you'd think they'd change the name...

just because Fennel isn't something that most people eat at the best of times, and the flavoring (derived from the seeds of the plant) is just strong enough to earn 'licorice' or at least 'anisette' which just has more appeal - for me already

Tom’s of Maine has been making toothpaste for a bit over 30 years now, and have it down pat, and have introduced a whole lot of us the idea that toothpaste can come in something more than three kinds of mint, or the chemical approximation of cinnamon.

They keep their ingredient lists short, and full of pronounceable items from natural sources, using the antiseptic properties of plants, and adding to the mild abrasive of all calcium carbonate found in all paste toothpastes the sweetener Xylitol - one of the most useful of the ‘other sugars’ – it’s added to mouthwashes for its ‘moistening’ effect to treat dry mouth, it’s recognized as ‘non-cariogenic’ by the American Pediatric Dentists board, and it seems to inhibit the growth of yeasts and bacteria in the mouth, a boon to bad breath sufferers, and those prone to conditions like Thrush.

Tom’s gets their Xylitol from the Birch trees (a gum made from the sap of birch trees used to be part of the indigenous oral hygiene tradition in this country, oddly enough) and I swear that it has a slight flavor of its own, one that combines with the taste of fennel better than it does with the various mints, creating a flavor that is closer to true anise, and quite pleasant.

Being one of the few toothpastes that effectively cleans the teeth without leaving the inside of my mouth feeling like it’s been power-washed (the ‘tingle’ of mint is more of a ‘chemical burn’ feeling to me) without leaving me feeling like a dope for carrying around a ‘kids’ toothpaste, Tom’s Fennel is perfect for me.