Among the most delicate of health questions, and among the most important for the mouth, is the question of the toothbrush. Is it better for it to be hard, medium, or soft? Should it be short or long? Much ink has been spilled in debate over the matter of the brush, and it has often been the cause of discussions among dentists and of tests that led to many experiments, some satisfactory and some not. Some want it hard, believing that it cleans better; others find in the soft brush their beautiful dream, on the grounds that it cleans without doing harm.

But experiments have proved that in both cases the brush does not render the service expected of it — and we shall see why.

If the brush is hard, it is to be feared that it will harm the gums, wounding or irritating them; it is also to be feared that it will wear away the calcareous protective layer of the teeth (the enamel), and thus fail to serve the purpose for which it was created — namely, keeping the mouth in the best condition.

If, on the contrary, the brush is soft, can it drive out all the food remnants lodged between the teeth? We may well doubt it — bearing in mind, too, that the soft brush cannot perform its other duty, that is, massaging the gums.

Logic therefore requires us to use a brush that is neither soft nor hard. Does such a brush exist?

For a long time the laboratories of the "Gibbs" works in Paris have been putting this question to themselves: can such a brush be made? But at this hour it is to be found everywhere: it is the "Gibbs Souple" brush, made of a special kind of flexible, round-tipped nylon bristles.

Round-tipped bristles

Bristles in need of trimming

The "Gibbs Souple" brush is indeed a great conquest in the art of caring for the teeth, for it differs entirely from all its fellows. The nylon of which it is made is, above all, flexible, so there is no danger of its assaulting the gums. And the bristles composing it are longer than in the ordinary brush, which is what enables the "Gibbs Souple" brush to penetrate the gaps between the teeth and drive out food remnants with ease.

Moreover, everywhere those who have tried the "Gibbs Souple" brush agree that it is the brush they have long

A flexible brush:

complete cleaning,

gently and safely

A hard brush:

superficial cleaning

not free of violence

sought for their teeth.