Facts You Need to Know About Your Toothpaste

For a product we put into our mouths everyday, what do we really know about toothpaste? We investigate the most popular ingredients found in toothpaste to find out!

About Regular Toothpaste

What is regular toothpaste made from?

Regular toothpaste is made of lots of chemicals but the three key ones are Sodium lauryl sulfate, fluoride, and glycerine.

Foam in my toothpaste is good…right?

Foam is made from sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a chemical added to your toothpaste, not for any dental benefits but to create foam and enrich texture. Studies show that SLS causes damage to oral tissues leading to allergy irritation, canker sores, bad breath, and mouth ulcers.

I thought Fluoride prevents tooth decay?

No disease, not even tooth decay, is caused by “fluoride deficiency.”(NRC 1993; Institute of Medicine 1997, NRC 2006).

Moderate intake of fluoride does not cause short-term problems to your health. However, studies have linked fluoridated water to lower brain function, Alzheimer’s disease, and even infertility.

Fluoride attaches to heavy metals including lead, mercury, and aluminum influencing its absorption not only in the blood but in the brain as well. If you think you don’t absorb heavy metals, you are wrong. They are all around you from your cell phone, to the air your breath, and even metal fillings in our mouth!

What’s wrong with glycerine?

There are two types of glycerine, vegetable and synthetic. The former is made strictly from plant oils and are used for skin moisturisers. Synthetic glycerin is made from petroleum-based oils that is commonly used by conventional toothpaste to enhance texture.

Even though natural glycerine is natural and edible, it does not improve your gum health and coats your teeth like plastic wrap blocking its ability to re-mineralise and maintain proper balance of nutrients. In fact, toothpaste with glycerine “requires 20 rinses to get it off” (Judd, Good Teeth, Birth to Death).

Now that you've learned enough about the scary facts, are you ready to be introduced to the amazing facts of natural toothpaste?