View Full Version : Toothpaste drop issue
lonehiker
06-05-2017, 08:32
Been drying my own toothpaste drops for the last 3-4 years. Not necessarily for weight savings but rather to take the exact amount needed for the trip. I generally estimate how many days I will be hiking and dry the appropriate amount of drops for that hiking season. Anyway, I have never paid too much attention to the type of paste that I use so can't say for sure if I have ever used the same brand/type/flavor. This year I dried maybe a Crest, mint flavored, product(?). It took quite a bit longer than normal to dry but my issue was that when I used them on a recent trip it felt as if my tongue and gums had been burned. Similar feeling as when you burn your tongue with hot liquid. Luckily I passed a little store second day into the trip and was able to buy a sample sized tube. Wanting to make sure it was the drops and not a combination of something that had irritated my tongue and the drops, I tried at home with the same results. Has anyone experienced this with anything that they have tried? I am thinking that drying the paste concentrated the mint to give me the "burn"? Any thoughts and could people list the brand/type/flavor of paste that they have successfully dried?
Would note that the sample size I bought at store was Crest mint flavor and had no issue for the rest of the trip and that in previous years, using whatever type of paste, I had not had this issue.
garlic08
06-05-2017, 08:43
Wow, that's strange. Your guess sounds right. I carry a small bag of baking soda, and can always find a trail angel to top it off when needed.
Francis Sawyer
06-05-2017, 10:33
Seems like a waste of time/ effort. A small travel- sized toothpaste weighs almost nothing. Figure out how many days the tube will last and go from there. The tube works really well .I can see the point if you're trying to reach some imaginary UL goal. You can talk yourself out of any piece of gear using the weight savings argument. If you wore a shirt with a lot of pockets you wouldn't really need a backpack. You can go all Cody Lundin and lose the shoes. Sometimes overthinking or over engineering stuff becomes counterproductive.
Some toothpastes the minty taste is so strong that it almost hurts my mouth...I'd bet if you dehydrate that stuff it will be all that more concentrated.
My dentist agrees with me, toothpaste is not necessary for good dental hygiene. Brushing with water and flossing is just as effective, at least for the duration of a hike of several weeks.
DownEaster
06-05-2017, 12:02
You don't need toothpaste to get your teeth clean, though the fluoride will toughen up your tooth enamel to resist decay. Personally, I want baking soda and peroxide toothpaste to keep my gums healthy. Teeth are pretty tough; gums not so much, especially when you're jabbing nuts and tortilla chips into them with constant trail snacking. I think my teeth would survive a 5-month through hike without paste, but I wouldn't take the chance that my gums would be happy over that same length of time.
I use baking soda. It has many uses.
lonehiker
06-05-2017, 13:14
Seems like a waste of time/ effort. A small travel- sized toothpaste weighs almost nothing. Figure out how many days the tube will last and go from there. The tube works really well .I can see the point if you're trying to reach some imaginary UL goal. You can talk yourself out of any piece of gear using the weight savings argument. If you wore a shirt with a lot of pockets you wouldn't really need a backpack. You can go all Cody Lundin and lose the shoes. Sometimes overthinking or over engineering stuff becomes counterproductive.
You obviously didn't read my post. Once again, those that do dehydrate toothpaste, what brand/type/flavor have you used successfully? I am not looking for the fluoride argument, baking soda vs toothpaste argument, waste of time/effort, or any other take. I am simply looking for those that dry toothpaste and what has worked for them. Barring any legitimate post, I will most likely just hit Walmart again and buy 2-3 types and start from scratch. I have done this successfully for a couple of years and have liked, until this batch, the results.
Just Bill
06-05-2017, 14:08
Do you think it's possible to roll your eyes so hard you injure them?
Anywho-
I concur with Garlic... was it a "gel" style paste perhaps? There is so little water I can't imagine it concentrated enough but maybe something in that formulation dried badly/spoiled. I'm talking about those multi-colored spiral jobs and thinking that might have been the issue. I can't recall anyone ever sharing an issue with a basic plain paste.
Did you let them sit out or dump them in the dehydrator? I tried to cheat with the dehydrator but found out they crust up and don't dry inside. So I dumped the batch and just put the dabs on wax paper and left them on a cookie sheet in the unused oven for a few days.
I did Tom's of Maine last time I did this and it was a mint flavor.
On the flipside- if you meant go to wally world to get a few flavors of travel size to find the right toothpaste before you do a big tube -then that might be the best plan if you can't recall the previous success and/or exact tube used that failed.
lonehiker
06-05-2017, 16:37
Do you think it's possible to roll your eyes so hard you injure them?
Anywho-
I concur with Garlic... was it a "gel" style paste perhaps? There is so little water I can't imagine it concentrated enough but maybe something in that formulation dried badly/spoiled. I'm talking about those multi-colored spiral jobs and thinking that might have been the issue. I can't recall anyone ever sharing an issue with a basic plain paste.
Did you let them sit out or dump them in the dehydrator? I tried to cheat with the dehydrator but found out they crust up and don't dry inside. So I dumped the batch and just put the dabs on wax paper and left them on a cookie sheet in the unused oven for a few days.
I did Tom's of Maine last time I did this and it was a mint flavor.
On the flipside- if you meant go to wally world to get a few flavors of travel size to find the right toothpaste before you do a big tube -then that might be the best plan if you can't recall the previous success and/or exact tube used that failed.
