Natural toothpaste

Hi everyone, 

Lately I have drawn my attention to toothpaste and went to find some natural brands of toothpaste.  I have used one so far and just bought another the other day at Holland and Barrett.
I will take a look at these in a moment but first I just wanted to point out why one would want to buy a natural toothpaste.


Well first off all I thought well toothpaste goes inside my mouth and most times a little bit of it will be ingested into our bodies each time. So I felt it was worth taking a look at what it might be that I would be letting inside my body.
Also I came across some products that were highlighting the fact that they were fluoride free and I had been hearing subconsciously I suppose over the last few years that there are harmful chemicals present in toothpaste, as well as other things, but I just figured, toothpaste is toothpaste and we need it every day, right? 
Same went for deodorant, I just bought them passively every time without question because they are part of our everyday needs.
But as the hunt rises for more natural alternatives in our lives today, my focus has now shifted to seek out healthier and safer options.


Fluoride can be widely present also in our public water supply and is present in most toothpastes/mouthwashes, as well as other sources, as a way of fighting and cavities, also known as tooth decay.

High levels of flouride can cause fluoride poisoning, weakening of the bones and also what is called, skeletal and dental fluorosis which causes pain and damage.  It is also responsible for those white marks that sometimes appear on people's teeth, similar to a white mark that appears on fingernails.

If we are going to be exposed to any fluoride that we cannot control either from air pollution, from burning fuels containing fluoride, or if we do not use water filters and are exposed to fluoride constantly in our drinking water, then we can at least try to make better choices for those things we can control, such as buying a fluoride free toothpaste/ mouthwash.


Here are two that I have been using lately and both are purchased from Holland and Barrett for a price of approx £3.85 each.

Aloe Dent

• Fluoride free
• Sodium lauryl sulphate free.
• Paraben free
• Contains Aloe Vera for soothing your gums.
• Contains Silica which helps keep teeth naturally white and free from stains created by tea, coffee, smoking, red wine, etc.
• Contains Tea Tree Oil as a natural antiseptic 
• Peppermint and menthol for natural flavour.  

My thoughts:

I liked using this toothpaste.  It had a soft gel texture and had a nice refreshing minty taste that was not too strong but just right to make my mouth feel fresh.
Somehow I assumed that a more natural toothpaste would not be as strong on taste, but on the contrary this left me feeling confident, fresh and healthy.
Like most whitening products it can be difficult to notice and comment on any majorly enhancing changes, but I felt it kept my teeth a more stable colour and no noticable progression of yellowing.


Another similar choice available at Holland and Barrett is also the aloe containing SmileGlow brand.

SmileGlow

• Aloe Vera Toothpaste
• Sodium Lauryl Suplhate free
• Paraben Free
• Fluoride Free
• Contains silica that helps with whitening
• Contains peppermint oil, spearmint oil and menthol

My thoughts:

This toothpaste is good and all in all a similar concept to the Aloe Dent with the inclusion of aloe, but this one is a regular white paste rather than a gel texture and the minty taste is not as strong.


I will definitely be buying these again-  but if i had to pick one I would probably choose the Aloe Dent because I like the gel texture and slightly stronger taste.   I will possibly be considering Aloe Dent as my more regular toothpaste in the near future, however at the moment I am experimenting and keeping a lookout for other similar products. 

Overall I am happy with my more natural choice and even with the elimination of fluoride, we can still reduce our likelihood of decay by,

• Brushing teeth at least twice a day

• Regular visits to the dentist

• Using a mouthwash

• Floss daily

• Eating nutritious foods and avoiding too much unecessary sugar

• Chewing sugarless gum can also help to keep teeth clean and avoid the build up of plaque.

See we don't need fluoride, so if we can avoid it then it is just another step towards living chemical free as much as we can.  
Small things like these can really make a difference in reducing the amounts of chemicals in our bodies that slow us down causing detrimental effects to our health as they build up in the longterm.


Have you any thoughts or insights to share about our intake of fluoride or have you been experimenting lately with any other natural toothpaste brands or other products that you would like to tell us about?