Miswaak

[Zero]

To get a really nice whitening effect I like to use the bristles much shorter than the guy in the video - less than 1/4in or so so they stay short and quite stiff. Then use the tip just to polish, if that makes sense.

[Smarvy]

That's what I've been doing, keeping the bristles pretty short, about 4-5mm. I usually will take it to bed with me, and just polish my teeth with it while I read before crashing. It may be a little silly, but I've held myself to the rule of using the miswaak 3 times on my top teeth and 3 times on my bottom teeth. I think I read that rule on a site I looked the miswaak up on. There were tons of rules, but that one makes a lot of practical sense, so I use it.

[MelangeMan]

I read about Miswaaks a long time ago and wanted to try them. Now I have an even better reason. Smarvy suggests that they each last a long time. Do the individually wrapped ones expire somehow? I ask because I like to stock up on things rather than buying one at a time.

[MelangeMan]

Nevermind. I already ordered some. Couldn't resist.

[Zero]

if they're packaged well they should keep for a good while. Once they're open they start to dry out a bit, like any sort of untreated wood. You can always soak them for a bit to revive it, though. As for how long they last, imagine about 1cm every day or two if you use it every day, depending on how long you use it and how well you treat it.

[MelangeMan]

Holey moley. I just got my miswaak. Are they supposed to stink this bad?

[Zero]

I suppose that depends on what your subjective criteria for "stink" are. I don't find they smell bad at all, really, but maybe there's something gone bad with yours?

[yummi4tunekookie]

It's been years and years since I last used a miswaak, but I do remember that they had a distinctive smell. I never found it offensive, though; I actually liked the smell. But then again, yours could be defective or something!

[MelangeMan]

Yeah, it's tough to know whether it's normal or not, and there seems to be little information about them on the net other than the basics. It doesn't taste all that bad, but it smells kinda like honey and cheese. The smell is still on my hands after a shower.

Huh. I don't know. I'll get a second one out for another opinion... Ok, it doesn't really smell "bad". Honey and a pungent, herby, very, very slightly flowery scent. I can smell it through both plastic bags. After opening the sealed bag it smells a lot "worse" like bad incense. The bark seems completely separated from the internal fibers, almost too easy to peel off.

Kinda makes me wish I didn't use that first one. Maybe I'll get violently ill and a few days off from work!

[STORM6490MT]

I use a sonicare tooth brush with hippie tooth paste without harsh chemicals and it even has tea tree oil in it to help my gums!

I use this inter dental brush called a CURAPROX UHS 430. It is a little tiny brush like a bottle cleaner that fits in between your teeth. It does a much better job than floss and is much easier to do with less irritation.

The curaprox brush gets in and removes all the tiny particles of los snus between your gums and teeth. It's a trip to see how deep that brush gets into your gums.

CURAPROX is made in Switzerland and can be purchased online. I haven't seen them in stores here in the US. You have to get the right size brush for your teeth. I use the smallest one they make since my teeth have tight gaps.