A tale of toothache, pain relief and the very first Truthpaste

It feels like a lifetime ago, but it wasn’t that long in reality. I was living in Brighton, working as  teacher and part-time musician with no inclination to become a small business owner.

Then, one day…disaster! I had a toothache. Having had a long standing fear of the dentist, this was catastrophic. Unfortunately, the pain was relentless, so I had to be brave, face my fear and book an emergency appointment.

A pain beyond pain

It was a good job that I did as it turned out I needed a temporary filling. I was given an anaesthetic to numb the pain, which was a huge relief. It turned out that the ‘relief’ was very short-lived.  

The pain was back, even worse than before! It was a pain beyond pain! 

I know that most people would have raided the cupboards for a decent painkiller at this point. It definitely crossed my mind, but I’ve have always preferred to try natural remedies in the first instance. It’s been something I’ve always taken an interest in. I began to look up home dentistry and pain relief. I quickly found that I already had some of the ingredients for soothing a toothache in my kitchen cupboard. 

A magical cure. Sort of. 

The ingredients gathered, I began to mix them up. If anyone has any romantic notions about delicately blending essential oils and grinding wholesome ingredients in a pestle and mortar, then this couldn't be further from the reality. The reality is I was a pain-riddled woman desperately mashing up clove oil, coconut oil, neem and tea tree with some bicarbonate of soda. 

The result was a rather gunky looking green concoction which did, in fairness relieve my toothache. The only trouble was it tasted bitter and…honestly? It was absolutely revolting.

Happily ever after

Disgusting or not, it did the trick. My toothache was gone so that really should have been the end of it. 

I kept thinking about how I had neglected my oral care, about how important it was to an overall self-care routine. I had also been impressed with the way that the botanical ingredients that I had to hand had helped soothe my gums and made my teeth feel healthier. 

The thing was, if I was going to carry on using my magical elixir then something had to be done about the taste.

This meant more research. Then more research. And more…you get the idea. I spent almost all of my spare time looking up peer-reviewed studies about botanicals and how they benefit oral health. 

I tweaked the formula again and again. It really became an obsession. I was giving it to family and friends to try and soon, they were asking for more, then their friends were asking for it. Before I knew it, I had a tiny factory set up in my kitchen. 

My whole mouth felt great. My dentist was delighted with the improvement to my oral health. My friends were happy with their new botanical toothpaste. 

A new passion for oral care

What had started out as desperation had become and obsession. Now it was a passion. This was what I wanted to do! It was a revelation! 

This was just the very beginning for me and Truthpaste. The journey had begun! 

Over the years I've been fascinated to speak with such a vast range of people from all walks of life. From dental practitioners to nutritionists, small business owners just starting our, like myself to established brand owners. 

There's so much more to learn and way in which I can continue to improve. As strange as it might sound,  I am so glad I had that toothache!

Marisa x 

Truthpaste Founder

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