Why I switched to Pure and Natural Organic Toothpaste

A couple of years ago, before I made the switch to pure and natural organic toothpaste, I didn't really think too much about what I put in my mouth every day. I mean, who thinks about that stuff. But I did suffer from regular and painful little blisters in my mouth. After doing some reading I discovered that in some people there may be a reaction to the ingredients in normal toothpaste, which made me think a lot harder about how I brushed my teeth. The more I discovered the more I was prompted to use organic toothpaste as well as organic shampoo and other organic cosmetics.

If you look that the label of a normal tube of toothpaste you'll see a long list of ingredients that you probably don't recognize. Some are really useful. I am a fan of fluoride, for instance, because I do believe it helps protect teeth from cavities. I know that a lot of people feel differently about it. But there is also a long list of ingredients that, frankly, I would rather not have near me or my family.

The first thing that I really don't like is a family of chemicals known as parabens. These are really common preservatives used in most cosmetics. Often they aren't listed as such on the label because they are allowed to be called innocent-sounding substances such as parfum or synthetic musk. Being preservatives, their purpose is to kill bacteria. All very well but what do they do to us?

But there are some studies the link parabens to breast cancer. They are also known to mimic the human hormone estrogen and some scientists worry that they may disrupt the hormonal system in people. They are especially concerned about the impact this may have on unborn babies and young children.

The government and FDA think that in small quantities parabens are safe. But I'd prefer not to take that risk.

Many toothpastes also contain a substance known as Triclosan. This is an antibacterial agent and has become popular because people think that all bacteria are bad and should be killed. Thus many toothpastes advertise the fact that they have it. But more recently scientists and health professionals have become concerned about the widespread use of triclosan in everyday products such as soaps, household detergents and toothpaste. They fret that it may produce bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. This is already a huge problem in hospitals and I have no desire to add to it.

A more immediate concern is that triclosan can react with the chemicals in ordinary tap water to form more dangerous compounds such as chloroform gas, which is known to cause cancer. Studies have also shown it can disrupt the hormones of some animals.

Sodium lauryl sulfate is another common additive to non-organic toothpaste. It helps make the toothpaste foam (you also find it in most shampoos though organic shampoo usually won't have it). This substance is one of the less harmful ones as it hasn't been linked to cancer or other major health issues. But is has been known to irritate the skin and for those with skin problems it can make them worse. It has also been linked to mouth sores (also known as canker sores). This was the reason I first tried out organic toothpaste.

There are a number of brands of organic toothpaste available. I prefer to use Green People, which is the most common natural toothpaste available in Britian. It comes in several flavours and has a lovely taste. I've also tried Tom's of Main and liked it, but not quite as much. The first thing you will notice when you switch to organic toothpaste is that it doesn't taste much like the normal variety. It is far less sweet (because it doesn't have artificial sweetener added to it) and is also a bit less foamy (once again it doesn't have the artificial foaming agent.

I have found that the taste and experience is actually a lot nicer than with ordinary toothpaste. It really does leave my mouth feeling quite fresh. My only worry is that many organic toothpastes that we get in Europe don't include fluoride, which I think is still a useful ingredient, and I do worry a bit about whether my teeth get the same level of protection. In America that isn't the same problem and one can find organic toothpaste that does include it (look for Sodium Fluoride on the label). One is Nature's Gate, that you can get through Amazon.com. Speaking of which, there is a huge range of reasonably cheap organic beauty products online through stores such as Amazon, which often has the best prices but it is still worth shopping around for the cheapest which may be on sale or discounted elsewhere.