Some are whiskey-flavored, some taste like curry and others like bamboo. One dates to World War II and is made with a radioactive compound.
But the toothpaste isn’t for Kolpakov’s patients.
Instead, the flavors are some of the 1,800 toothpastes Kolpakov has collected. He hopes the Guinness Book of Records will recognize him as owner of the world’s largest toothpaste collection.
“I’ve submitted my application, and since there is no record for a number of toothpaste tubes, they had to review whether they can open a new category,” said Kolpakov, a Russian native. “Finally it was approved, and now I need to submit evidence that I have all these toothpastes.”
About a fourth of his collection is displayed in the waiting room at the Denture Care Clinic, 1227 N. Michigan. Kolpakov works there as a denture specialist.
Kolpakov, known to patients as “Dr. Val,” said his interest in collecting tubes of toothpaste started when he read about Carsten Gutzeit, a German who collected 500 tubes.
“I thought that collecting toothpaste was a nice hobby for a dental professional. It allows you to learn more about your profession,” he said. “I had friends all over the world, so I asked them to mail me toothpaste from the countries where they lived.”
He began buying toothpastes on eBay and contemporary versions in stores.
Source: mlive
