Product Review: Cinnamon Tooth Chips from Rose of Sharon Acres

As I wrote my last review, my mail came. In my mailbox was a package containing my next "assignment" from Rose of Sharon Acres! So with no further delay...here we go!
I ordered my trial size of Cinnamon Tooth Chips on November 2nd and they arrived by USPS on November 6th. I took note that the packaging was very securely stapled shut and, a nice side note, the envelope was made with recycled paper etc. I wish Sam's club had these!

Anyway, inside was a business card and a free trial size soap along with my tooth chips! The free sample was Sandalwood Vanilla and smells heavenly. With the smell being very intense I was worried that my husband wouldnt like it (he doesnt like sandalwood) but he did. The way he put it is "Sandal wood makes me think of soap, so if it is soap it is fine". What is weird is I dont like things scented vanilla, but I like the sandalwood..go figure. We just got lucky I guess that the combination was sent to us!

I think probably most people out there have no idea what tooth chips are so I will go into a bit of an explanation. Tooth chips are little slivers of homemade soap with flavoring etc that you use to brush your teeth instead of normal commercial toothpaste. Tooth chips are not supposed to create a barrier that stops the natural reenamelization that commercial toothpastes are supposed to do. You can read more about that aspect if you click on the tooth chips link and look at the listings. The container is about the size of a silver dollar and is packed to the rim. In the picture there is no label, but it came with one. I accidentally removed it before I look the picture. As stated before, I got cinnamon, but did I mention that it also has neem oil? There is a disclaimer about neem oil in the listing, but as it has to do with pregnancy, I am not to worried about any side effects. When you open in it up, you are hit with an earthy pine-like smell with a strong hint of cinnamon. I am guessing the pine-like smell is neem oil. At the time when I ordered these, they only had cinnamon (with neem oil) and orange/cinnamon, I went with regular cinnamon because I am not big on citrus flavors. They now have a peppermint trial variety that I wish they had when I was ordering, as I found out when I tried this product that I am not particularly fond of neem oil flavor.

To use this product the site says to "Put one shred on back molar, bite down and begin brushing with wet brush. Rise 3x's." I tried this method the first time I brushed and just ended up cutting the shred of soap and moving the separate shreds around my mouth with my toothbrush. The flavor of neem oil is not something I am used to. Rinsing is definitely necessary. It is not so horrible that I couldn't learn to endure it though. Because I didnt really seem to dissolve the soap at all, my teeth just felt brushed and that was it. The next morning I tried again, using a different technique with much greater success. This time I placed a shred on my wet toothbrush and worked it up to a lather with my finger. Then I make sure that what was left of the shred was deep in the bristles of my brush before I started brushing. This worked much better. When I was done at least my teeth felt like they were cleaned more than just brushed.

Overall: Interesting stuff, but I am glad I only paid $1.95 for a trial size vs buying a whole container. I will continue to use them until I run out, but I am unsure if I will order more. I am on the fence about this product until I get some long term benefits that outweigh the neem oil taste etc. My husband has not tried it, but I am unsure if he will like it. If you decide to buy some, just a warning that it may take a little getting used to and that you will probably have to change your brushing technique to brush your teeth adequately.