brosse à dents
Monday, January 16, 2012
Brise-bise is not the word of the day... but it is the name for these kinds of "half curtains", the ones you see every so often while strolling through a village in France.
brosse à dents (bros a don) noun, feminine
: toothbrush
brosse à dents jetables = disposable toothbrush
brosse à dents électrique = electric toothbrush
Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc read the following sentence: Download MP3 or Wav file
Tu as à ta disposition des brosses à dents jetables, ainsi que du dentifrice, pour te laver les dents. You have disposable toothbrushes at your disposition, as well as toothpaste, to brush your teeth.
.
A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse
Bumming toothbrushes at the orthodontist's
As always, there is a long line at the orthodontist's. I take my place at the end of the queue and prepare to wait a while. Max and Jackie stand beside me, their mouths glimmering metallic.
"Ça fait plus que deux ans!" Jackie begins.
"I thought we'd get them off today!" Max seconds.
I begin to feel a little annoyed that the kids are complaining about their braces, given how much les bagues have cost their parents! I have an urge to point this out; instead I hold my tongue. If I remember correctly, my own mom never complained or pointed out to me just how much my dental work cost her; instead, she made the necessary sacrifices, including juggling her work schedule in order to get me to my monthly appointments on time. If it weren't for her care and diligence, I'd be walking around today with a mouthful of teeth that only a woolly mammoth—and not a dashing Frenchman—could appreciate (thanks, Mom, for the braces—and for helping me to attract a husband!).
With renewed humility, my annoyance disappears. I turn my attention over to the goings-on around me, watching anxious parents scribble out checks while their teenagers look off in boredom.
On the comptoir, beside the secretary, I notice a jar full of toothbrushes. Every so often, I see the secretary hand one of the brosse à dents to a patient. I wonder, why haven't my kids ever brought home a free toothbrush?
My humility is short-lived and, once again, I am back to calculating and sweating about the cost of putting two kids, simultaneously, through orthodontics! I study the other teenagers and parents in line, and I wonder how anyone can afford braces these days? How can anyone balance a budget when braces factor into the monthly debit? I am immediately filled with appreciation for my husband, who manages our compte bancaire. The least I can do, on my part, is to try to save when and where I can.
Suddenly I remember the jar full of toothbrushes! Last I checked, a good toothbrush cost almost 3 euros... It occurs to me that a couple of those brosse à dents could slightly offset the coût faramineux of this current visit... At 6 euros (one 3 euro toothbrush per kid) we might begin, ever so slightly, to diminish our liste de dépenses.
I study the secretary, who is overworked and distracted. This might be the perfect time to request our toothbrushes, the ones she has once again forgotten to offer us! Surely it was an oversight on her part and I shouldn't be embarrassed to ask for what is rightly mine.
When my turn comes to pay I hand over my carte de crédit and casually mention the free toothbrushes.
The secretary looks confused.
If the parents waiting behind me are staring now, and I suspect they are, it is only because they have never thought, as I have, for the first time, to outwit the pricey French dental system by asking for the freebies! Perhaps these parents will take my example and we can all begin to reclaim what is rightly our own, namely, complimentary toothbrushes! As grandiloquent as my thoughts are, in reality I am shaking in my boots after having asked for the paradental perks.
Noticing the lingering look of confusion on the secretary's face, it occurs to me that I may have made some sort of mistake. But it's too late to back down now. I point out the jar with the brosses à dents gratuites.
"Oh, those," she says. "Well, if you like..."
"Go ahead!" I say. "Pick out your toothbrushes!" Only, when I turn to look for the kids, they have disappeared. This time I am the one wearing the look of confusion.
The secretary hands me the jar to pick out the toothbrushes.
"They are only good for one use," she explains. "Normally we give them to kids who have not had the chance to brush their teeth before an appointment. Ce sont les brosses à dents jetables...."
As the saying goes "pride goeth..." or rather "La fierté précède la chute" and with that, I select two colorful brosses à dents before my confidence quickly falls to the wayside—along with all of those flimsy, disposable toothbrushes!
French Vocabulary
le brise-bise = little curtain covering the bottom half of window
la queue = line
ça fait plus que deux ans! = it's been over two years!
les bagues (f) = braces
le comptoir = counter
le compte bancaire = bank account
la brosse à dents = toothbruth
le coût faramineux = astronomical price
la liste de dépenses = expenditures list
la carte de crédit = credit card
gratuit = free
Ce sont les brosses à dents jetables = they are disposable toothbrushes
In the upper-right, see some typical French "half curtains" les brise-bise and discover an ancient key in this next story, featuring reader Gus Elison.
