Taking care of our teeth and gums is a fundamental part of our daily routine and if you're like me, you'll have been purchasing toothpaste off the shelves without checking the ingredients, for years. After all the information about the harmful ingredients found in our toothpaste has started to emerge, I decided to research making my own better option. So which deadly toxins in toothpaste, should we avoid?
Sodium Fluoride - the main ingredient in toothpaste and would you believe rat poison. Ingested can accumulate in your tissues.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - added to toothpaste to generate the foam, also used in degreasers, floor cleaners and car wash soaps. Can interfere with your taste buds, which may be why everything tastes so bad after you've cleaned your teeth.
Triclosan - a antibacterial chemical also found in detergents and suspected of causing cancer in humans.
Hydrated Silica - a whitner which can damage tooth enamel and stop it remineralizing.
Propylene Glycol - a mineral oil used in antifreeze, paints and airplane de-icers. A known skin, eye and lung irritant.
Microbeads - tiny plastic pellets which flush down your drain into the environment and are then ingested by marine life. These can also get lodged under your gums, leaving them open to bacteria.
These are just a few of the deadly ingredients but the list goes on...information is readily available on the internet for more detailed information about studies and side effects.
So what can you clean your teeth with instead? There are many different recipes available online and one of the main ingredients seems to be Coconut Oil. I use Coconut Oil regularly in cooking and thought I would try Oil Pulling. Oil Pulling is when you suck Coconut Oil through your teeth and swoosh around your mouth for a couple of minutes and then spit out. Unfortunately, I didn't like the texture of the oil, so it wasn't for me.
Instead like many of the other recipes I decided to use the Coconut Oil as one of my main ingredients. My recipe is simple and all the ingredients are easily sourced. "Part" in the recipe denotes the unit you wish to use, depending on the quantity you'd like to make?
For extra polishing and whiteness, I start my routine with WARPAINT 100% natural teeth whitener.
Sodium Fluoride - the main ingredient in toothpaste and would you believe rat poison. Ingested can accumulate in your tissues.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - added to toothpaste to generate the foam, also used in degreasers, floor cleaners and car wash soaps. Can interfere with your taste buds, which may be why everything tastes so bad after you've cleaned your teeth.
Triclosan - a antibacterial chemical also found in detergents and suspected of causing cancer in humans.
Hydrated Silica - a whitner which can damage tooth enamel and stop it remineralizing.
Propylene Glycol - a mineral oil used in antifreeze, paints and airplane de-icers. A known skin, eye and lung irritant.
Microbeads - tiny plastic pellets which flush down your drain into the environment and are then ingested by marine life. These can also get lodged under your gums, leaving them open to bacteria.
These are just a few of the deadly ingredients but the list goes on...information is readily available on the internet for more detailed information about studies and side effects.
So what can you clean your teeth with instead? There are many different recipes available online and one of the main ingredients seems to be Coconut Oil. I use Coconut Oil regularly in cooking and thought I would try Oil Pulling. Oil Pulling is when you suck Coconut Oil through your teeth and swoosh around your mouth for a couple of minutes and then spit out. Unfortunately, I didn't like the texture of the oil, so it wasn't for me.
Instead like many of the other recipes I decided to use the Coconut Oil as one of my main ingredients. My recipe is simple and all the ingredients are easily sourced. "Part" in the recipe denotes the unit you wish to use, depending on the quantity you'd like to make?
- 5 parts - Coconut Oil
- 5 parts - Calcium Powder
- 2 parts - Baking Soda
- To taste - Peppermint Essential Oil
For extra polishing and whiteness, I start my routine with WARPAINT 100% natural teeth whitener.
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