What you don't know about Toothpaste

As part of the commemorations for the unofficial Dental health Day (proudly sponsored by thecakeisalie) I'm here to enlighten you about the product that helps keep your teeth clean and your breath fresh. Now we all know that Oral health is important because it's the front door to the Digestive system, and If our mouths are in in poor shape then the rest of our digestive system will suffer.

But what about the products that we put in our mouth to keep it clean? Sure they do the job but we never question the ingredients that make up that these products-and those ingredients are listed below.

Titanium Dioxide

Titanium dioxide has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen ''possibly carcinogen to humans''. Titanium dioxide accounts for 70% of the total production volume of pigments worldwide. It is widely used to provide whiteness and opacity to products such as paints, plastics, papers, inks, foods, and toothpastes. It is also used in cosmetic and skin care products, and it is present in almost every sunblock, where it helps protect the skin from ultraviolet light.

Wait...Did I read that right? A Possible carcinogen? but after further inspection...

However, it should be noted that the human studies conducted so far do not suggest an association between occupational exposure to titanium dioxide and an increased risk for cancer.

CCOHS

What a relief, and as an added bonus this ingredient not only fights tooth decay, it also fights the seven signs of aging!!! people could save a small fortune by smearing toothpaste on their faces rather then forking out for expensive cosmetics.

Sodium gluconate

Sodium gluconate is widely used in textile dyeing, printing and metal surface water treatment. It is also used as a chelating agent, a steel surface cleaning agent, a cleaning agent for glass bottles, and as a chelating agent for cement, plating and alumina dyeing industries. It is a white colorless powder that is very soluble in water.

Wikipedia

Hmm...A steel surface cleaning agent? all these years I've wasted money on cleaning products when the answer was sitting on my bathroom bench! What other ingredients does this miracle elixir offer?

Chondrus crispus

Chondrus crispus, known under the common name Irish moss, or carrageen moss (Irish carraigín, "little rock"), is a species of red algae which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America.

Princeton University

Fantastic- My diet needs a healthy dose of leafy vegetables and I'm glad that toothpaste can cater for my dietary needs- but it doesn't clean my faucets or removes my crows feet so I have to issue demerit points to Chondrus crispus.

Sodium Saccharin

In the 1970's, studies demonstrated that sodium saccharin was carcinogenic in laboratory rats. On this basis, saccharin was de-listed as a food additive in Canada, although restricted access as a table top sweetener was maintained.

There's that dreaded C word again! but luckily...

Since that time, further studies have suggested that the carcinogenic effect of sodium saccharin in rats is not relevant to humans.

Health Canada

Phew...I was worried there for a moment. I wonder if the labs rats feel the same way.

The other ingredients are commonplace and can be found in nearly every confection that's on the market, but these main ingredients are prevalent in many toothpastes and I can't reveal the brands due to obvious legal reasons.

So there you have it- the tooth about truthpaste. Be sure to brush regularly!

You can spend your entire life worrying about this stuff and avoiding everything that might give you cancer... and still die of cancer.

I decided that cancer can get me if I worry about it or not so I do what I want.

i stopped using all those garbage chemical cosmetic articles like shower gels,shampoos and liquid soaps including toothpaste
and replaced them by one thing: sodium bicarbonate
just stick your toothbrush in it and use warm water to brush
in the shower i use only sodium bicarbonate too
it works great for cleaning and even has a nice peeling effect until the particles of the powder are dissolved fully in water
my teeth,gums and skin has never been better
for washing hands i use aleppo bar soap which is made from only olive oil,laurel oil and sodium hydroxide nothing else

liquid soaps and shampoos are just a big money scam!
a good old bar of soap lasts a year (not the mass produced commercial soaps those are full of chemicals and have stuff in them that makes them dissolve faster so customers have to restock quicker)
every chemical and CI that is forbidden to use in food is fine in cosmetics and medicine like chinoline yellow for example and parabenes which for toothpaste is very bad you take in all these chemicals trough your gums into your bloodstream and brain unfiltered by the liver

even all the alternative no fluoride,natural toothpastes i found had all at least 1 ingridients i didnt like so im gonna stick with good old sodium bicarbonate

a reply to: thevace
I'm with you, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is the main product I use in the bathroom. Not only for the things that you have listed but, I also dissolve a small amount in my hands and use it as my deodorant works great. I use it to clean the tub, toilet and sink also.

I also mix a little with coconut oil or grape seed oil and it makes a wonderful facial scrub or a foot scrub it doesn't discriminate LOL Most of all, it's so inexpensive. I save a considerable amount of money by using it in place of gimmicky products that are actually inferior.

You forgot one of the worst ingredients from your list...fluoride.

Nasty, nasty, nasty stuff.

Yes, it does indeed kill germs in your mouth...but that's not all it does.

Fluoride free, herbal toothpaste is all we have used for several years now, and had fewer cavities and dental problems since ditching the fluoride based crap.

Sorry, are you saying you use bicarb as toothpaste and it works well?
Does it freshen the breath as well.

Might have to give it a go.

originally posted by: MysterX
You forgot one of the worst ingredients from your list...fluoride.

Nasty, nasty, nasty stuff.

Yes, it does indeed kill germs in your mouth...but that's not all it does.

Fluoride free, herbal toothpaste is all we have used for several years now, and had fewer cavities and dental problems since ditching the fluoride based crap.

Yes, the worst component of all.

Some day the public will wake up but only when someone spoonfeeds them the info.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Cancer can't live in an alkaline body, which is why the food industry so widely promotes an acidic diet. Sugar, salt, additives...

The health and food industry go hand in hand. The food creates the problem, the health industry creates a "solution". Only their goal isn't to treat the ailment, but rather the symptoms.

