon-flavour is not suitable for vegetarians but there is a very happy comment on the cupcake-flavour from someone with diabetes who is pleased as punch as it is sugar-free but is still something sweet that she can enjoy.

Check out www.firebox.com if you're interested!

Lush: Toothy Tabs

...
I have returned from my long weekend away - much refreshed and feeling so much better for the break!

I now have a week off work to look forward to in November.  If vague plans become a little more concise, I may be flying off Europe over the Remembrance Sunday weekend.  May not happen but it's something to look forward to!

Anyhoo - back to blogging of dental related topics.

Upon my return I found the Lush Times Christmas issue waiting for me.  Naturally, I had a flip through the pages, wishing there was a Lush branch nearer home.  The closest one requires either a specific trip to the area or else I order online which is what I did for my shampoo some time ago.

Then, lo and behold ...

Toothy Tabs!

I have no idea how long these have been about but it's the first time I've come across them and it's only right that I share!  :)

Toothy Tabs are solid toothpaste tablets - you pop one in your mouth, suggested between your front teeth, you nibble at it and it produces a foam much like a typical toothpaste.  Wet your toothbrush and proceed as normal!

Sounds like a cool idea to me.  There's also no "chemicals, preservatives and unnecessary packaging".

The packaging is made from recycled cardboard and of course you can recycle it yourself once you're done with the pack.  No more left over toothpaste stuck in the tube that you can't squeeze out, not to mention the non-recyclable tube that gets sent to landfill!

BIG thumbs up from me as far as that's concerned!

Lush have also included Fairtrade ingredients in the "Atomic" flavour and all of the Tab varieties are suitable for Vegans.

Eco-friendly aspects aside - do they really work?

Lush dutifully performed trials using the different varieties of Toothy Tabs (they come in many different flavours) with regular trips to the dentist over a three month period.  You can check out the video here or else drop by the Lush website and search 'toothy tabs' should that link go AWOL at any point.

The tabs performed well in the trial so that's very encouraging.

AND if you happen to be at all concerned about your fluoride intake - either from your current toothpaste or other sources - this should help alleviate your worry ... Toothy Tabs are fluoride free.


So.  What lovely flavours are there?  Here's a quick rundown.

Ultrablast - peppermint, spearmint and lavender
Sparkle - vanilla, lemon and grapefruit
Breath of God - fennel, vanilla and sandalwood
Chou Chou, I Love You - rose and lemon  (I hope I've got that right, the blurb isn't 100% clear)
Aquatic - Earl Grey, lime and jasmine
Dirty - spearmint (the classic minty fresh flavour had to be here somewhere)
Atomic - clove and cinnamon

You may want to check out Lush's website - they may come out with new flavours in the meantime and you can check out reviews and current prices.  At the time of writing the tabs are priced between £2 and £3.50 depending on the variety (Dirty and Aquatic respectively.)

Each pack contains 40 tabs, so for £2 to try a pack out, it's not much is it?  Sounds like they're worth a go!

As much as I'd love to rush out and get a pack, remember I mentioned earlier about my lack of local Lush branch?  Yeah, I'm not spending that much on petrol and parking just for a pack of Toothy Tabs alone.  Just being realistic here.  If my shampoo was running low, I'd take the opportunity to order it online and throw in a pack of Sparkle or Breath of God.  But my massive bottle is nowhere near being empty - over 20 washes out of it and the contents isn't even down to the top of the label.  Not going to run out for months yet!

Hmmm, pondering ...

It occurs to me that maybe I could order one of each and give them to people at Christmas - I'm making up little gift bags for everyone this year, each with lots of little gifts inside rather than one big gift which I've done in the past.  Might not be a bad idea to consider these as little extras.

Lots of unusual and intriguing flavours to try out

Anybody reading this tried Toothy Tabs before?   I've clearly been slow on the uptake as according the comments on Lush's website, they've been around for months already!

Have you tried them yourself?  Any preference as to the variety you'd recommend or not?  Please share!  :)

Whoops!

...
My current job and my desired job collided unexpectedly the other day.

I'm sat at my till, serving an elderly man.  I turn away for a moment to look at my till screen.

I hear a clattering sound.

I immediately look round to see a set of false bottom teeth bouncing down my till!

I don't know if the poor man had opened his mouth to say something or what, but his teeth were making a break for it and his shirt was rather damp.

He apologised immediately, then grabbed his teeth and shoved straight back into his mouth.

Both rather gross and unfortunate. 

It was only after he left that it occurred to me that perhaps I should have recommended he visit his dentist.  Perhaps it's not my place to do so, bearing in mind I am employed as a cashier, not a dental nurse at this moment in time.  But to be frank, if your teeth can fall out of your mouth that easily, they obviously do not fit properly!

False teeth should fit reasonably snugly - just tight enough that they don't fall out when you open your mouth, but loose enough that you can remove them when necessary without difficulty.  It's a fine line and worth getting a set that fit perfectly.

Otherwise the teeth could land somewhere less pleasant.

Yes, I did have the till cleaned shortly after.   I hope he thought to clean his teeth when he got home!

So much for that!

...
I told myself I was going to have a short break from job hunting.

I was going to have a week or so where I didn't stress over looking for job adverts or tweaking my CV.  Everyone needs a break now and then, otherwise your brain just goes into meltdown and it's impossible to concentrate and so on and so forth.

So why do I find myself re-writing my CV again?

I haven't even had my weekend away and I'm back to revising it.

Urgh!  Why am I doing this AGAIN?

OK, that's not a bad thing, but clearly I am a glutton for punishment.  That said, I think this will be the best version of my CV yet.