I do a combination type drying. Meaning I dry in dehydrator for a couple of days then unplug and let set for a day then rinse and repeat until done. Process has worked in the past. This last batch did take an inordinate amount of time, compared to previous batches, to get to my desired "dryness". I have always tried paste as opposed to gels. But, all pastes are not the same. Unfortunately travel sizes are limited in selection so will be trying a bit out of normal sized tubes. I can always use the leftover for normal use. My wife uses Tom's so I might try it during my experiments. Umm, reference your initial question, based upon your photo, perhaps... :)
Greenlight
06-05-2017, 20:27
Want to know a secret? Just bring your toothbrush. You don't need toothpaste. It's useless.
Tundracamper
06-08-2017, 09:31
I had know idea that dried toothpaste worked. Learn something every day - though I don't plan to use any. The little tube works for me.
BuckeyeBill
06-08-2017, 10:26
You can even get toothpaste tablets (https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=toothpaste+tablets&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=174221687674&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12835066172652183454&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014911&hvtargid=kwd-28105376781&ref=pd_sl_4fl8663cmb_e), though I find them a little bit expensive for what you get.
fiddlehead
06-08-2017, 12:11
A little thread drift here, sorry, but I hiked with a guy who took a regular sized cap from Crest (his preferred toothpaste), and a small cap that fits onto his small tube of toothpaste, and he glued them back to back with epoxy and then drilled a hole between them from one to the other.
That way, when he ran out, on his thru-hike, he could either find a big tube in a hiker box, or buy one, and put the double caps onto each tube and squeeze the new into the old (smaller) tube.
Worked great and the double cap that he carried with him was quite lightweight.
He also invented a toilet paper roll up device so that he could make the rolls smaller.
I think he had a lot of extra time on his hands.
lonehiker
06-08-2017, 12:51
He also invented a toilet paper roll up device so that he could make the rolls smaller.
I think he had a lot of extra time on his hands.
I have an idea for this as well just haven't actually done it. It is based upon the Army's RL-39 and the DR-8. Would work perfectly to re-roll a roll of toilet paper. As it stands now I just do it manually. Winters are long in Wyoming...
cmoulder
06-09-2017, 08:25
You can even get toothpaste tablets (https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=toothpaste+tablets&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=174221687674&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12835066172652183454&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014911&hvtargid=kwd-28105376781&ref=pd_sl_4fl8663cmb_e), though I find them a little bit expensive for what you get.
I bought those and they work fine but I don't see any advantage over the tiny tube I'm already using, and they actually weigh MORE and take up more volume than the tube for the same number of "servings". :o
39567
I brush only once a day (at night, right before sleep) and find that this little tube will last me a couple of weeks. And it can be refilled from a bigger tube simply by holding the flanges firmly against each other and pressing the large tube... no need for an adapter or connector.
HeartFire
06-09-2017, 09:09
they do make tooth powder! (https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/eco-dent-daily-care-tooth-powder-mint/ID=prod6147779-product?ext=gooPLA_-_Personal_Care&pla&adtype=pla_with_promotion&kpid=sku6131223&sst=1745f551-7c5d-4749-9a31-5cb6c02ec1af) save yourself the trouble of drying the paste.
lucky luke
06-13-2017, 02:28
they do make tooth powder! (https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/eco-dent-daily-care-tooth-powder-mint/ID=prod6147779-product?ext=gooPLA_-_Personal_Care&pla&adtype=pla_with_promotion&kpid=sku6131223&sst=1745f551-7c5d-4749-9a31-5cb6c02ec1af) save yourself the trouble of drying the paste.
great! i didnīt know.
:-? however: the bottle is so heavy and big. i suggest drilling a few holes into the bottle to save weight!:D
I bought those and they work fine but I don't see any advantage over the tiny tube I'm already using, and they actually weigh MORE and take up more volume than the tube for the same number of "servings". :o
39567
I brush only once a day (at night, right before sleep) and find that this little tube will last me a couple of weeks. And it can be refilled from a bigger tube simply by holding the flanges firmly against each other and pressing the large tube... no need for an adapter or connector.
Where did you find that mini tube? Don't believe I've ever seen one that small.
I have an idea for this as well just haven't actually done it. It is based upon the Army's RL-39 and the DR-8. Would work perfectly to re-roll a roll of toilet paper. As it stands now I just do it manually. Winters are long in Wyoming...
Hadn't thought about RL-39/DR-8 in a few years. Thanks for the memories.
lucky luke
06-13-2017, 11:56
Where did you find that mini tube? Don't believe I've ever seen one that small.
in germany dentist have them. usually as free samples.
you can sometimes get them at the supermarkets too.
cmoulder
06-14-2017, 08:05
Where did you find that mini tube? Don't believe I've ever seen one that small.
It came with the Zpacks toothbrush (http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/toothbrush.shtml).
You can google and find the 5g size but it's primarily bulk order only for hotels etc. However the one above can be refilled dozens and dozens of times so you only need one.
LIhikers
06-17-2017, 20:42
You can refill the small toothpaste tube from a larger one without any special caps device.
Just hold the open ends of the tubes together and squeeze the larger one to force toothpaste into the smaller tube.
That's what I do and it works fine.
The Snowman
07-09-2017, 16:38
You can sometimes find the very small tubes in hotel vending machiens.
MuddyWaters
07-09-2017, 18:16
Want to know a secret? Just bring your toothbrush. You don't need toothpaste. It's useless.
Blasphemy.
Next youll say theres no correllation between fluoride and cavities.....
And youd be right
Cavity prevention has everything to do with nutrition and blood chemistry...and nothing to do with flouride toothpaste or drinking water.
Native americans were known for perfect teeth until introduced to western diet. Refined flour is a big part.