How to choose the right toothpaste

While some of our more experienced readers have got into the habit of deciphering the ingredients of their face care products, the same can’t be said for toothpaste. Because you brush your teeth every day, toothpaste is in daily, extended contact with your gums, and can therefore affect your health on top of ensuring your smile is the nicest and whitest of all.

On cavities and the question of fluoride vs. fluoride-free toothpaste

One of the most well-known ways of preventing cavities is to brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride concentration in toothpaste should be anywhere between 1,000 ppm (100 mg/100 g) and 2,500 ppm (250 mg/100 g) for an adult, which should be clearly indicated on the label. This level of fluoride helps teeth ward off bacteria and thereby prevent cavities.

Excessive fluoride intake can lead to dental fluorosis (light stains on the teeth), and even weaken the skeleton when taken in super high doses. Some natural toothpastes are therefore fluoride-free. So long as you’re not going through a tube of toothpaste each day, there really is very little risk in using a toothpaste with fluoride.

Dodgy ingredients to be avoided

The most suspicious ingredient toothpaste can contain isn’t fluoride but sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), which can cause irritations. Butylparaben, propylparaben, and triclosan are also suspected of being endocrine disruptors, i.e., they could mess with your hormonal system.

What’s in a natural toothpaste?

When faced with potentially toxic ingredients, many men chose alternative, natural, fluoride-free toothpastes. They generally contain gentle scrubbing agents such as silica and calcium carbonate. These are the ingredients that polish your teeth, leaving them smooth and shiny, so they can reflect light right into the eyes of your colleagues.

You’ll often see white or green clay listed among the ingredients. These clays absorb toxins and bacteria, which is also why we use them in our purifying face mask. Not sure how effective toothpaste is at removing spots though.

Sodium bicarbonate is an antibacterial and whitening agent. Xylitol — a sweetener extracted from birch trees — replaces fluoride by reducing mouth acidity levels and thereby slowing the development of cavity-inducing bacteria. All in a day’s work. You might remember Yannick Do telling us about the miswak stick he chews on to keep his teeth whiter than white. The same miswak can be found in some natural toothpastes. It sanitises the mouth and takes care of the gums. Coconut oil by-products sometimes come in as gentle cleansing agents for the teeth, gums, and tongue. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean the toothpaste will taste like Piña Colada.

Speaking of flavour, that’s what benefit-packed essential oils are used for in some toothpastes. Clove, peppermint, and tea tree oils will sanitise, purify, and leave your breath super fresh. Sage oil soothes and heals, and rosemary oil is a natural antiseptic. Toothpastes using essential oils can be surprising as they don’t really foam, and they come in flavours that are sometimes far removed from the traditional minty kind you might be used to.

With all that being said, a good toothpaste is completely wasted if you use it with a spent toothbrush. Remember to change your toothbrush as soon as its bristles start to show signs of fatigue. If that sounds too complicated, just replace your toothbrush every two months on average. Rinsing your toothbrush out thoroughly and shaking it after use will extend its lifespan and prevent it from becoming a bacteria breeding ground. There you go, that’s another topic we didn’t brush over.