Despite that, we used regular toothpaste, which has lots of fluoride, though not nearly as much as a fluoride rinse.
Recently I read a few articles about it. Apparently, it is more toxic than lead and stores up in bones where it, purportedly, can eventually cause bone cancer. I'd prefer to do without it.
When we finally ran out of the toothpaste in our home, I went out and bought the first fluoride-free toothpaste I could find: Tom's of Maine.
It smells minty, it tastes minty, and then the aftertaste is all baking soda. It's not BLEEEEAH! but it's not exactly minty fresh refreshing, either.
I could use it for the rest of my days without complaint. I've never particularly liked brushing my teeth, anyway, so this is a mild penance to bear to avoid fluoride. But is there something better out there?
Do you use a fluoride-free toothpaste, and if so, do you like it?
We just started making our own toothpaste, after quietly and vaguely checking with the dentist. So far, so good. In fact, I think it works better than the commercial stuff. Will post recipe soon!
ReplyDeleteI use Tom's as well. My husband uses Jason (tea tree oil and cinnamon, I think)... personally I don't like the looks of his thick and pasty looking toothpaste and prefer mine. Plus, I'm neurotic and refuse to share a tube of toothpaste with anyone.
ReplyDeleteI have heard good reviews about Tooth Soap, but have never worked up the courage to buy it.
I haven't tried it yet, but when my toothpaste runs out (I like to stock up on sale items so it may be awhile!) I plan on trying something like this: http://www.crunchybetty.com/homemade-toothpaste-want-to-ditch-the-fluoride
ReplyDeleteI have a coupon for Tom's of Maine's kids toothpaste, but the label I read says that it contains fluoride, so poo. Maybe there is a fluoride-free kids version somewhere that I haven't found yet. I will keep looking!! Thanks for the info!!
ReplyDeleteDoes it taste good, or does it leave the baking soda residue flavor? :-D It's got to be cheaper than Tom's! That stuff is $4.50 a tube around here.
ReplyDeleteTooth soap? Oooh... that sounds gag-a-licious. I'm sure it's not, but the idea is daunting :).
ReplyDeleteJason, eh? I'll have to look into that. My husband is fine with whatever I get so long as it says "tartar control" on the label, which Tom's does. :)
Wow... that looks super interesting. I don't know how I feel about dipping my toothbrush into a jar of paste, but she says in there you can pipe the stuff into a tube which sounds promising. I'm all about DIY, but it might take me a while to warm up to this :). Thanks for sharing, 'cause if/when I do go this route, this looks like a great recipe (and I'm sure others will appreciate it, too)!
ReplyDeleteTom's does have children's fluoride-free toothpaste, though I don't know how widely available it is. The strawberry flavor looks pretty good to me, hehe... maybe I should swap my minty one for that :).
ReplyDeleteDo you have a trader joe's nearby? I get my Tom's there. I think it's $2.xx.
ReplyDeletehttp://toothsoap.com/shop-online/tooth-soap-flavors/mint-flavors/peppermint/
ReplyDeleteThere are various types, that's just one that I pulled up.
We've used Tom's of Maine for years (Trader Joe's has the best price and TJ also has it's own similar brand) so regular toothpaste tastes too refreshing for us. A friend who used it for the first time had complaints from her kids that it was "like brushing with yogurt." You could also used baking soda dampened with a little hydrogen peroxide - although, again, not refreshing. Perhaps add a little peppermint oil?
ReplyDeleteMight wanna try looking on their website for coupons too! I think that's where I found the kids' one. A dollar off makes $4.50 SLIGHTLY less painful. ;)
ReplyDeleteSadly no. I live in the "country" remember? hehe I think the closest one is 500 miles away. :(
ReplyDeleteLOL... brushing with yogurt :). My husband wants "tartar control" which is why I haven't gone the homemade route on toothpaste, but I'm warming up to the Tom's of Maine stuff :).
ReplyDeleteA kind reader on Facebook told me about Vitacost.com I don't know if they take coupons (probably not) but since we don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, it's the cheapest I've seen so far. I'll definitely scan their site for coupons, though, 'cause those are handy (and not exactly in the newspaper coupon section)! :)
ReplyDeleteCompletely a delayed response.... (forgot I was in on a conversation to check back on!)
ReplyDeleteBut are we even 500 miles apart? I don't have many geography skills or much of a sense of direction, but it doesn't seem like anything in this region could be that far away. :P
The nearest TJ's opened in Spokane on the 28th, the next closest is in Issaquah a few hours away.
ReplyDeleteI use Tom's...been allergic to Fluoride since '99 (something you didn't know about this cousin)...I use the Peppermint..I think it tastes like Candy Canes. I had a dentist say it's all in my head, nope...not when I lived in a college town that switched over to Flouride in their water to break out in hives when I take a shower. I do have papers I got about the dangers of Fluoride back when I was living out of area...I just need to copy them & drop them off at the farm. I did try dental soap before, very interesting. Tom's Mouthwash & Floss is Fluoride Free...I have to check packages to make sure there's no Fluoride too... I have many soap allergies too...watch out for Triclosn in Antibacterial stuff, it's as bad or worse than Fluoride, not to mention I'm allergic to it too. I have articles on the dangers of that too. -- The cousin that raises bunny rabbits
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about Triclosn! I'll have to look into that some more. Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to check the price, but Trader Joe's has some interesting non-Fluoride toothpaste options (including a Fennel (licorice) flavored one). I'll do a price check next time I stop in there, but I'm guessing it's going to be cheaper than Tom's of Maine!
ReplyDeleteSadly I'm nowhere near a Trader Joe's, but I'm going to be traveling this Christmas and just may get near one. If so, I may have to stock up on all of these awesome Trader Joe's products people keep telling me about (peanut butter, toothpaste, pastured butter... though that might be awkward on my carry-on, hehe).
ReplyDeleteI still prefer the aftertaste of mint after brushing my teeth. The only reason that I can think of is I just feel fresher with mint.
ReplyDeleteall-on-four
Great blog you got there buddy! I'm using baking soda as alternative for toothpaste with fluoride and suprisingly it works like a charm! I suggest that you should try that too, you should brush your teeth daily to avoid these kind of complications such as tooth decay,plaque and dental implant. I heard that dentist Bondi Junction dental implants
ReplyDeletedoes amazing dental implants.