Mystery of the Toothpaste in Hotels

According to this article, hotels mostly provides towels, bed sheets, a mini-refrigerator, and even toiletries...without toothpaste. The article makes a point of where the soap and shampoos may be necessary for cleansing yourself;however, tooth-brushing seems much more of a necessity compared to them.

This article does reveal that the hotels distract us from this necessity with its illusion of excess. I was surprised to read that because I realized that I did not even notice that the hotels I have been in did not, in fact, provide toothpaste. One of the reasons to why this is so is the fact that a lot of people do not usually request for one and bring their own. This is a really good reason to me because why would the hotels buy products that people may not want or need one to be provided for them. Another reason is that toothpaste is considered a suggestion, not a required toiletries. This I find quite strange because toothpaste is important for the development and health of the gums, teeth, and mouth. Although, people may buy their own toothpaste, having toothpaste in hotels can give an indication that the they do care for your health and dental hygiene as well as your enjoyment of the hotels.  

One of the main theories from this article that I mostly agree on is the "penny-pinching hotelier" theory. Reading about this theory gave me the thought that this may be one of the most reasonable answers to this mystery. The author makes a supporting idea of the thought that toothpaste probably is more expensive than the other toiletries. However, the article has added that the missing toothpaste can be a matter of tradition, but the author did not really clarify on what he meant and how it can be a subject to that matter.

I find the author's conclusive answer to this solution, which is that we do not ask for toothpaste...because we did not even know we could, sort of strange since toothpaste is a necessity that people need and that he said in the beginning of this article that people do not want it. This article seems to be a bit contradicting in some parts which was a bit puzzling to me.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/07/toothpaste_in_hotels_why_do_they_provide_shampoo_soap_and_high_end_toiletries.html