
Welcome to our series Famous People On, in which we crowdsource the best stuff to buy by turning to the on-the-record favorites of celebrities. This week, it’s celebrities including Olivia Wilde, Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, and 25 others on the things they use to keep their breath smelling fresh and their teeth looking clean, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwashes. (If you’re looking for more, here are some of our editor-approved picks for everything you need to take better care of your teeth.)
Toothbrushes
Audrey Gelman
“I got these Morihata charcoal toothbrushes at Coming Soon, one of my favorite female-owned small businesses; they sell a million great things, but I recently bought these to make my dental routine feel a little more dynamic.” — The Strategist, February 2018
André Leon Talley
“This wonderful toothbrush is battery operated and spins, but it’s not that expensive. It’s a must-have. I buy a new one once a month. That’s what you’re supposed to do. I know they sell the replacement brush heads, but you’re not supposed to keep these toothbrushes forever. I’ve used other battery-operated toothbrushes — Brauns and things — but I like Arm & Hammer because I trust the brand. I use the baking soda in the refrigerator to trap odors. I use the laundry detergent when I can find it.” — The Strategist, October 2016
Matt Walsh
“This vibrating toothbrush was a revelation in my life. I find it makes your teeth cleaner and it feels like you have technology on your side, running around inside your mouth killing all those cavities. You can also take it on the road for weekend travel, no need to bring the charger — it’s good for several days. It’s a counterbalance to my junk-food fixation.” — The Strategist, March 2019
Jessica Alba
“This may sound weird, but I found my first electric toothbrush to be absolutely life-changing, heavenly cleanliness.” — InStyle, June 2017
Ryan Reynolds
“I like that Oral-B thing, the electric one that spins. That’s the one I use.” — GQ, February 2019
Toothpaste
Daniela Soto-Innes
“This tastes amazing, and my teeth feel smoother when I use it — kind of how they feel after brushing with activated charcoal. It’s minty, but subtle; it doesn’t taste fake. And the toothpaste comes with a tool to help get every last drop out of the tube. I love to roll that thing.” — The Strategist, May 2019
Ken Fulk
“I think I was traveling somewhere in France or Italy when I tried this toothpaste for the first time. It’s such an indulgence to brush your teeth with something that looks and tastes different than what we’re used to. It’s funny, I’m not a big licorice eater, but having this almost savory quality to a toothpaste was so much more pleasant than the bright sugary note that we think of as toothpaste. It’s a little herbal; it’s a little decadent. It makes brushing my teeth a pleasure.” — The Strategist, November 2016
Todd Snyder
“For me, it’s about the taste. I tried it when I was in Paris a few years ago, and I just fell in love with the taste and the packaging. Now it’s my go-to. I’ve used the other ones — the cinnamon is nice, but I feel like the mint is more like a toothpaste. Cinnamon feels like you’re cheating and brushing with chewing gum or something. I like the officialness of the strong mint.” — The Strategist, May 2018
Jhené Aiko
“I love Tom’s deodorant and toothpaste. The toothpaste is fluoride-free, and the deodorant is aluminum-free. Those things are bad for you! So I like Tom’s.” — Into the Gloss, December 2015
Hannah Bronfman and Brendan Fallis
Hannah: “It tastes like candy; it’s delicious.”
Brendan: “Almost too good, like you want to keep brushing your teeth. We use the purple Jasmine one. I also like Sensodyne. It’s for sensitive teeth, but as your dentist will tell you, you should just use it all the time because you’ll never feel like you’re having problems.” — Into the Gloss, June 2012
Julia Roberts
“I brush [my teeth] with baking soda. [My grandfather] would put a big heaping mound of it on his toothbrush. He had only one cavity in his entire life.” — InStyle, September 2012
Dental floss and toothpicks
Dylan McDermott
“You gotta have it with you at all times. They say if you don’t floss it’s like not wiping your ass. Take your vitamin D, listen to Poison, and floss.” — The Strategist, December 2018
Hayden Slater
“I was introduced to this by my dentist a while back, and now I can’t use any other type of floss. It’s made me weirdly obsessed with flossing. Sometimes, I’ll make a trip to Whole Foods just to restock on it.” — The Strategist, June 2017
Olivia Wilde
“Pearly whites courtesy of cocofloss.” — Elle, April 2018
Danielle Duboise
“Love the way this tastes and it’s PFAS-free, unlike [some] standard dental floss. PFAS is a group of man-made chemicals that have been linked to everything from thyroid and immune conditions to cancer. The scary fact is that chemicals and toxins are lurking almost everywhere, and floss is one of the last places people think they’d be. Even that familiar minty flavor in traditional floss is likely coming from a chemical, versus something natural like peppermint oil. I keep one in every bag — the classic flavor!” — The Strategist, April 2019
Jean Pigozzi
