Toothpaste: Synthetic Chemicals vs. Natural Ingredients

A couple of months ago, my husband and I stopped using toothpaste.

Well, we still clean our teeth, just not with the store-bought stuff that we have all used since we were about 2 years old.

Even though we don't swallow it, the ingredients in our toothpaste still get absorbed through our mouths. And with 1 1/2 to 2 minutes twice a day for a lifetime, that will sure add up.

Do you have any idea what's in your toothpaste besides fluoride? I took my old tube of AIM Cavity Protection Ultra Mint Gel and did some research on the ingredients.

Aside from Sodium Fluoride, everything in there is either for sweetening, thickening, emulsifying, lathering or coloring. And two of them (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and PEG-8) could possibly be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which is a carcinogenic by-product made during the manufacturing process.

Here are two others who have written about common toothpaste ingredients:

What's in Toothpaste?
Do you know what's in your Toothpaste?

If you want to look up your own brand and its overall safety, you can look on either goodguide.com or cosmeticdatabase.com

***

Fluoride

Before continuing, I want to note that I am going to do a separate post about fluoride. In doing my research on toothpaste, I discovered that fluoride is a huge topic and quite controversial.

I have learned a lot about fluoride that I didn't know before, and have concluded that I want nothing to do with it (unfortunately, I have no choice that it's in my tap water). For anyone to leave fluoride behind in their dental care, it needs to be done as an informed decision.

But I will move forward with this post with the understanding that fluoride is NOT essential in dental care.

***

Going Natural

Because of all the synthetic chemicals in toothpaste - some more harmful than others - we decided to ditch the tube and make our own.

There are many ways to make your own - including using coconut oil - but we settled on baking soda and sea salt (with peppermint for flavor).

How are these ingredients effective?

Baking Soda: Make Your Own Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste

Baking soda is used for two reasons. First, it's a mild abrasive that provides a gentle cleansing. Second, it's alkaline. Being alkaline, baking soda can neutralize acids in your mouth that are often at the root of tooth decay. Baking soda also absorbs odors and helps produce sweet breath.

Sea Salt: Is Your Toothpaste Toxic?

According to Dentist Robert Nara, in his book, How to Become Dentally Self Sufficient, using real sea salt in your oral hygiene routine can treat or prevent most tooth and gum issues. Real sea salt contains a lot of trace minerals, many of which your teeth need to stay strong. Direct application of these minerals can benefit teeth and gums. Regular table salt does not work in the same manner and is not recommended for brushing.

When we first started using our homemade toothpaste, it took me several days to get used to the saltiness. We even reduced the salt in our second batch, but realized that it wasn't working as effectively. So we knew the salt was necessary.

After switching to the baking soda/salt, my mouth has felt fresher and cleaner after brushing. My teeth also feel smoother and the fresh breath seems to last longer. I certainly prefer this method to commercial toothpaste. I don't ever see going back.

Originally, I worked off of this recipe, but I have tweaked each batch until I got it how we like it. So of course, you may do some tweaking as well.

Cookie Monster fork used for scooping out our homemade toothpaste.

Homemade Toothpaste

1/3 cup baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 tsp peppermint extract (or peppermint essential oil, but only a few drops)
4-5 tsp water

Mix ingredients and put into a container with a lid (a small glass jar/container would be ideal). Use some sort of utensil/stick to scoop it out and apply to your toothbrush.