Music has always been an important part of life at Follen Church. Who could forget these immortal lyrics?

Smile for the toothbrush study,
Smile—though your teeth are bloody.
Build up the plaque on the linguals in the back…

Smile, now we’ve got you going.
Smile—though the green is glowing!
Clean those incisors, you youth group advisors.

Smile; with your teeth encrusted.
Rinse, flow and brush bicuspids.
You know that Colgate will undo the goo,
If You Just Smile!

Well, actually, pretty much everyone has forgotten this song. It was written to commemorate a unique fundraiser held at Follen in the living room of the Marshman Center, then known as the parsonage.

One of Follen’s members was a professor of dentistry at the Forsythe Dental Center in Boston. His name was Dr. Bob Soparkar, and he was a kind, caring man. He led many research projects at Forsythe, some sponsored by toothbrush companies. The volunteer subjects in these studies would receive a stipend for their time. Dr. Soparkar thought it would be great if members of the Follen congregation would volunteer for one such toothbrush study, and when the leadership agreed, he brought in an old dental chair to the living room of the parsonage and began making appointments. I think that Follen received several thousand dollars for this project, which was done twice!

The volunteers were given a new toothbrush, told to take it home and brush faithfully (we are a church, after all), and then return in six weeks for an exam. Dr. Soparkar stained one’s teeth with a dye that showed plaque, and he took copious notes. The new toothbrush was superior—less plaque! (Half the volunteers got a different toothbrush.)

The study was a success, the church made money, and the congregants got nice new toothbrushes. And it was funny!