“I don’t know if you want this on the list, but it’s like a toothpick with a brush that my dentist recommended for cleaning between your teeth. I highly recommend it. If you get it, get the No. 3, which is the best size. I feel most comfortable with it. I keep one in my back pocket at all times.” — The Strategist, October 2018
Buzz Bissinger
“This is the dullest purchase I have made in ten years, but my sublime dentist Robert Bentz insisted after discovering a pocket between two of my lower teeth that apparently contained several meals. It is not my style to get excited over oral hygiene, but the flosser works and feels great, and after a lousy day of writing, provides me with a surprising feeling of accomplishment.” — The Strategist, May 2018
Sonequa Martin-Green
“I use a Philips Sonicare toothbrush and a Waterpik flosser. It shoots out a water stream, so you don’t have to worry about microtears in your gums from flossing. Then I use a metal tongue scraper and an alkaline mouthwash.” — Elle, March 2018
Corky Pollan
“I’m really quite excited about the Waterpik — I’ve been using it now for a number of years, and I think it makes a difference. I often use it after my electric toothbrush, and the amount of food that the electric toothbrush does not get but the Waterpik does is kind of shocking. Not only is it good for getting between the teeth, it’s also very, very good for gums. I always get this comment from my dentist that they love the condition of my gums, and I think it has a lot to do with the Waterpik.” — The Strategist, June 2019
Samantha Ronson
“It’s how I quit smoking — or that’s not true. I went to a hypnotist and quit. But these toothpicks I learned about because an ex-boyfriend of mine a hundred years ago chewed them, so I started chewing them. They did help me quit smoking for six months, and then I actually started smoking again to get off the toothpicks — I must have a good, solid two pounds of splinters from these toothpicks in my system. They do keep me off smoking so I think it’s better than tar? It’s been four years now, which is mostly thanks to Kerry Gaynor, but the toothpicks are helpful, too. They taste like tea tree, and there are actually cinnamon versions, but apparently I’m allergic to cinnamon, which I wish I’d discovered before I bought all those cinnamon chewing sticks.” — The Strategist, May 2018
Jonathan Van Ness
“The first thing I do in the morning is floss and brush. I like this DazzlePro toothbrush, and then I also love this Desert Essence floss — she’s really fat and thick. It’s not waxed either. I think the waxed ones don’t have enough grit to get stuff up out of your teeth. My grandpa, RIP, was a doctor, but he always used to have really bad gums, and he would be like, ‘Son, the whole point of floss is to remove the debris from between your teeth.’ When I first started flossing, I was just trying to touch my teeth with the floss — but really you’re trying to remove any debris that’s down there. So that’s really all I do in the morning, because then I go to the gym.” — Into the Gloss, June 2018
Mouthwash
Nicole Richie
“I do oil pulling every morning with coconut oil. It’s an Ayurvedic method that draws toxins out of your mouth and keeps it fresh. You melt it first and then swish the oils around, which actually kills bacteria and helps improve dental health. It really works! I do it first thing in the morning before brushing my teeth.” — The Strategist, May 2019
Alicia Silverstone
“And when it comes to my teeth, Tooth and Gums Tonic is good — it’s just a fancy name for mouthwash.” — Into the Gloss, August 2017
Jordana Brewster
“For teeth, I like the Tea Tree Oil mouthwashes from Whole Foods, they’re super refreshing.” — Into the Gloss, December 2016
Other tooth things
Amanda Chantal Bacon
“I use it every time I brush my teeth. I’ve done it for years — I can’t imagine not doing it. It’s as important for feeling clean and for hygiene as brushing my teeth, and I know that by scraping the tongue, you’re helping the entire body get rid of stuff it is trying to push out. Not only does it make your mouth feel clean and lovely, it’s a helping hand to your whole system.” — The Strategist, November 2018
Bevy Smith
“Who doesn’t love a tin? I love a tin! I used to buy the large-size ones, and I’d put everything in those tins, from safety pins to condoms. But then they released these tiny tins, and they can fit into even the tiniest evening bag. If I’m on the red carpet doing a lot of talking, I want to have fresh breath. And if someone is interviewing me who has bad breath, I’ll offer him one of my tiny Altoids and it makes everything better.” — The Strategist, September 2017
Tao Lin
“This book I found in 2014 because I noticed that one of my teeth was turning black. I hadn’t looked at my teeth in the mirror with a lot of light for years. I hadn’t been to a dentist in ten years probably, and I wanted to see if there was a natural solution to my tooth problems, so I went on Amazon and searched “natural solutions for tooth decay,” and this book came up and it had something like 500-plus reviews with an average over 4.5. I read it and implemented its suggestions, which were all about going to more of an aboriginal diet and avoiding starches. I found it revelatory and still do.”
— The Strategist, June 2018
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