I have been using fluoride-free toothpaste since I was 15 years old and have been really happy with that choice. Why fluoride-free? Apart from being a personal choice, I believe that just because a little is good for teeth doesn’t mean that more is better. There is some quite contentious research out there about fluoride and you can click on this link for more information on the potential issues with fluoride in toothpaste.

Back to my blog – so about 7 or 8 years ago I picked up my tube of fluoride-free toothpaste and read the other ingredients on the label which among other things included sodium laurel sulphate (for big bubbles), artificial sweetener (for taste) and mineral oil (for goodness knows what). That tube went straight in the bin! I wondered why I had never thought to look at the label beforehand and once again realised that in the land of marketing all is not what it seems. There is always aspect of inference in marketing. In my case because the product was fluoride free I had assumed it contained no other nasty chemicals. Other examples might be a flower or herb on the label inferring that the product is natural or organic. Or the brand name could include the words “natural”, “organic” or “eco” thereby inferring the product is all of those things. Well at that moment, I wizened up a bit and started reading labels obsessively again. And it was quite hard to find a synthetic free, flouride free, all natural, all good toothpaste that didn’t taste like chalk or make me want to gag!

Fortunately, since then things have improved and there are some great toothpastes available that use natural ingredients, taste good and are good for teeth and gums. Riddles Creek Organic toothpaste is one of those but there are others and when choosing a toothpaste for you look for some of the following ingredients:

Calcium carbonate – a polishing agent and gentle abrasive
Stevia – a natural plant sweetener almost as sweet as sugar without the negative effects on teeth. In fact, studies show that chewing gum with stevia can help reduce dental cavities!
Soapwort – a natural plant based surfactant (foaming agent)
Baking Soda – a natural whitening and mouth freshening agent
Essential oils such as peppermint, spearmint or clove – for there breath freshening qualities
Sea Salt – a gentle abrasive to polish teeth
Sillica – gum strengthening and tooth whitening
Aloe Vera – a gel base that has soothing qualities for gums
Tea tree oil – an antibacterial agent

There are also ingredients to avoid (as mentioned above):
Fluoride – if you drink fluoridated water, adding it to toothpaste can be overkill
Sodium laurel sulphate – can irritate the gum lining
Mineral oil – an unnecessary petrochemical based ingredient
Artificial sweeteners – come with a raft of issues and generally should be avoided particularly children as they tend to swallow toothpaste.

So, what’s in your toothpaste? And do you think fluoride should be included? Let us know what you think.

View a product review about Riddell’s Creek Organic Toothpaste:

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