From the invasion of fancy toothpastes from Europe to fear about the safety of fluoride to concern about the overuse of whitening pastes it can be hard to know what to choose when you hit the tooth-care aisle. There are dozens of nearly identical boxes stacked together, each promising basically the same thing as the next. So what to do?
As with everything else we talk about, you have to get past the marketing hype and learn to read ingredients. We like Tom's of Maine toothpaste, and Weleda's. You can pick your own poison, but before you do, click through this slideshow. There are some things you should know.
This is part of a series inspired by No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics.
Read more on their blog.
Illustration by Brianna Harden
Hydrated silica: Toothpastes use abrasives of some kind, and this one is often the first one on the ingredients list. It's benign, and is not associated with ill human health effects by major health organizations. You'll often see it in natural or sort-of-natural toothpastes, like those by Toms of Maine, as well. It gently scrapes the surface of the tooth to clean off debris.
Sodium fluoride or sodium monofluorophosphate: These are there with the goal of preventing tooth decay and reducing cavities. Fluoride is classified as a drug by the FDA, and is considered unsafe to ingest in large amounts at one time, or in small amounts consistently—which can be problematic, since it's toothpaste. (As a result, toothpastes with fluoride now come with scary warnings about ingestion.) There are plenty of scientists who think it's dangerous in both drinking water and toothpaste, and some natural toothpastes are fluoride-free—especially those formulated for children. Many aren't, though.
Sweetener: Sometimes it's sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, or something else, but toothpastes almost always contain a sweetener of some kind that helps make toothpaste tolerable-tasting, and to help mask the flavor of other chemicals in there. Natural toothpastes generally do not contain sugar, and some contain xylitol.
Triclosan: Regular readers are probably sick of hearing us talk about triclosan, but for the uninitiated, here goes: Triclosan is an antibacterial and antimicrobial used in all kinds of personal-care products, from deodorant and acne medicine to hand sanitizer and, yes, toothpaste. It's an environmental pollutant, it may be responsible for strains of resitant bacteria, and unless you work in a hospital, you should avoid anything that contains it.
Some kind of whitening agent: Sometimes these are variations on hydrogen peroxide, which are toxic when ingested. People have gone hog wild for whitening pastes, and there is concern about their longterm safety, by dentists in particular. Natural alternatives include good-old-fashioned sea salt, and baking soda.
Fragrance and flavorings: If you're opting for naturals, you'll likely find flavors from peppermint, or some other kind of oil. In drugstore brands, these flavors will be artificially formulated and the individual ingredients that make that flavor are, like fragrance, protected under trade-secret laws—which means, good luck trying to find out what chemicals were used to create the taste.
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| What's Really In Your Toothpaste? by Siobhan O'Connor |
From the invasion of fancy toothpastes from Europe to fear about the safety of fluoride to concern about the overuse of whitening pastes it can be hard to know what to choose when you hit the tooth-care aisle. There are dozens of nearly identical boxes stacked together, each promising basically the same thing as the next. So what to do?
As with everything else we talk about, you have to get past the marketing hype and learn to read ingredients. We like Tom's of Maine toothpaste, and Weleda's. You can pick your own poison, but before you do, click through this slideshow. There are some things you should know.
This is part of a series inspired by No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics.
Read more on their blog.
Illustration by Brianna Harden
Hydrated silica: Toothpastes use abrasives of some kind, and this one is often the first one on the ingredients list. It's benign, and is not associated with ill human health effects by major health organizations. You'll often see it in natural or sort-of-natural toothpastes, like those by Toms of Maine, as well. It gently scrapes the surface of the tooth to clean off debris.
Sodium fluoride or sodium monofluorophosphate: These are there with the goal of preventing tooth decay and reducing cavities. Fluoride is classified as a drug by the FDA, and is considered unsafe to ingest in large amounts at one time, or in small amounts consistently—which can be problematic, since it's toothpaste. (As a result, toothpastes with fluoride now come with scary warnings about ingestion.) There are plenty of scientists who think it's dangerous in both drinking water and toothpaste, and some natural toothpastes are fluoride-free—especially those formulated for children. Many aren't, though.
Sweetener: Sometimes it's sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, or something else, but toothpastes almost always contain a sweetener of some kind that helps make toothpaste tolerable-tasting, and to help mask the flavor of other chemicals in there. Natural toothpastes generally do not contain sugar, and some contain xylitol.
Triclosan: Regular readers are probably sick of hearing us talk about triclosan, but for the uninitiated, here goes: Triclosan is an antibacterial and antimicrobial used in all kinds of personal-care products, from deodorant and acne medicine to hand sanitizer and, yes, toothpaste. It's an environmental pollutant, it may be responsible for strains of resitant bacteria, and unless you work in a hospital, you should avoid anything that contains it.
Some kind of whitening agent: Sometimes these are variations on hydrogen peroxide, which are toxic when ingested. People have gone hog wild for whitening pastes, and there is concern about their longterm safety, by dentists in particular. Natural alternatives include good-old-fashioned sea salt, and baking soda.
Fragrance and flavorings: If you're opting for naturals, you'll likely find flavors from peppermint, or some other kind of oil. In drugstore brands, these flavors will be artificially formulated and the individual ingredients that make that flavor are, like fragrance, protected under trade-secret laws—which means, good luck trying to find out what chemicals were used to create the taste.
