Does Natural Toothpaste Really Work?
You may be skeptical about using natural toothpaste for fear that it won’t clean as well as your regular toothpaste. Well, let me ease your mind; natural toothpaste gives you all the cleaning you need.
First of all, let’s be clear. Most of the actual cleaning of your teeth comes from the physical act of brushing. Your toothbrush would remove most of the food and debris from your teeth even if you just brushed with water. What you really need toothpaste for is killing bacteria. Bacteria in the mouth are what lead to gingivitis and bad breath, and you should be using toothpaste that, first and foremost, does a good job of killing these bacteria.
Natural toothpastes are made almost entirely of mint oils. Mint oils are excellent for removing bacteria, plus they’re completely natural, so they offer no side effects. In fact, natural toothpastes contain far more mint than commercial pastes, so they are actually better for killing bacteria.
Commercial toothpastes are full of ingredients you may want to avoid. They almost always contain fluoride, which adults, and even many children, do not need in toothpaste. Adults don’t really require fluoride, and while children may benefit from some fluoride, most water supplies contain plenty even for children. Too much fluoride is actually bad for us, as it can be toxic in large doses.
Commercial toothpastes also contain detergent and saccharin. Detergent can be a skin irritant for many people and saccharin has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory mice. Neither is needed in toothpaste, and both can be dangerous.
So, when you look at it in these terms, you’ll see that natural toothpastes not only work well, but are actually safer for your family than the commercial toothpaste you’ve been buying. That certainly makes them an overall better choice.