A Message from Kristi: Ongoing support from readers like you keeps me writing and publishing this free language journal week after week. If you find value in this website and would like to keep it going strong, I kindly ask for your support by making a donation today. Thank you very much for being a part of this community and helping me to maintain this site and its newsletter.
Ways to contribute:
1. Paypal or credit card
2. A bank transfer via Zelle, a great way to send your donation as there are no transaction fees.
Or purchase my book for a friend, and so help spread the French word.
For more online reading: The Lost Gardens: A Story of Two Vineyards and a Sobriety
You are so funny! I laugh but am capable of doing the exact same kind of thing. My almost 14 year old is dying to get her braces off...she practically breaks down after each visit now wondering why after 2.5 years they haven't come off. The orthodontist did tell us that we are almost done. Then it will be time for her sister...Arghh.
Posted by: meredith | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 12:53 PM
It's different in each country, isn't it? The dentists here send patients out with toothbrushes that are meant to last a while, even if the patient says s/he has an electric toothbrush at home!
I got my braces at age 36 because my family was so poor when I was growing up. Additionally, that was when we finally got a medical plan that included dentistry. My aim was to get them off before I turned 40. However, I got them off just about the time of my 40th birthday. I have photos of me with a metallic smile whilst standing beside our teenage son, and it certainly gave me a youthful look! Perhaps that is the way to look youthful - get braces! ;o)
Posted by: mhwebb in NM, USA | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 02:47 PM
OH MY SWEET KRISTI - YOU WERE SUCH A BRAVE LITTLE GIRL. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU HAD AROUND 8-13 TEETH PULLED BEFORE THEY COULD EVEN BEGIN YOUR BRACES. YOU NEVER COMPLAINED ONCE....
HEIDI AND YOUR BRACES WERE ONE OF MY GREATEST TRIUMPHS, I WAS ABLE TO MAKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS.
I REMEMBER ONCE WHEN HEIDI'S X-HUSBAND WAS GIVING ME A HARD TIME----I LOOKED INTO HIS EYES AND SAID, 'EVERY TIME YOU ENJOY HEIDI'S BEAUTIFUL SMILE, REMEMBER I AM THE ONE THAT MADE IT HAPPEN.' YES, I COULD WRITE PAGES ABOUT MR.X AND MY RELATIONSHIP, FUNNY THING - I ACTUALLY LOVE HIM VERY MUCH NOW AND PRAY FOR HIS HAPPINESS EVERY NIGHT.
XOXO
JULES
Posted by: JULES GREER - PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 03:41 PM
Hi Kristin! Seems like yesterday (to me!) that Jackie got her braces. Her smile must be shaping up beautifully - you have done well. I love your brosse a dents story - sounds like something I would do to embarrass one of my girls. Having recently joined the Twitter crowd, I just posted a link to this vignette (@BracesFriendly). (I also love love the half-curtain photo - the shutters and flowers are my favorite shade of blue!)
Posted by: Pamela Waterman | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 04:27 PM
Very funny! I thought the punchline was going to be that the brushes were not free and that you had to stump up some cash.
(By the way: 'mammoth', not 'mammouth'. Although, I like the idea of 'mouth' in this context!)
Posted by: Nick | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 04:35 PM
WHERE IS EVERYONE
YOU ALL KNOW THE ONLY WAY WE CAN KEEP KRISTI'S LITTLE ENGINE RUNNING IS BY OUR COMMENTS - THEY ARE THE FUEL FOR HER CONFIDENCE.
COME ON - IF I CAN POST, WITH ALL MY ERRORS AND MIS-SPELLED WORDS - AND FULL CAP PRINT --- YOU CAN COME OUT OF THE STALKERS CLOSET!
I LOVE ALL OF YOU
XOXO
JULES
Posted by: JULES GREER - PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 05:24 PM
I've become a big fan of les brasses a dents jetables when traveling, especially across the atlantic. A quick brush before the plane lands gets me off to a fresh start and the people I talk to don't back away!
Posted by: gary | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 05:25 PM
i've got to figure out how to turn off spell check when I'm trying to write in French. that should be "brosses" and not "brasses."
Posted by: gary | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 05:26 PM
Maybe there are fewer comments today because it's a holiday in the U.S.?
