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International Sales Manager Christiane Ferret c.ferret@dtstudyclub.com Dental Tribune America, LLC 116 West 23rd Street, Suite 500 New York, NY 10011 Tel.: (212) 244-7181 Fax: (212) 244-7185 Published by Dental Tribune America © 2011 Dental Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Dental Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clini- cal reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Group Editor Robin Goodman at r.goodman@dental-tribune.com. Dental Tribune cannot assume respon- sibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The pub- lisher also does not assume responsibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune America. f DT page 1A Dr. Joel Berg Dr. L. Stephen Buchanan Dr. Arnaldo Castellucci Dr. Gorden Christensen Dr. Rella Christensen Dr. William Dickerson Hugh Doherty Dr. James Doundoulakis Dr. David Garber Dr. Fay Goldstep Dr. Howard Glazer Dr. Harold Heymann Dr. Karl Leinfelder Dr. Roger Levin Dr. Carl E. Misch Dr. Dan Nathanson Dr. Chester Redhead Dr. Irwin Smigel Dr. Jon Suzuki Dr. Dennis Tartakow Dr. Dan Ward Editorial Board DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · US Edition Interview DENTAL TRIBUNE | May 20112A However, there are several real tubes of toothpaste with choco- late flavoring as well. Speaking of unusual flavors, the Breath Palette Company tops them all. They came up with 31 flavors, including some of the oddest kinds such as Green Tea, Pumpkin Pudding and Indian Curry. My most unusual collectible is Doramad toothpaste, which was dug out of World War II trenches and has an active radioactive com- pound. At that time, some people believed that radiation could revive dead tissues and that radioactive toothpaste could revive gums. What do you estimate the value of your collection to be? I have spent close to $20,000 on all my samples. Considering all the work and time I have spent on my collection over the last nine years, I would estimate it at $30,000. But at this time, I have no intention of selling it. It is my hobby, my pas- sion, the way for me to attract peo- ple’s attention to my dental prac- tice and spread information about this wonderful topic. Are toothpastes generally the same? Is toothpaste bought in Japan any different from tooth- paste bought in Italy? The main ingredients of all tooth- pastes are basically the same. However, there are local differenc- es in flavor and some ingredients. Oriental toothpastes often con- tain ingredients like bamboo salt or ginseng. Japan is well known for its high-tech toothpastes that rebuild enamel, remineralize teeth and halt the development of caries. Is there something people may not know about toothpaste? You may not recognize the scientif- ic names listed on toothpaste pack- aging, and thus may be surprised to know that ingredients such as seaweed can be found in many fluoridated toothpastes. According to the American Dental Associa- tion, thickening materials include seaweed colloids, mineral colloids and natural gums. Do you collect any other unusual items? I have a small collection of denture containers — holders of different shapes in which edentulous people place their dentures for the night. I also have a collection of dental movie props, including some fake teeth that actors put over their own teeth to look like vampires or homeless people with rotten teeth. Do you hold a Guinness World Record? I’ve considered applying to the Guinness World Records for a long time, but just can’t seem to find the time. Recently, I was contacted by an English journalist who inter- viewed me and wrote a story about my collection for an English news- paper. Somebody at the Guinness Tell us what you think! Do you have general comments or criticism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see more articles about? Let us know by e-mailing us at feedback@dental-tribune.com. If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out) please send us an e-mail at database@dental-tribune.com and be sure to include which publication you are referring to. Also, please note that subscription changes can take up to 6 weeks to process. doubling the amount would be too much. Often, it is not even possible in the case of old tubes — which are rare finds to begin with. If I am tempted to try a tooth- paste that I have in my collection, I just open the only sample I have. All my old toothpastes are so dried up that I don’t think anybody would be willing to try them in their mouth. How many items do you have in your collection? The most difficult part of collecting toothpaste is keeping track of all the samples I get. I estimate that I have 2,000 samples. However, I cannot tell you the exact number at this time. I have more than 1,700 tubes counted and entered into my database, but there are several big boxes with more samples waiting for their turn. Where do you keep your tooth- pastes? Some of them are displayed in the waiting room of my dental office in Saginaw. However, most of them are stored in boxes. We are currently remodeling our office and planning to build a huge cus- tom-made display for my collection, pretty much making a toothpaste museum of some sort. Anybody can come to my office and look at the samples displayed. I can also show other samples stored in boxes to interested people. Do you know any other people who collect toothpaste or dental equipment? I keep in touch with Carsten Gutzeit from Germany, whose collection inspired me. We have exchanged some toothpaste tubes. Since I started my collection, I have been contacted by several people who have small collections of toothpaste. Some of them have donated their entire collections to me. There is also a good collection of toothpowder tins at my alma mater, the University of Michigan dental school. They also have a very good collection of various vin- tage dental items. Which are the most interesting items in your collection? I would consider one item to be the oldest, most rare and most expen- sive: a silver, English antique Geor- gian toothpowder box from 1801. This was a time when toothpaste had not yet been invented and toothpowders were used instead. I paid over $1,500 for it. The oldest toothpaste I have is dated 1908 and was made by Colgate. My favorite kinds of toothpaste are alcohol flavored. These range from whiskey, like scotch, rye and bourbon to red wine, amaretto, champagne and many more. Another passion of mine is choc- olate-flavored toothpaste. I have a set of pure chocolate cream pack- aged in a toothpaste tube with a toothbrush for chocolate lovers. This is more of a gag gift, consid- ering that it is not intended for brushing teeth regularly. AD