Awesome Oral Action? Nah. (Aquafresh Iso-active Foaming Gel)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Aquafresh Iso-active Foaming Gel
Date:	16/07/09 (188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fresh-tasting and smelling and generally effective

Disadvantages: Not the revolution the marketing would have you believe

Isn't toothpaste boring? It's hard enough to maintain a good dental routine without having such dull, uninspiring gunk to coat your teeth in. I think toothpaste flavoured with gin and tonic would be rather nice, actually. But until Gordon's start to consider oral hygiene, I might have to make do with Aquafresh Iso-Active.

Aquafresh Iso-Active toothpaste is the latest thing on the market to try and relieve the boredom of cleaning your clackers. I think it has been around for at least a year, if not two, but I'm a relatively recent convert to the brand. It works on that rather trendy new phase for all things colloidal - that is, a liquid that when you mix it with a gas (i.e. air) and energy, it foams up and gets jiggy in your cavities.

I use the Fresh Mint variety. I think there are others including, if I'm not mistaken, a Citrus Mint flavour, but that's just wrong. The flavour of this one is reasonably good. It's not harsh, or very strong but has a generally pleasant minty taste that's not too overpowering. I generally like the flavour of Aquafresh toothpastes and this seems to fit the rest of the brand.

It's dispensed via an aluminium can, presumably with some kind of propellant to get the stuff out of it. It's generally more efficient than your conventional pump dispenser, which I used to find would run out of steam for the last quarter or so and it would be extremely difficult to get the last of the paste out. With the Iso-Active gel, it initially comes out with minimal effort but as you get towards the bottom of the can, you will find that you have to press harder and harder. Unlike a pump dispenser, you can't see how much is left either - you can only really sort of test how much there is judging from the weight of the can. The design is reasonably good in that for the regular traveller, it's quite compact and sturdy and the lid sits snugly on top. It's also shorter than a pump dispenser and more likely to fit in a smaller wash bag. It also looks quite 'groovy' if that's the right word. I think there's something rather plain and unattractive about pump dispensers and tubes and this is better. It is, however, messy. When you first use it, the gel is jettisoned with the merest of effort and even if you wipe all the gel on your brush, you'll find a small amount seeps out and gets caught between the lid and the can. I find myself cleaning mine every other day or so or it gets really sticky and icky.

You don't need that much - the usual 'pea-sized blob' that only toothpaste labels discuss. As with anything else, and being a man, I tend to overdo it and lose half of the stuff over the side of the head of my toothbrush but more delicate hands would be OK. The gel is surprisingly runny and it is easy to lose some in this way. In use, the blue gel quickly turns to a frothy white paste, the intention being that it froths up into a sort of minty foam that will rush around your mouth, sweeping in between your teeth and gathering bits as it goes. In reality, it's far less exciting. The gel doesn't expand as much as you might expect and isn't really that far removed from normal toothpaste once it gets going. But it does froth up quicker and more easily and makes cleaning your teeth a little quicker and easier. Allergists should note that this does contain fluoride.

So what would my teeth say? Well, they would comment that after a good brushing, they feel smooth and noticeably cleaner. They'd say that the gel still relies on a good brushing technique and that it's not the miracle worker that Aquafresh would have you believe. They'd talk to their chums, the gums, who would comment that they seem to like the gel more than toothpaste and that they get less irritated. Mr tongue would say that he doesn't really notice any difference, but all together, they'd say that the gel gives a nice fresh feeling that lasts a little longer than many other toothpastes.

What of the manufacturer's claims? Well they claim healthy gums. I couldn't really comment. My gums aren't too bad anyway and since I switched brands they have stayed well, not bad really. The second claim is strong teeth. This seems unfounded to me. I'm not sure how they think that a toothpaste creates strong teeth. So I'll refute that one. Lastly, they sing the praises of fresh breath and I'll go for that one. Indeed, even without mouth wash there is a general whiff of freshness when you use this stuff.

So, all in, this stuff is good, but not great. I was expecting a real BURST of foam in my mouth and didn't really get it. I think the can is too prone to get messy and the gel is a little too runny. At around £3 for 100ml it's also quite expensive. You can get 100ml of conventional Aquafresh toothpaste for a third of that price and I don't think you get three times the performance for three times the price. But overall my clackers and all their friends seem to have gotten used to this for now so until the next awesome oral experience comes along, I guess we'll stick with Aquafresh Iso-Active.

Summary: Gel that foams up and...well, that's about it really.