A Short Explanation
of "Long In The Tooth"

Once upon an ancient time, man traveled by horse. Or, if in a real hurry, by chariot. But buying a steed back then was a risky proposition. Other than the seller’s word (the risky part), there was no way to tell how old a horse was.

All that changed sometime around the Roman Empire. Someone discovered that, as a horse aged, its gums receded. The animal gradually became “long in the tooth.” Soon skilled horsebuyers were determining an animal’s age by examining its mouth. And a custom and cliche were born.

(There were rules of etiquette, however.
St. Jerome warned in A.D. 400: “Do not look a gift horse in the mouth.”)

Horses aren’t the only ones whose teeth “lengthen” with age. Ours do, too. And as gums recede, they expose tooth surfaces unprotected by enamel – areas more susceptible to cavities.

Colgate Fluorigard® can help. It’s a fluoride rinse formulated to strengthen teeth – including those unprotected areas – and
help protect them from cavities.

In fact, a recent study sponsored by the U.S. Government showed that adults who used it once a day reduced their incidence of root cavities between teeth by 50% compared to brushing alone.

So start using Colgate Fluorigard soon.
And help keep yourself long in the tooth
for a long, long time.