Realism isn’t always that important in Hollywood since the movies do have to get their points across during certain scenes, and depending on the writers and the director’s need for realistic scenes and how they should be viewed, it’s easy to think that there’s going to be a compromise now and then when it comes to the integrity of a scene and how it’s supposed to go. But the idea of using toothpaste in a movie while people are brushing their teeth should be one of those things that Hollywood might have down to a science at this point since there have been plenty of movies in which toothpaste has been used, rather than just a toothbrush that’s been run through the faucet before being applied to one’s teeth. Some people might not care and it’s all well and good for those that don’t and those that do since the whole idea is to focus on the movie, but in the same breath, it’d be nice to see that small bit of realism simply because no one in their right mind that’s brushing their teeth believes in the cleansing power of water when it comes to keeping your teeth clean. If that was the case then no one would ever drink from the tap again since the belief that tap water could clean your teeth all on its own might get around and really cause a problem. But while this is kind of a silly thing to bicker about, it’s still something that a person can’t help but notice from time to time.
There are at least a couple of reasons that make sense when discussing why actors wouldn’t use toothpaste when brushing their teeth in the movies. One of them is along the same lines as eating when it comes to movies since with some scenes having to require so many different takes it’s very simple to guess that actors don’t want their teeth to be so minty that they can’t open their mouth for fear of driving people off. Like it or not, the smell of toothpaste is pretty strong, and the effects on the inside of your mouth can be even stronger since that minty freshness only goes so far before it starts to get overpowering. Plus, no one wants to keep brushing their teeth over and over, so it’s fair to say that the tooth brushing scenes in a movie are those that people want to get over and done with fairly quickly. It’s one thing to like to brush your teeth since it’s great to have excellent hygiene, but at the same time, one has to admit that standing around with a toothbrush in your mouth for that long is bound to be kind of difficult. I get it, actors can take it out of their mouth, but having to scour your teeth over and over for each take could be kind of a pain in the backside. Still, some people would want to see the realism, so perhaps Hollywood could come up with a substance that’s not so strong and is still going to look like toothpaste. It’s a thought at least since it would give that extra bit that people are asking to see.
Another reason could be that when people are brushing their teeth they are rather hard to understand since having a mouthful of toothpaste makes it difficult to speak, but it could make for a slightly funny moment that could break the tension or even create a more human scene that might make some people relax about the issue. Some folks would bring up the idea that it’s very hard to brush your teeth without getting toothpaste everywhere, especially if a person tries to talk while brushing their teeth, and they would be right. But this issue of brushing one’s teeth in the movies is one that feels kind of laughable to go on and on about since a lot of these moments are so brief that one can really just let them go, even if they’re important moments that offer an explanation for something in the movie. One has to ask just how many scenes like this really exist though and why would it be such a big deal to comment on them. That’s pretty easy to explain since there are people out there that are going to examine each and every scene in a movie and then ask why certain things happen and why they can’t be different or perhaps a little more realistic since such things don’t always happen this way in real life.
It’s true, most people don’t brush their teeth without toothpaste in real life. But this is how a lot of movies in Hollywood do it simply because they don’t want the mess and some actors might not want to keep brushing their teeth for multiple takes.
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