using the "chew stick" to brush teeth

when i was young, i used to see my indian friend's father cleaning his teeth with a twig. he would use the frayed end of the small pencil-sized twig to clean his teeth. it seemed that the frayed twig could penetrate between the teeth more effectively. he would always brush his teeth outside his house, in full view of everybody. he did not use the normal toothpaste but used some paste which he prepared himself.

the indians call this twig 'datun' and it usually comes from the neem tree. you do not see the indians in singapore practising this anymore but i believe it is still prevalent in india.

i also noticed then that the indians seem to have whiter teeth than all of us. could it be the result of using the twig and the special paste? or was it just because of the contrast, their darker complexion tended to accentuate the whiteness? anyway, i always envied them, both men and women, for having white, gleaming teeth.

i was told by one of my indian friends that the split base of the twig could serve as a scraper. my family used to have a metal tongue scaper together with the tube of tooth-paste and tooth brushes in our mug. the older folks, like my mom and granny, used it; we didn't.

it seems that scraping the tongue removes debris deposited on the tongue; improves salivary secretions; and stimulates the taste buds on the tongue to improve the taste sensations.

the africans also use the twig as a toothbrush.

"across the african continent south of the sahara, many people go about their daily business with a small stick or twig protruding from their mouth, which they chew or use to scrub their teeth. cut from wild trees and shrubs in the bush, this is the african toothbrush. its users swear it is much more natural, effective - and cheaper - than the prettily packaged but pricey dental products on sale in pharmacies and supermarkets."