Funny story. Twenty years from now Max and Jackie will be so grateful to you for their beautiful teeth! (Small typo in the translation: as elsewhere, "disposible" should be "disposable.")
Posted by: Janet in Kensington, CA | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 05:54 PM
Kristen, I could easily have made the same assumption based on what is normal in the states. Seems to me a disposable toothbrush is wasteful. My son's orthodontist offers toothbrushes for a before appointment cleaning that are very reusable. Funny, I cannot get him to bring it home to make further use of it.
However much my son was ready for the braces to come off, he wasn't prepared for the bother and responsibility of a retainer. In social situations that involve eating, the retainer is pretty awkward for him, so he doesn't wear it as much as he was told to. So far, no repercussions.
My heart goes out to Jackie and Max. You are going to love their smiles even more after the braces come off.
Posted by: Kathy | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 05:56 PM
I was not fortunate enough to get braces - oh well. But when I go to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned, I get a little bag of goodies. It is like Christmas. Once I actually got an electric tooth brush. Their sales rep must be really generous.
I too love the 1/2 curtain. but it probably only blocks the view of the person inside looking out. The people outside can still see in.
It has finally gotten cold here in Connecticut, not that I like the cold. I made sure that I filled the bird feeders for my precious birds and my Koi and Gold Fish are barely moving in the pond. They go into a sort of hibernation for the winter.
Posted by: Kathleen | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 06:00 PM
Hi Kristin, I love all your blogs, but I think this one is the funniest of all! You remind me so much of myself, constantly trying to faire des economies in any little way possible!
Are the half-curtains for protection against the wind or the sun or just for looks? They certainly don't offer much privacy...
Jackie in Minnesota
Posted by: Jackie Smith | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 06:19 PM
It never hurts to ask right?! And it is also good to do now and again to make sure the kids are really listening? I didn't get braces until I was in my 40's, I lost a lot of weight...hum... Nope, can't use that method again.
I love the photos you capture and share with us :)
OXOX,
Missy
Posted by: Missy | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 06:38 PM
Salut tout le monde,
Kristin, it’s neat that the shutters and the flowers are color coordinated in your window photo. The French are sure sticklers for detail!
Growing up on a farm in the 1930’s depression, braces were out of the question. In fact I’m not sure they were commonly used at that time. However, in my 80’s I still have my teeth. Well most of them….
Weather in Phoenix is cold and overcast today. We’re only looking for 63 degrees F. as a high.
À bientôt
Posted by: Herm in Phoenix, AZ | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:04 PM
I can certainly associate with what the kids are going through. 2011 was marked by several visits to the dentist, puncutated by a new plate with perfectly matched teeth replacing the two unsightly gaps in my smile .. courtesy of the "ravages of time". I am still becoming accustomed to this alien presence in my mouth, but am thrilled to have my smile back. It is amazing how self assurance and pearly whites seem to go hand in hand. Last week, "mouth confidence" in tact, I ventured out to display my new, improved smile. In the course of my day I spoke with the neighbors, some Clients, and a couple of shop owners. The entire experience was wonderful and I was flying high on life ... until I got home, walked into the restroom, and spied my brand new "choppers" sitting on the kitchen sink where I left them.
Posted by: Bill Facker | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:15 PM
So glad to know that other ladies put their "foot in their mouth" too! What a laugh! Thanks for sharing your embarrassing moments with us. Luckily we have "Dollar Tree" where we can buy multiple toothbrushes for $1.00. I love the "Big Ball" kids brushes, 2/$100! They work well and are cheap enough to replace every month. And, like a new broom, it sweeps clean!
Myra, (New Orleans, LA) Partly Cloudy 73 degrees. Lovely weather!
Posted by: Myra Wood, New Orleans | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:18 PM
My understanding was that in France braces are covered by securitie social for minors. Am I wrong?
Posted by: sharon | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:20 PM
In Quebec braces are called "les broches." I am impressed that you are able to pay with a credit card. I had to pay with post-dated cheques.
Sandra
Posted by: Sandra McHugh | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:27 PM
Mom, You are the best: you looked out for me then... and you havent stopped ever since!
Janet, thank you for the correction. Ill fix it soon!
Pamela, thank you for posting this story to Twitter. P.S.: Mom just sent me an email -- an order, actually--to look at your books!
Nick, thanks for the correct spelling for mammoth -- I need to fix that one, too!
Kathy, retainers! I had forgotten about them. Theyll probably cost another million dollars--or euros, rather...
