Pushing products

I recently posted about the EU's quest for supported claims. That they want any medical sounding claims on products to be supported by research. A, I think, very expensive and futile objective...but then we are talking about the EU.

Well, then I finished using my tube of Crest toothpaste. As I was winkling out that last little divot of paste I read the tube, probably for the first time in the three months I have been using it. And it said that is was an "All in one" toothpaste. And a twinge of panic gripped me. All in one...does that mean I shouldn't have been flossing these past months? Or I shouldn't have been using mouthwash, if only occasionally? What is included in this All that the tube was speaking of?

Unfortunately, beyond the claim that everything was there, there wasn't much else to let me know what complementary oral care I should continue with, and what was really unnecessary. I thought of the minutes of my life I may have wasted flossing, when this toothpaste should have been sufficient. I tried to assure myself that I had at that time removed build up with that little bit of thread...and that perhaps it was All in one, but I may not have been using it properly anyway...I never did read the use instructions.

Then another thought occurred to me...my next tube of paste was Colgate Complete. Was this the same as an All in one? Or did it just mean it was a complete toothpaste, and that other complementary care was still necessary? What about those years of just using the regular red tube Colgate...was that an incomplete toothpaste? Should someone be held accountable for the inferior oral care provided by that product. I mean we should always be good DOB scouts shouldn't we?

So I opened the box to see if the new Colgate would give me a better sense of what complete meant. It said tarter control and breath freshening* I thought, hmm what is the * for? So I looked down the side of the tube It said *with brushing...

With brushing?

Well...how else do you use toothpaste? This is when I really started to panic. i tried to imagine other ways toothpaste might be employed that would provide other kinds of tooth care. Maybe as a kind of soak, or an application, maybe to be taken as a drink? Diluted and used as a rinse?

But in the end, I decided that my smile is beautiful, and still beautiful just with the care I am giving it. And if there might be better care out there, it is okay, because I could be doing a lot worse. And this is what I think the EU science supported-claims need to take into consideration. By forcing companies to back claims scientifically, makes the claims even stronger in the public eye, making individuals even more controlled by the claims made to push a product. Which, as I ahve demonstrated can cause a lot of needless worry (and blogging). Really we should be working to weaken that bond, to encourage people to be their own scientists, to observe their bodies, and the effects of their environment on them. I know some claims can be dangerous, and some of us aren't equipped to handle the investigation...but I am sure we can learn.

Although, the latest episode of South Park "Dead Celebrities" #1308 does suggest, through the Chipoltaway product placement, that this is wishful thinking.