Tribune Tries It: Tea Tree Toothpicks

Students May have recently noticed English teacher Matt Aerni sporting the ever classy tooth-pick as of late, but what is the craze all about? Simple: Tea Tree Therapy.

These tooth-picks are not your everyday, boring, run-of-the-mill tooth-picks, they are uniquely infused with special tea tree oils that give them a pop that is hard to believe. Two varieties have been sampled to see which is the best to suit you: Original Tea Tree and Cinnamon.

The First one sampled was the Cinnamon. It was instantly powerful and had an undeniable tingle left on the lips. The Cinnamon flavor itself was quite tame, but the feeling, the burn was quite intense. The intensity faded after the first five minutes, but would return and build in intensity frequently before fading away again. The smell was so intense that it could be smelled by other people in the room who were not even near me. On the positive side, it was a pleasant scent that could freshen even the foulest of breath. The greatest surprise to these was the longevity  of the flavor, lasting an easy twenty minutes and much longer than most chewing gum that have been tried.

The second sample was the Original Tea Tree Therapy. It was noticeably much cooler feeling than the Cinnamon and a more natural and subtle flavor. The tingle was still there but it was more relaxed than the other. The wood flavor came through much stronger and the scent was not nearly as potent. Still there was enough flavor to satisfy and the scent still would greatly freshen one’s breath. Again the flavor lasted an easy twenty minutes, possibly less than the Cinnamon, but that perception could come from the subtlety of this flavor.

Overall both were successful in their goals of providing fresh breath and flavor for extended periods of time as well as being a pick to clean in between teeth after a meal. The recommendation would be the Original for those who desire a natural and more subtle flavor and the Cinnamon for the heat and flavor nuts who must have the potency of the sun in everything they use.

Tea Tree Therapy toothpicks are available on amazon.com and locally at Moon co-op health food store.