There is no profit in cures. Only in prolonged, regular treatments. Chemotherapy being the biggest farce of them all.

originally posted by: borntowatch
Sorry, are you saying you use bicarb as toothpaste and it works well?
Does it freshen the breath as well.

Might have to give it a go.

Sodium Bicarbonate is a great toothpaste alternative, however it doesn't really help with bad breath as far as I know. You might want to mix in some mint. Also, you don't want to use it everyday as it can be hard on your teeth. Look up oil pulling. Another great method of cleaning your teeth which also whitens them over time.

originally posted by: 2manyholes
a reply to: thevace
I'm with you, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is the main product I use in the bathroom. Not only for the things that you have listed but, I also dissolve a small amount in my hands and use it as my deodorant works great. I use it to clean the tub, toilet and sink also.

I also mix a little with coconut oil or grape seed oil and it makes a wonderful facial scrub or a foot scrub it doesn't discriminate LOL Most of all, it's so inexpensive. I save a considerable amount of money by using it in place of gimmicky products that are actually inferior.

I just read on the net that sodium bicarbonate (also known as sodium hydrogen carbonate - NaHCO3) is used as a cleaning agent to clean toilets and showers and also is used to rid people of body odour. It is also used as a paint remover and in pools to raise the ph levels of the water, and also to make books smell nice. It is also used in fire extinguishers as a fire retardant.

It is amphoteric and reacts with bases and will become exothermic when mixed with an acid, causing it to get hot and produce an asphyxiant gas, which can be fatal in sufficient quantities.

Its used as a biopesticide also...

I'd be staying away from this toxic poison. You never know just when it will kill you dead.

I brush my teeth with turmeric only. nothing but natural for me.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Very well written (and entertaining!) post! S&F

I've used toothpaste for years to clean my jewelry and silver but I never thought to research the ingredients. ..I just thought it was awesome that I could use an inexpensive product that was already in my home. Thanks for posting!

a reply to: thevace

Agreed. For over a year I've been using baking soda, a little peppermint essential oil for soap and my body's never felt better. Helps my complexion and controls body odor. Skin is super soft. Same for shampoo. Hair is great.

For toothpaste I use baking soda, few drops of the peppermint oil, a little ground up fennel and just a bit of salt.

No matter what we consume we're still toxic. But if it's cheaper, better and safer, I'll use it. Works wonders for me.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

I stopped using soaps, shampoos and deodorants because they're just a hoax to make money for the chemical industry. I just wash in water and wash my clothes in water too.

I've saved a fortune and it's like a new world has opened up. Nature is more friendly and dogs will follow me around or come along for a friendly sniff. In summer, I've even noticed that insects are friendlier and it's not uncommon to have several flies buzzing around me as if they're saying 'Hi!'

I also stopped using toothpaste a few months ago. I'll use an old toothbrush and water so it's really inexpensive and eco-friendly.

Although insects and animals are friendlier, people are too sold on all this hygiene conspiracy and making money for the man. It means they keep their distance rather than facing the Truth and waking up. It's cool though as I always get a seat to myself on the bus and queues seem really, really quick suddenly.

People aren't all up in my space anymore because they can't handle seeing someone walking their own path. Honestly, they pull some faces like the truth is a bad smell or something.

a reply to: sn0rch
I certainly don't add it to an acid base such as vinegar when using it on my body, yes that would then lend it to being harsh. As far as it being a toxic poison, I think you are being extreme. Baking soda is used in cooking and has been forever.

As far as a fire retardant, if you have a kitchen fire baking soda or even salt for that matter thrown on to the fire will put it out immediately.

Even Dr Oz recommends it for use in the body. I've used it for my toothpaste for years, my gums are healthy and my teeth are stain free. I'm 60 and it hasn't done me in yet.

a reply to: Gh0stwalker

Cancer can't live in an alkaline body, which is why the food industry so widely promotes an acidic diet.

Um, no. A low pH is very dangerous, our bodies work best when very slightly alkaline. pH balance is critical and going to the acid side, even a bit, can have dire consequences.

If the pH of your blood falls below 7.35, the result is a condition called acidosis, a state that leads to central nervous system depression. Severe acidosis - where blood pH falls below 7.00 - can lead to a coma and even death.

drbenkim.com...



But the thing is, no matter what you eat it won't affect the PH balance much in either direction unless you have some other serious problems.

Fresh birch leaves make a great soap to bathe with.

Just toss a bunch of birch leaves into a bag or container of some kind, fill with water, and shake vigourously until bubbles form. Then just wash yourself (and your hair) with the water. You can also just scrub yourself with the leaves in a tub of water (wet yourself first of course).

You'll be squeaky clean and smelling as fresh as a rainforest.

Any plants with saponin will form a soapy lather.

It's literally nature's soap.



As for toothpaste uses...

A tiny dab of toothpaste on a zit will clear that little sucker up within 24 hours. Leave the toothpaste on until the next day. But be careful to only put the toothpaste on the actual pimple and not the surrounding skin because it'll burn and dry out the non-oily skin surrounding the pimple.

a reply to: Phage

i dont know what you want to say with your "uhm no" you seem to fail to understand that high ph means alkaline
so everything ghostwalker wrote is right

a reply to: thevace

i dont know what you want to say with your "uhm no" you seem to fail to understand that high ph means alkaline so everything ghostwalker wrote is right

I know what a pH number represents. Do you? Acidic is a pH below 7 (which is neutral). Trying to decrease your pH through diet is mostly an exercise in futility but if you were to succeed in bringing your body to an acidic level you would be putting yourself at extreme risk. Humans can't live in an acidic body any more than cancer can.

a reply to: Phage

but that is exactly what gh0stwallker was saying so why the "uhm no" ? only makes sense if you didnt understand that alkaline means high ph

a reply to: thevace They're the numbers.....