Now that my Hepatitis B vaccinations are finished, that will come across as an excellent selling point!  "Fully vaccinated" sounds so much better than "Currently receiving vaccinations" doesn't it?

I'm also trying to highlight what I've learnt by studying the textbook - which in turn gives me a kick up the rear to keep at it, re-read things to keep the information fresh and to keep progressing.  Hold my hands up, I've not been as studious of the book as I should have been.  But I can't very well continue to slack if it's down in black and white and being sent to potential employers - that's the whole incentive: keep it current and relevant.

Will read - will learn!

I'm also trying to highlight more of my voluntary work and my efforts to learn a foreign language.  Potential employers really do like that sort of thing!  :)    I've been a volunteer for years but I can elaborate on what I've done, the awards I've won (why I didn't think to include those in the first place I'm not sure, but hey it happens) and the progression I've made through the ranks of the organisation.

As for the foreign language - I've biten the bullet and ordered the complete Rosetta Stone collection.  Not every language, just the one I'm learning!  The methods I'm currently using have been fine for building up vocabulary but without more conversational tutition, it's slow and stilted progress.   Rosetta Stone may be a little pricey when you first look at it, but as I say, I've ordered the complete collection - lucky for me that's only three sets, not four or five which they offer for some languages.  Plus it was on offer so I've saved a bit of money.  Would be an awful lot more if I'd opted to buy each one separately.

Can you guess what I'm learning? :)

Being fluent or at least partially fluent in a foreign language is undoubtably a boon to any employer, but especially for people in the medial profession when it's guaranteed that you will treat people who don't speak English as a first language.

Even in my current role as a cashier, my Sign Language is limited but the people who are deaf that come to shop with us do apprecaite the sign for 'thank you'.  I'd like to improve my Sign as well but I've got so much to learn at the moment that that one will have to wait.  Plus it's one you really need a tutor to work with you face-to-face.

So, yes, so much for taking a break from it all!  Thought I shalln't be applying for anything until after my weekend away - four more days, I can't wait!

Electric vs Conventional

...
I'm already packing a few things for my upcoming trip.

One thing we all take with us?  Our toothbrush!

Since my first (and sadly unsuccessful) interview for a trainee dental nurse position, I have owned an electric toothbrush - courtesy of my potential employers as a consolation prize.

Now I'm off for a long weekend, I've taken a look at it and thought 'Huh, that's not going to work out.'

The electric toothbrush can be charged ... but exactly how long does it last?

In my experience - not that long.

I have my doubts it'll last the whole trip.  I take my time brushing my teeth.  It's not a quick scrub and spit!   I like the health of my teeth and gums and would very much like to maintain that.  Not to mention it wouldn't look very good to proclaim my interest in a dentistry career when my own teeth are in an awful state!

Not that I'm a fanatic!  God no - I can assure you that my regime doesn't consist of endless brushing, tooth-picking, tongue-scrapping, mouthwash-rinsing, and flossing every frakking day!  I just take my time over the brushing, and floss when it's needed.  And I love a thorough tongue-scrape now and again.

Any hoo.  Back to the brush.  I take my time - that runs the battery down.  I don't want to get to the last day and find my toothbrush is dead!

What about the charger I hear you ask?  Sure.  I could take it.  But it's not small: it consists of a stand with a rack for the extra brush heads and accessories.

Not to mention that the lead is way too short!  That was my immediate problem when I got the darn thing home.  It would not reach the plug in the bathroom.  It now sits in my bedroom on a low table next to a plug with an adaptor plug.

Seriously - I don't need to cart all of this around!

I really don't want to faff around, packing the charger and the plug, when really all I need to do is spend a quid on a manual toothbrush.

I've managed all this time without an electric toothbrush and my dentist has complimented me on my well-looked-after teeth.

It's not going to kill me to have a manual toothbrush for the weekend!

The humble manual tooth scrubber - it does the job just fine!

How about you?  Can you not live without your electric?  Would you take it, accessories and all?  Can you be bothered with one?  Do you have both??  Any preference?

Countdown

...
In 12 days time I shall be off on a weekend break.

I can not wait!

I haven't had a holiday of any description for over a year.  When I started as a Christmas temp in my current job, I didn't dare take any time off - primarily due to having no idea whether I'd still have a job after Christmas.

Then throughout January in spite of asking several times whether I was being kept on, I never got a straight answer.

So in spite of earning a few days off, the holiday entitlement has to be taken before February.  Hence, I lost what few days I might have had.  Then I had to start afresh but with the same unanswered question of 'Am I still going to be employed next week?'

Considering I'm still there nearly a year on, I'd say I'm unlikely to be told anytime soon that they're cancelling my contract.

Since February I've earned 13 days of my allotted 20.  So I'm going to be taking 3 at the end of this month.  Then take some time off in November (hopefully a week!), then perhaps some time in December and January to use up the remaining days.

It's about time I had a break!

I shall be sightseeing, visiting museums and a special trip to a charity that my grandmother supported.  Until now I haven't had a change to visit since it's well outside the range of 'local'.

I'm also taking my boyfriend along ... although he has no idea where we're off to!!  Mwhaha - I'm keeping the details under wraps!

Course Complete

...
Well, it's taken six months and a total of £66 - but today I received my final vaccination against Hepatitis B.

I certainly noticed an increase of interest in my CV when I could say that I'd started the course.  Hopefully now I can update my CV with 'fully vacainated' this may further aid my job search.

I did mean to do a post on Hepatitis B a little while ago but got distracted by the recent interview.  I shall endeavour to address this soon - once my busy weekend of work is out of the way!