Green Teeth

Okay, so I'm not talking about literally turning your teeth green, but let me tell you about how I've "greened" up my dental routine. You might be thinking, that's simple... just turn the water off while you're brushing your teeth! Yes, Sesame Street taught us that long ago, but there's more! After reading some surprising information in some of my green books I've started looking a little closer at the products I use to take care of my teeth. Here's the two chemicals I'm concerned about: fluoride and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).

Toxin #1: Fluoride is pretty controversial nowadays, but back in the day when children's tooth decay was on the rise, many people thought it was the "cure-all" for preventing tooth decay. In fact, people loved it so much it was even added to drinking water! Sadly, it still remains in there today. Here's a gross fact for you: the chemicals used to fluoridate drinking water are industrial waste products from the phosphate fertilizer industry. What? I'm drinking that? You've got to be kidding me! Anyways, the reason I'm so anti-fluoride is that I found out aside from the fact that it's a toxin, studies have shown IQ deficits among children exposed to excess fluoride! Read more about this here. On top of this, more risks associated with fluoride in toothpaste and tap water (mainly stemming from being swallowed) are risks to: thyroid glands, bones, the chances of developing bone cancer, and a risk of fluoride toxicity in those with kidney issues. You can read more here at the Fluoride Action Network. Needless to say, I was avoiding toothpaste with fluoride!


Toxin #2: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): used to help make products easier to apply and foamier. Dangers: when absorbed by the body mimics estrogen, it can damage the immune system and has been a factor in causing male infertility, breast cancer and menopause issues. This was a hard one to get rid of, because even some healthy brands like Tom's of Maine contained SLS!

Who can come and save the day? It's J/A/S/O/N toothpaste "Power Smile." After about fifteen minutes of looking at toothpaste boxes at my local health food store I came across this brand which was free of fluoride and SLS...plus it was a good price, about $6. Here are the ingredients: Aqua (water), glycerin (vege), Citrus grandis (grapefruit seed extract), dead sea salt, calcium ascorbate, zinc ascorbate, ascorbic acid, Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel extract), aloe barbadensis (aloe vera gel)*, sodium bicarbonate, Perilla frutescens japanica (perilla seed extract), menthol, polysorbate 20, Mentha piperita (peppermint oil), Hydrastis canadensis (golden seal)*, Echinacea angustifolia (echinacea)*, Calendula officinalis (calendula)*, Carica papaya (papaya). *Certified organic.
I think it works pretty good, and it has a nice flavor, you might give it a try!

Next is mouthwash. After the days of my mouth stinging from using good ol' Listerine, I switched to Tom's of Maine. Then after I made my "fluoride discovery" I found Dessert Essences Tea Tree Oil Mouthwash. It has no fluoride, alcohol, artificial detergents, color, or perfumes. I tried several other mouthwashes, most of which had funny flavors or cost $10 for a small bottle! This one costs about $3-4 for an 8oz. bottle. I've really liked this Tea Tree Oil mouthwash, but I'd love to try making some homemade mouthwash like this recipe from one of my green idols, Sophie Uliano:

Next, my toothbrush. I used to use one of those battery-powered toothbrushes because I liked the way it felt as it "did the hard work" for me. But I feel in love with the Preserve brand after ordering their cutting board I blogged about here, so when I saw they had a toothbrush you could RECYCLE when you're done with it, I knew I was game! Plus, it's made from recycled yogurt cups and it's BPA free. It cost around $3, not too bad at all! I've had it for several weeks now and I really enjoy it! It has a little curve in the handle and it makes brushing a little easier. Plus when I'm done with it, I can go drop in one of Preserve's "Gimme 5 Recycling Center".

Last, the gum! I've always been a gum chewer, and I've gone through many brands over the years from Trident to Eclipse, and everything in between. I mainly stuck with sugar-free brands since I didn't want my teeth rotting out. But after learning about aspartame (pronounced "as-par-tame") and it's possible dangers which include: birth defects, brain cancer, diabeties, and seizures just to name a few, I was so done with it! On top of this, I was always suspicious of the artifical food colorings and funky perservatives listed on the package. So what's a greenie to do? I knew I wanted all the aspartame out of my diet, but I had no replacement. So time to start testing healthy gums! There were several at my local health food store, and after many tries, I found one I liked, called Spry Xylitol Spearmint Chewing Gum. Instead of being sweetened with sugar or aspartame, they use xylitol, which according to their website, "Xylitol is a naturally-occurring sugar alcohol found in corn cobs and stalks, and is shown to reduce tooth decay by up to 80 percent!" Sounds good to me! Granted it's a "healthy" gum so don't be too disappointed when the flavor goes out about 15 minutes into chewing a new piece. Also, it costs a bit more than normal gum.... about $8.50 for 100 pieces (which lasts me about 2 weeks). But it's a good "green" alternative if you're looking to get the toxins out of your gum. My cure for the flavor fading...chew one piece for a while and when the flavor starts to go out, stick another piece in...it kind of revives it. He he!

So those are my picks for "greening" up your dental care routine. What do you think? Do you use any green toothpaste, mouthwash, or gum? Have any favorites you want to share or any brands to warn us about, post it below! ( :