Kathleen, funny you mention the Koi! A few days ago were looking at these fish (in a pond at the wonderful village of La Garde Adhemar) -- and wondering why they were motionless. How funny they looked, frozen in place!
Jackie, re the brise-bise curtains, if one follows the example of brise-soleil (or awning) then brise-bise may very well be to block something (la bise... hmmm, couldnt be--for that would be a kiss blocker!) Then again, maybe that could stand for privacy curtain ;-)
Herm, and did you notice that the curtains and the cushion go together, too? P.S. I saw your teeth and they look good to me!
Bill, LOL (laughing with you and not at you!) Did you really forget to put your teeth in?
Sharon, No--braces are not fully covered by SS for minors. There is a very small amount covered, but it seems to be a token amount (according to the way Chief Grape laughed when he discovered the coverage)
Sandra, fun to learn the Canadian word. Thanks. Re credit card -- I meant to say debit card.
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:31 PM
Some of us in the USA not only may not look right away at the post if it's a holiday, there are other delays: having to leave for work by 7 a.m. on weekdays; church on Sundays; getting to the post office ahead of the crowd, or the car dealer's for maintenance and repairs ... But better late than never, right? I never want to miss a FWAD.
I'm glad for "daily life" posts such as this one. Sometimes I think we tend to regard people in other countries as living differently from us, without some of the hassles; but just because we don't see them, doesn't mean they don't happen.
I never had braces, although my teeth straightened out a bit on their own as I older.
My son had to wear a retainer for about a year when he was 8, and was cooperative about it. A few years later, it was discovered that he was missing 3 adult teeth (odd, because his father and I each had 32). So the three baby teeth had to be extracted, which was considered surgery and mostly covered by health insurance. Nothing since has been covered at all. His teeth had to be positioned so the gaps from the missing teeth didn't expand, but also so there would be room for replacements when he was older, so he wore braces for 2-3 years. Then it was a retainer: night and day at first, then alternate days, then just nights - and he still wears a retainer alternate nights, going on 21 years old. In a year or so, when his mouth is expected to reach full adult size, we will have to get implants or something like that. So far, over $3500, and probably a couple thousand more in the future. My son has been such a good sport about this, and I keep reminding him that this was not done for cosmetic reasons, but to prevent him from having lifelong dental problems (too bad the insurance company doesn't look at it that way).
Toothbrushes are really expensive in France! I thought that $3 was high in the USA. Three euros must equal $4 or more. But I have the impression that health care is cheaper there.-
Posted by: Marianne Rankin | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:41 PM
Kristin, I got my copies of your new book the other day. I am so looking forward to reading it. Congratulations on this accomplishment. I look forward to giving my friend her copy, too.
Posted by: Frances | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 07:47 PM
LOL..caught!! :-)
I used to enjoy the orthodontist with my kids...it was the only time I had a chance to read magazines galore in one guilt free sitting....for free!! ;-)
Jules, been asleep...it is 5.58am and I am just making sure my son has breakfast before he goes off to work this morning! Mmmm...hope he turns up out of that shower soon!
PS Kristi...your book arrived yesterday and each one of your writings is like a little gem...love it and proud of what you have achieved :-) xx
Posted by: Gretel | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 08:03 PM
I laughed out loud at today's story. Loved it!
BTW, I take a French class every other week with 4 others - our prof teaches French at a local HS. Tomorrow night is our first class after the holidays and homework is to to write a little essay (en francais) on what we did over the holidays. My essay will be on Blossoming in Provence! And, Jules, I hope to drum up a few more sales for Kristi!
Tish (Richmond Va)
Posted by: Tish Tyler | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 09:24 PM
Salut Kristin, I never heard of braces until I had children and living in USA. I wonder if my smile would have been any better if I had had braces? But my teeth are all, thanks God, aligned without going through the pain and inconvenience my children had had during their braces years.
Like you, I often compute all the expenses when I have to spend on something, whether it is necessary to own anything. And is it our female nature that I also want freebies? Just last weekend, upon our arrival at the hotel, I realized that j'ai oublié la pâte dentifrice. I asked my husband, on his way down to the parking lot, to get the portable GPS which he had left in the car, to please also get, from the hotel desk clerk, the free travel size toothpaste. I also wanted a free shower cap, as in faire d'une pierre deux coups, two birds with one stone. But seeing that I did not forget my bonnet de douche, he told me...tu n'en as pas besoin!
