Your toothpaste could be causing your mouth ulcers.

If you suffer from mouth ulcers, or canker sorers, you may have been told they are stress activated or it is a virus. But that may not be all of it.

My son sufferes from chronic mouth ulcers. I was given this information when trying to figure out why. Poor kid can hardly drink or eat anything

The product accused of causing these ulcers is sls, or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a powerful wetting agent containing sodium, a highly reactive element which, when mixed with water, produces sodium hydroxide -- also known as lye. Not surprisingly, SLS is a staple in engine degreasers but also in toothpaste and soaps, in part because of its ability to foam.

yahoo

There is no benefit to sls, only that it creates the foaming action that people think make the teeth cleaner.

The article goes on to refute sls as the culprit.

A 1978 study published in the Journal of Oral Pathology revealed that a pronounced lack of folic acid, vitamin B-12 deficiencies and iron deficiencies may be to blame for the sudden development of canker sores. Yes, it is true that this study is now about 30 years old, but the odds are good that the human metabolism has not sufficiently changed to discount nutritional deficiencies as significant causes of canker sores.

IT reminds me of when the FDA claims that red dye that is put in about every food is safe, though it hasn't been tested for safey since 1982.

While in some cases nutritional deficiences and stress may be the cause, it doesn't explain why millions suffer from this.

A report published in the Journal of The American College of Toxicology in 1983 showed that concentrations of SLS as low as 0.5% could cause irritation and concentrations of 10-30% caused skin corrosion and severe irritation. National Institutes of Health "Household Products Directory" of chemical ingredients lists over 80 products that contain SLS and SLES. Some soaps have concentrations of up to 30%, which the ACT report called "highly irritating and dangerous".

natural-health.com



So I have gotten my son sls free toothpaste. We will see in a few weeks, how he does.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Very nice to know. I'm always keen on the FDA just wanting to earn a few bucks here and there at the cost of individuals physical health. Kinda like how SPLENDA and any food product that uses ASPARTAME is essentially a dose of cancer. However, because it is highly promoted and people truly believe it's beneficial to their health considering it contains no carbs and no fat, people arrogantly ignore the facts and continue to use the substance in their day to day lives. I really and truly don't understand our society.

reply to post by nixie_nox


By the way, what type of toothpaste were you buying and what did you change to?

reply to post by nixie_nox


I have a real sensitive mouth, and am prone to sore gums. Everything cleared up miraculously when I started using Tom's Propolis and Myrrh toothpaste.

www.tomsofmaine.com...

Hi everyone.

I´ve been suffering from this kind of ulcers all my life. And I like to thank you for taking your time to post.

I´m going to see if my former toothpaste has SLS. I´m using now a "child´s toothpaste" to clean my teeth. 500 ppm of Fluoride, against the 1500 ppm of Fluoride in normal toothpaste.... And a feel quite better using it.

Could it be the SLS rather than Fluoride? .... I´ll check it once I go home

reply to post by Jojo27


I only tend to get mouth sores from stress or hormones. But my son has had them consistently, and they never go away. He was using Crest for Kids at the time.

It is hard to get a 6yo on board for anything, but he was overjoyed that we got him special toothpaste. Poor kid, he has been suffering.

Thoug I do get him the dye mouth wash that dyes the plaque to show where they need to brush. I need to check on that also.

I use whatever all in one you get. Though I guess I should set an example and switch too.

reply to post by windword


Toms is good stuff. Glad it worked for you. I think my kiddo has a sensitive mouth too. Plus he is starting to lose the baby teeth, so it is already under stress.

reply to post by PragmaticBeliever


I personally think fluoride is ok as long as you don't ingest it. I think it works well topically.

The Tom's of Maine that windward mentioned has natural fluoride, not a byproduct.

Toothpaste should be so simple, why is there so much crap in it? lol

My mother just uses good ol fashioned baking soda. I can't take it though. blech

This is something they talk about at the Sjogrens support group a lot. The Sjogrens foundation sends out info about how toothpaste causes mouth ulcers for a lot of people, especially people with Sjogrens (we haven't got the saliva). The Sjogrens foundation suggests the BIOTENE toothpaste for people. It is much easier on sore mouths and much easier for those prone to mouth ulcers.

reply to post by FlyersFan


So has anyone reported having success switching from the commercial toothpaste?

Do you find the biotene anywhere?

Originally posted by nixie_nox
Do you find the biotene anywhere?

Walgreens carries the Biotene products. Most people with Sjogrens use them.
I do not. I tried them once and didn't like them. But most find that it helps with
the mouth sores and the tongue lesions that come from using regular toothpaste.

Check the biotene website. They have lots or biotene products.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Thank you for the info!

Other causes; not having enough zinc in your system, a pollen allergy. If you have the pollen allergy that causes mouth sores, you will get them when you eat anything citrus. Also if that is the case, stay away from tarragon.

reply to post by nixie_nox
S&F.

I get these ulsers quite a bit and my kids get them too. My wife does not get them so I figured it must be something genetic added to the claim of "stress" or spicy foods, etc.

In any case, I will check the toothpaste again. We used to use Tom's, then switched when we heard some stuff about Tom's. Switched to another natural toothpaste, then back to Colgate and Crest. So now, time to re-evaluate again.

reply to post by mrsdudara


Right. I don't think there is any one solid answer, but for people who may not have allergies, or deficiencies, they may have a sensititivtiy to the sls.