Listerine

My mom brought a few bottles of Listerine with her on her one month adventure through England and Scotland. I was curious to see how it compared to the local Pound Land (Dollar Store equivalent) that I purchased here in London. Nigel and I brushed our teeth together and I told him all the health benefits I had heard about Listerine. I swigged back a huge mouthful and began my 30 second gargle. OH MY WORD! What a burn! My eyes were tearing up, but I was determined to get the full 30 seconds worth of amazing germ-killing, cavity-fighting action that was promised. I think I spewed it out at 25 seconds. Close enough! I could not feel my tongue or the entire roof of my mouth. The whole thing had gone numb. I blurted out the sensations to Nigel, who seeming encouraged by the "strength" of the product, and swigged back his cap full. We were both panting to get some cool air into our mouths for the next while, like when you've eaten ethnic food and think the scale of how spicy food should get is actually even on your North American radar. Think again! It must have been a good 20 minutes before the tingling sensation faded and I felt like I could feel my mouth again. Needless to say, I couldn't believe the stuff and wasn't convinced that anything that could numb your entire mouth could be that good for you. After all, Ambisol, the topical stuff that you rub on babies gums to numb them, has a daily overdose level. I left the bottle at Nigel's place. Tonight Nigel announced he has been gargling every night with it. REALLY, I asked? "It's sort of like battery acid. I think it's really good for you", he said. You heard it from the doctor!