Have you ever read the label on your toothpaste?

[jajbellsouthnet]

WOW! I just read the label on my toothpaste and mouthwash! "If you swallow any of this stuff, SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION OR CONTACT THE NEAREST POISON CONTROL CENTER"! No one ever told me that this stuff is POISON! Lovely, just lovely.

[AlchemyAcres]

Heck...it's not just toothpaste..there's garbage in almost any 'processed' product...

I've used Tom's of Maine toothpaste for years...Spearmint to be exact...good stuff!
Surprisingly, it was, maybe still is, available at Wal-Mart.

http://www.tomsofmaine.com/

~Martin :)

[nancy1340]

Heck...it's not just toothpaste..there's garbage in almost any 'processed' product...

I've used Tom's of Maine toothpaste for years...Spearmint to be exact...good stuff!
Surprisingly, it was, maybe still is, available at Wal-Mart.

http://www.tomsofmaine.com/

~Martin :)

I started using Tom's until I found out that it has something , can't remember what now, that is not good for you. Aluminum something I think. That may not be it but there are suppose to be better tooth paste out there.

[AlchemyAcres]

There's no aluminum in the toothpaste I use...heck I don't use 'regular' baking powder for that reason.


~Martin :)

[annabella1]

I use xylitol all by itself its sweet fights tooth decay and gets your teeth clean.

[Danielle]

Annabella, would you please elaborate on your use of xylitol for dental hygiene?
Thank you :)

[annabella1]

xylitol is a low caloric sweetener it is found naturally in your body, it is also called birch sugar because they make it from birch trees. It looks and is used just like regular sugar-but it inhibits the bacteria that causes tooth decay, and inhibits the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers. It also inhibits yeasts. There are also recent studies that it reverses osteoporosis because it helps the body absorb calcium. This was something that was previously thought to be impossible. How I use it to brush my teeth. I get my toothbrush wet, dip it in the xylitol (it's a crystal powder just like sugar) and brush my teeth just like always.
You can also use xylitol just like sugar in cooking and sweetening except in anything that uses yeast because it will kill the yeast. I use it for all my sweetening. The only draw back is when you first start using it you may have loose bowels this will clear up as soon as your body adjusts. (I think it is from your body getting rid of all the bad bacteria it kills)

[nancy1340]

Here is something else that should be Googled before you use it.

Google "The Dangers of xylitol".
----------------------------------------------------------
The Rise of Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs
The red flag is up for animal owners that xylitol, a sweetener found in certain sugar-free chewing gums, candies, baked goods and other products can potentially cause serious and even life-threatening problems for pets. According the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the number of 2005 Xylitol-Related Cases Up More Than 150% Over Previous Year.

[annabella1]

Dogs can't eat chocolate either. It doesn't have a thing to do with people.
The reason it is harmful to dogs is that it has the opposite effect in dogs as it does in people. In people the sweetness of xylitol does not raise insulin levels. In dogs it surges insulin levels quickly and damages their liver. I would not suggest that you give dogs chocolate either it raises their heart rate and causes heart problems. In people just the opposite.

[theresehirko]

We used Colgate until I found out in my Microbiology course that triclosan is a pesticide. It's in Colgate toothpaste. We use Tom's of Maine now.

[reyecat]

Due to annabella's advice about xylitol we now use a half xylitol half baking soda mixture with about 5 drops of peppermint oil shake it all up in a little bottle with a narrow mouth and just wet our toothbrush and pour a little out onto the toothbrush. Xylitol is really expensive here. $10 for a little bag of it so I'm stretching it with the baking soda. I also read that clean teeth/healthy teeth have just as much to do with *how* you brush as *what* you brush with. So just make sure you are really brushing every tooth well and brush a couple of times a day without anything and you will have a clean mouth. Don't forget to floss or pick out your teeth with a tooth pick or a twig!

[MotherCharlotte]

I use Nature's Gate spearmint toothpaste. It's very similar to Tom's of Maine which I have used in the past as well.

Even before I realized how many harmful ingredients are in regular toothpaste, I knew that it always gave me canker sores. Really excruciatingly painful ones. Especially the "deluxe" toothpastes that have whitening ingredients. So I have always tried to use more natural toothpastes, but I only bought them when I could really afford it.

Ever since I got pregnant (last fall) I have been using only natural toothpaste, and I haven't had a single canker sore the whole time. I don't think I am ever going to go back to regular toothpaste.

Canker sores aside, I find it very disturbing that they tell you call poison control if you swallow any! Of course it's impossible to not swallow at least a tiny bit...especially when you are talking about kids. My 3 year old son has a tube of toothpaste with Disney Cars on it--he loves it, it matches his toothbrush, but after reading it carefully I realized that the kids' toothpaste has the same concentration of ingredients as the adult one that says not for little kids on the label...what the heck? He always swallows some no matter what I do. Once this toothpaste is gone, I'm totally not going to buy any more of that stuff.

[Shamrock1121]

We have WWII to thank for most of the chemicals that are slowly killing us. When the war ended and they had all those chemicals destined for chemical warfare leftover, the started adding it to laundry detergent, body soap, and every other dang thing...

I dry brush my teeth at least once a day - http://www.drbunn.com/drybrush.htm - and use a "natural" type toothpaste or jel that contains Xylitol - NOW or Tom's, etc.

I also use a drop of Grapefruit Seed Extract along with toothpaste/gel or a few drops in the a small amount of water as a final rinse. It's an extremely effective treatment for gingivitis or any other bacteria or fungi related gum or mouth disorder.

-Karen

[pathwayholding]

I use Tom's of Maine too. I prefer the baking soda flavored one. Yeah, yeah. I know. I should just use baking soda at about a 100th of the cost. I can't figure out how to get the baking soda on the brush without wetting the brush and sticking it in the soda...ewwwwwwww! Or dumping it on the brush and wasting a ton of it in the process.

Does anyone know if Tom's (or anyone ese) makes one without added flouride?

path

[MotherCharlotte]

None of the Tom's toothpaste at my grocery store has any fluoride. None of the Nature's Gate toothpaste has any fluoride either.

[Lynnkay]

I've been using Nature's Gate spearmint for the last few months. Even though it costs a bit more to buy, I just won't consider the commercial brands any longer. Give up a Pepsi or some other non-essential once a week or so, and buy a good grade of toothpaste. The tubes are large and last a very long time.

[Shamrock1121]

Most people use WAY too much toothpaste to begin with. You can just see that Crest ad on TV where they load the whole brush and add the Dairy Queen curl at the end. The amount of a small pea is about all one needs. Even less for a child.

Learn to dry brush and save even more on toothpaste.

-Karen

[MotherCharlotte]

I wonder how many people really use as much toothpaste as they depict in the ads? Ugh, the very idea makes me gag! :-X I only use a pea-sized amount even of the natural stuff, and for my 3 year old I just put a smudge of it on his toothbrush and even that he tries to swallow.