We have not used toothpaste for more than six months and we don’t plan on ever using it again. Don’t worry, we still have our pearly white smiles and I don’t think our breath is too bad, well, except we eat a lot more garlic than we used to!

Why did we remove toothpaste and other oral hygiene products from our home? It started with a warning label I read on the back of the toothpaste:

"WARNING: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek PROFESSIONAL HELP or contact a POISON CONTROL center immediately."

I began to wonder, if I wasn’t supposed to expose a young child to toothpaste, how safe was it for our daughter to get it through me (I am still breast-feeding). And, if it was toxic for kids, could it be toxic for the rest of us too?

So, I began to research the ingredients in major brand name toothpastes and learned that the warning on toothpaste is there for good reason and should be heeded carefully.

Fluoride, a known toxin, is not only present in our toothpaste, but is found in many communities’ drinking water and commercial bottled waters. The amounts found in one half-tube of toothpaste can kill a child under six years old (thus the warning). (source)

Even minimal doses, if swallowed, can cause convulsions, seizures and other severe symptoms.

Fluoride use is also linked to a condition called dental fluorosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 32% of American children now have some form of dental fluorosis, with 2 to 4% of children having the moderate to severe stages (CDC 2005). Communities that have fluoridated water are also showing high incidents of fluorosis and understandably many are banning fluoridation of their drinking water. (source)

Symptoms are varied and range from headaches to those similar to the flu. In some cases tumours and other abnormalities are being reported and linked back to over exposure of fluoride through toothpaste and drinking water. Looking at the photos on this site, I see that I may have mild dental fluorosis.

Fluoride is found in the form of sodium monofluorophosphate, stannous fluoride, or sodium fluoride. Please note: some prescription toothpastes contain a much higher percentage of sodium fluoride than over-the-counter toothpastes.

Another chemical found in toothpaste and oral hygiene products that is controversial is called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). SLS is a foaming agent commonly found in a variety of products including most dish and hand soaps, shampoos, and in your toothpaste. It is used to give us the impression that something is happening, that we are getting cleaner as the product foams.

The journal of the American College of Toxicology reports that “SLS can penetrate and be retained in the eye, brain, heart, and liver with potentially harmful long-term effects.” (source)

Not only are many of the ingredients highly toxic, but when some of them are mixed with others, or with chlorinated drinking water, the results could be dangerous. This is known as “synergistic toxic interaction”. This phrase means a reaction happens when we mix the chemicals in every day products with the chemicals in our tap water and other products. Researchers are looking at what toxic cocktails we are creating and exposing ourselves and our planet to.

One of the most frightening interactions I’ve read about recently related to toothpaste actually concerns one of the “inactive” ingredients. (By the way, inactive only means that the ingredient doesn’t make a drug claim such as prevents cavities. Inactive ingredients tend to make cosmetic claims such as ‘whitens teeth’ but these ingredients can still be very toxic.) Some whitening toothpastes contain Tryclene® (triclosan). When you mix triclosan with chlorine, you get chloroform which is a highly poisonous gas and a known carcinogen.

Other potential by-products of the interaction between Tryclene® and chlorine are compounds known as dioxins. “Dioxins are extremely toxic and are very potent endocrine disruptors. They are also chemically very stable, so that they are eliminated from the body very slowly (they can bio-accumulate to dangerous levels), and they persist in the environment for a very long time.” (source)

So, what can you do?

We still brush our teeth regularly. We use baking soda though. At first it was a bit salty but now we don’t even think twice about using it. We know it works, our mouth feels fresh and clean, and we aren’t worried about what toxic products are going in our bodies or are seeping into the ground water. We took a small container with a lid and put about a ½ cup of baking soda in it. We just wet our toothbrush under the tap and dip it right into the baking soda and then brush. Even Emma has her own toothbrush now and dips hers in too.

We do floss too, but avoid the flavoured flosses because they include artificial sweeteners and other synthetic agents.

Another practice we’ve implemented is called Oil Pulling. It’s an Ayurvedic practice that is fantastic for oral hygiene and many other benefits. If you would like to learn more check out the link listed below (related links).

There are some wonderful natural toothpastes and mouthwashes out there that are considered safe and might be a good transition or substitute from your current toothpaste of choice. Weleda, Kiss My Face, Green Beaver and Jason make great products. These products are often available at your local health food store or in the natural section of your grocery or pharmacy. Please make sure to read the label and look at the active and inactive ingredients.

One other consideration that we have is that toothpaste and other oral hygiene containers are not recyclable and typically end up in the landfill. That is another reason why we now keep our baking soda in a reusable container.

If you would like more information on toxic oral hygiene products (and there definitely is more available), please feel free to email me or check out some of the related links I have listed below.