Read the "Warning" First

Popular Toothpaste Ingredients – For Health or Hindrance

By Dr. Kevin Flood DDS

A typical toothpaste warning mandates: "Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately." The potential health risks relating to the ingestion of popular toothpaste ingredients are alarming and should include consideration of the mouth’s lining with its 90 percent absorption efficiency. What is put in the mouth, even though not swallowed, is still proportionately absorbed.

To create consumer interest, popular toothpaste manufactures utilize excessive amounts of fluoride, harsh abrasives and chemicals to improve the mechanical properties, appearance, taste and smell of toothpastes. These following ingredients are not comprehensive; but do provide a useful guide when selecting a toothpaste that meets the needs and desires of particular individuals.

Common ingredients to look for are:

• Fluoride: Declared one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century, it remains a controversial ingredient with potential health risks. Numerous dental professionals as well as scientists believe that fluoride is a source for the increase in thyroid problems as well as skeletal fluorosis. Many dental professionals believe that there is an epidemic of dental fluorosis (enamel staining) resulting from too much fluoride. Visit the American Dental Association’s website ada.org or the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology’s website at iaomt.org for a more complete discussion of this topic.
• Abrasives: include silica, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, and alumina. Calcium carbonate comes from stones, dicalcium phosphate is bone, and the silica in most toothpastes comes from sand. Whitening toothpastes can often have the opposite effect; the abrasives will wear down the enamel exposing the dentin underneath which is yellow in color.
• Sodium lauryl sulfate: a common detergent found in many toothpastes. Peer reviewed research has shown that this ingredient will dry out the protective mucous membrane, the cellular lining of the mouth that is the body’s first defense against infection. Research has also implicated this ingredient in the formation of canker sores. Individuals with chronic canker sores should look for this toothpaste ingredient and if present, should reconsider their choice of toothpaste.
• Pyrophosphate compounds: found in many tartar control toothpastes. The majority of individuals with sensitive skin have experienced burning, itching, or red cracked skin around the mouth.
• Artificial flavors, sweeteners, and dyes: added for improving the appearance, the taste, or the smell of toothpaste. These ingredients can cause toxic reactions especially in children. Artificial sweeteners such as saccharine are listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Sorbitol, another sweetener, can cause diarrhea. Aspartame, also a sweetener, has been implicated in liver and kidney damage. FD&C Blue No. 1, a coal tar dye often found in tooth paste, has also been implicated as a carcinogen.
• Triclosan: an ingredient utilized for its anti-microbial effects. Recent research published in Aquatic Toxicology is the first to show that triclosan can act as an endocrine disrupter. The research showed that concentrations of Triclosan found in North American streams caused endocrine disruptive effects (prominently in the thyroid gland) in native frogs.

Toothpastes have been around since the days of Hippocrates. As far back as 377 BC, the "father of medicine" referenced toothpaste recipes containing simple and naturally occurring ingredients. Still used today to improve oral hygiene, many of them can be found in the natural toothpaste options that are commonly found in health food stores. Some of these natural ingredients are:

• Peelu: an ingredient obtained from the Peelu tree in Asia and Africa, is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. The branches of the tree are ground down into a powder and made into a non-abrasive toothpaste.
• CoQ10: an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial nutrient that helps the blood carry more oxygen. Dr. Andrew Weil and other medical doctors recommend CoQ10 for healthy gums.
• Tee Tree oil: provides anti-septic, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties. Tea Tree Oil comes from the myrtle family and only found in Australia. Manufacturers add zinc, aloe and grapefruit seed extract to protect against viral and bacterial infections.
• Glycerine: from coconut oil is utilized both as a sweetener and a humectant (it keeps the toothpaste moist).
• Hamposyl L-95 (Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate): a constituent from coconut oil (different from Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), this enzymatic, anti-bacterial acts as a mild cleansing and foaming agent.
• Carrageenan: a natural thickening agent derived from Irish Moss.
• Grapefruit Seed Extract: a broad spectrum anti-microbial compound used by many leading authorities when treating yeast infections. It has a wide array of topical applications
• Clove oil: highly antiseptic and is a time honored remedy for toothaches.
• Myrrh: has been used since Biblical times for irritated and infected gums. Recent research shows that myrrh also stimulates the body’s immune system, thus increasing the body’s resistance to infection.

Choosing a more natural toothpaste may improve dental hygiene and overall health as well.

Dr. Kevin Flood DDS is a general dentist in Grand Rapids Michigan. Dr. Flood has taken the principles of dentistry and interwoven them with alternative healing modalities such as nutrition, dental material sensitivity, and manual medicine to create a new paradigm for dentistry. This new paradigm moves beyond drilling and filling and addresses the relationships of dentistry to the rest of the body. His office, Dental Health and Wellness Center, is located at 4990 Cascade Road SE. For more information call 616-974-4990 or visit FloodTheDentist.com.

Originally published in Natural Awakenings West Michigan November 2007 Natural Foods issue.