What to Watch for in Toothpaste
One of my favorite things to do is brush my teeth. It’s what gets me out of bed first thing in the morning, if I’m being honest.
I just adore it.
So it was quite disappointing when I started to do a deep dive into what is in my toothpaste.
It’s even more concerning when you hear that we use an average of 20 gallons of toothpaste in our lifetime, and while we aren’t necessarily ingesting it - the lining of our mouth still allows it’s ingredients to enter our bloodstream.
Yikes.
By now you know how this works, let’s highlight a few of the ingredients I want you to be watching for & why.
Fluoride. First of all it can cause tooth discoloration, which is just backwards to me, but whatever. It has also been linked to skin rashes, stomach problems and created glucose metabolism impairments for some.
Triclosan. This bad boy has been banned in soup… but not toothpaste. Make it make sense. It’s literally referred to as a super chemical and resembles Agent Orange (not 45, but the chemical used by our military as part of its chemical warfare program… yep!!!!!!). And no surprise, it causes cancer. As well the side effects of weakening the heart muscles, endocrine issues and bone deformation.
Saccharin. This ingredient is basically a petroleum based sugar. It has been linked to cancer, as well. Just not necessary in toothpaste.
Carrageenan. Here is a perfect example of how “natural” ingredients are not necessarily safe for us. Carrageenan is derived from seaweed, and yet it causes intestine inflammation and colon tumors.
Aspartame. Yep, in your toothpaste. A sugar substitute. A sugar substitute that has been known to metabolize as formaldehyde. It can cause migraines, muscle spasms, anxiety, vertigo, brain tumors and birth defects.
And to others that are obvious (because they come up in nearly every conversation we have about safer) are parabens and sulfates.
When flossing your teeth - because I hope you’re flossing your teeth - watch for PFAs (the forever chemical) and plastic (phthalates).
At the end of the day, you don’t want to be exposing yourself to these toxic ingredients twice a day for all the days of your life, right?
It’s our responsibility to take care of our bodies and our health.
So here are your options going forward:
Make your own - there are lots of ideas out there
Or try one of these brands:
Take care of that smile.
Choose you, Choose safer.