Kristin, in the sentence "I point out the jar with the brosse à dents gratuits, tu aurais dû dire "brosseS à dents gratuitEs" nom féminin et pluriel.
Posted by: Millie | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 12:36 AM
wow...........Jules is something else: note all the comments after her chastising us!! Good for her! Your book arrived this wkend...can't wait to get into bed this eve & read it. Love your braces entry: my poor son also had about 5 teeth pulled before the "permanent" braces came in....geesh. Always thought that we had bought his orthodontist's new cars for 8 years (yeah, really really bad teeth). Doesn't really matter: my son has always had a beautiful smile; now, it's just perfect :) Too funny in re the toothbrushes....really really funny. As always you make the daily little events "big" w/ humor & whimsy. Merci!
Kay
Posted by: Kay | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 01:04 AM
I had braces from 10-13 and it was excruciatingly medieval when they tightened them once a month. That said, it was a great thing for me afterward. When I look in the mirror, I have a nice smile. No one teases me. The odd thing is that inside, I'll always feel like an awkward girl with buck teeth and an overbite.
Posted by: Martine | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 05:28 AM
Millie, thank you for the French correction - so helpful!
Tish, I really appreciate your writing about Blossoming in Provence for your class essay-- that will definitely drum up sales!
Gretel, thats looking at the positive side of things! I admit, it is fun to flip through all the magazines.
Marianne, re the 3 euro toothbruthes--those are the high-end prices. You can also find 1 euro toothbrushes in France. You can even find packs of 4, for under 1 euro 50.
Thank you all for these encouraging comments. Enjoy the book, for those who are currently reading!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 09:54 AM
HI KRISTI,
IT FEELS LIKE 80 DEGREES OUT ON MY TERRACE - I'M READING A BOOK ON HOW TO WRITE AND THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
ALSO, HOW TO PUNCTUATE AND SPELL - THAT SHOULD BE A BIG RELIEF FOR ALL OF YOUR READERS.
XOXO
MOM
Posted by: JULES GREER - PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 06:18 PM
Kristin, I just wrote a long comment, but it would not post. This is a test note.
Betty
Posted by: Betty Richter | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 08:15 PM
I love your way of thinking and am delighted by this story! You are terrifically funny, Kristi. I needed this smile today. Speaking of smiles…remember the trip I took to the dentist a few months back for the crown? It didn’t do the trick after all! Ugh!!!
I felt so lucky to go through childhood without needing braces as my little sister was not so fortunate. Just this fall, my dentist recommended braces to fix a crooked front tooth! I am not keen on the idea.
Winter has arrived here in southwest Oregon after a long spell of warm, sunny days (though cold nights). It snowed a trace on Sunday and more is predicted tonight.
Posted by: Stacy ~ Sweet Life Farm ~ Applegate, Oregon | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 11:25 PM
I love your way of thinking and am delighted by this story! You are terrifically funny, Kristi. I needed this smile today. Speaking of smiles…remember the trip I took to the dentist a few months back for the crown? It didn’t do the trick after all! Ugh!!!
I felt so lucky to go through childhood without needing braces as my little sister was not so fortunate. Just this fall, my dentist recommended braces to fix a crooked front tooth! I am not keen on the idea.
Winter has arrived here in southwest Oregon after a long spell of warm, sunny days (though cold nights). It snowed a trace on Sunday and more is predicted tonight.
Posted by: Stacy ~ Sweet Life Farm ~ Applegate, Oregon | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 11:28 PM
Hi Kristin,
I remember my braces and how much my parents had to save for 4 children! Both my children needed braces also and we were able to get free braces through the military but I had to drive one hour every month for the check-ups from Brussels down to Chiévres. We would make a day of it and the kids would get lunch but then have to endure my grocery shopping at the commissary.
Posted by: Eileen deCamp | Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 03:13 AM
Do you see a lot of French teenagers with braces? I didn't think it was nearly as common as you see in the US.
Posted by: sparkling74 | Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 08:33 PM
....hmm, those Orthodontists - I have my doubts about all that teeth pulling they insist is necessary. My son had to have two teeth pulled at age 10 - ones that had just emerged - it was so traumatic....Turns out that he really NEEDS them in his mouth as an adult...They are missing! His mouth is too large for his remaining teeth. Always have a second opinion!! I feel so guilty that I didn't; that I trusted the man with the red Porsche.....and the gigantic mansion....
Posted by: Maureen | Monday, March 12, 2012 at 05:44 PM