Green Life – smile!

I have tackled 2 of my non-green secrets. So far, the switch over of deodorant has been pretty painless…so far. I know that only time will tell with this one. The elimination of resealable baggies has been easy. By not buying these baggies at the store, I have FORCED myself to use alternatives. The homemade baggies have been working just fine…a quick wipe with a damp cloth and they are ready to go! Now we move on to my 3rd vice…regular toothpaste. Here’s the back story.

When I decided a few years ago to go “au natural” toothpaste was one of the first things we switched. It was an easy decision…and “natural” toothpaste is readily available at the grocery store. So, why did I fall back into my old habit? Easy – the dentist made me do it. Our family started going to a new dentist (who shall remain nameless). We didn’t realize it at the time, but she was a pusher of all things chemical. She was a HUGE proponent of fluoride treatments for adults…I mean HUGE. I argued that I drink plenty of water…and brush my teeth twice a day…nope, not good enough. She also identified that the small spot that had been on my tooth for the last 4 years…without turning into a cavity…now needed to be filled. That was the straw that broke my camel back. I concluded that my natural toothpaste wasn’t doing a good job…time to switch back to full on chemical assault. However, it was when we moved and switched dentists that I realized how wrong she, and I, had been. The new dentist informed me that the “spot” really was just a spot…didn’t need to be filled! And fluoride treatments for adults…not necessary! My old dentist was nothing but a misguided scammer. Due to my laziness, I just haven’t made the switch back.

So why walk away from regular toothpaste you ask? There is a list of reasons…an ingredient list. There are many differences between regular toothpaste and natural toothpaste. The main differences are fluoride, artificial flavour, artificial colour, triclosan.

Last week my post addressed one of the number one offenders – triclosan. For those of you who missed it, triclosan is added to toothpaste, and other cosmetic products, to kill off bacteria in the mouth. Unfortunately, triclosan is under investigation by the American FDA. They are looking into research claims that triclosan is a hormone disruptor, and that triclosan leads to bacteria that is antibiotic resistant.

The debate around fluoride is definitely heated. Fluoride is added to our public drinking water, in very minute amounts, as a Public Health initiative. The belief is that individuals who do not have access to proper dental care ie; toothbrush, dentist and floss, benefit from the fluoride. While some municipalities have toyed with removing fluoride from drinking water, it is still recommended by most, if not all, Chief Public Health Officers. Even in Calgary, where City council recently voted to remove fluoride, the Chief Medical Officer disagreed with the decision. An example of the anti-fluoride campaign’s evidence includes research which suggests that over exposure can be dangerous to children. Studies are investigating the link between Fluoride and bone cancer in boys aged 10 – 19. Clearly this is a case where more research needs to be done.

Ever wonder why toothpaste is so minty and coloured red, green, blue or white? Artificial flavours and artificial colours are the reasons. The list is long as to why it is recommended we stay away from these. Why artificially create peppermint flavour when products can contain actual peppermint? Why does toothpaste need to be so colourful? Fundamentally this comes down to aesthetics…it has nothing to do with efficacy. The fewer artificial additives in our lives the better.

The reality is that good dental care is about brushing and flossing. Does toothpaste serve a purpose other than making our mouth minty? Toothpaste is an added abrasive…but it doesn’t clean between your teeth where the problems really exist…the brush and floss do. Perhaps we have been raised in a society that focuses so much attention on white teeth that we have lost sight of what we are really putting inside our mouths.

Again, I’m off to the store to search out alternatives…maybe the best alternative is a good quality brush and good quality floss – no paste at all? What do you use?

Environmental Working Group – Fluoride and Cancer