Jami Is Minty Fresh

Why is mint the flavor of clean for our mouths? Sure, they've been adding cinnamon to the mouth-cleaning flavors, but mostly, our toothpastes, mouthwashes, even our floss is mint flavored. We think mint tastes clean, but is that because we grew up with minty freshness? If I got someone from the outer regions of nowhere, a place in which neither mint nor toothpaste is readily available and gave him a mint would he think "Gee, my mouth feels clean"? Mint doesn't clean. If it's a clean scent, why aren't soap, shampoo and household cleaners available in mint? When it comes to tooth cleansing, apples are supposed to be good. Perhaps toothpaste should be apple-flavored. In nature, carnivorous animals clean their teeth by chewing on bones. Herbivores chew on tough grasses. Salt water and sun exposure help the plover (small bird) keep a croc's teeth clean. I don't think that Bone, Grass, or Salt-and-Plover flavor mouth wash would sell well. Guess we'll stick with mint.