Chemicals: Toothpaste

Common Toothpaste Chemicals

Five of the most common chemicals to watch out for include fluoride, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, and DEA.

1 – Fluoride. The chemical most commonly found in toothpaste is sodium fluoride (also just labeled as fluoride). Although fluoride is touted as an important defense against tooth decay, it can also be harmful if ingested even in moderate quantities. Thus, many natural toothpastes (especially those marketed to children) are fluoride free.

2 – Triclosan. Despite being classified as a pesticide, triclosan is commonly added to toothpastes and antibacterial products. The Environmental Protection Agency has openly stated that the chemical poses a threat to humans and the environment. So why is it in our toothpaste?!

3 – Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. SLS is added to many personal care products for its cleansing and detergent properties, despite being a potential eye and skin irritant. It is also potentially carcinogenic when combined with other common chemicals.

4 – Propylene Glycol. Propylene glycol acts as a wetting agent and surfactant in toothpaste. The substance is found in many conventional toothpaste brands despite being linked with brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities with repeated exposure. Make sure it’s not in yours!

5 – DEA Diethanolamine, or DEA, is a commonly used foaming agent. It has also been linked to cancer formation and hormone disruption with repeated exposure. Maybe that toothpaste doesn’t really need to be so foamy.

But fortunately, the bright side is that the market has exploded with natural toothpastes in recent years! With and without fluoride, whitening and traditional, and even some fruity flavors for those who don’t like (or can’t use) mint…there is now an effective, natural toothpaste for every taste and purpose. So ditch the nasty, scary, and health-compromising chemical pastes and go natural.

All toothpastes contain some amount of chemicals. We have got so used to brushing our teeth that without it we feel uncomfortable. So what is the substitute.

Tooth Brush: Always use good quality brush. Start using Neem Datuns once in a week. These are freely or easily available to us. With datun one has to just chew it and the natural extract cleans the whole mouth. Ideally do oil pulling before it.

Toothpaste: The best tooth powder is turmeric powder. Take 100gms of turmeric powder, add one spoon of black salt, one spoon of baking soda. Mix all and your natural powder is ready. If you wish to use it as paste, add coconut oil to make it a paste.

Organic ingredients are best.