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BANG FOR THE BITE
For a truly ideal bite (sorry, couldn't help it) and to avoid certain chems, natural dental hygiene's your best bet.
COCKTAIL FACT
Scientists have yet to identify about half the bacteria that live in our mouths.
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Want better $&%@#@$ teeth cleaners?
The Bite
Watch your mouth - and check our picks for eco toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash. They forgo less-sustainable ingredients and sure beat washing your mouth out with eco-soap.The Benefits
- Swallow your words, not chems. Give good grin without conventional ingredients such as triclosan, an antibacterial which may react with the chlorine in your tap water to create the carcinogenic chem chloroform (though in small enough amounts that you won't pass out).
- Environmentally correct brushing. In the United States, 50 million pounds of toothbrushes end up in landfills each year - try a replaceable head brush to minimize plastic use.
Personally Speaking
Toshio used to get canker sores all the time, but they're rare since he switched to toothpaste without the foaming agent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).Wanna Try?
- Radius Source Toothbrush - replaceable-head toothbrush; you can keep the recycled plastic handle forever ($6).
- Tom's of Maine Clean & Gentle Care - peppermint, SLS-free version of Tom's toothpaste ($5).
- Tom's of Maine Naturally Waxed Floss - nylon-based floss that avoids the petrochemical waxes used in most flosses ($4).
- Miessence Freshening Mouth Wash - supertingly formula (with clove, peppermint, and spearmint oils) lets you feel it's actually working ($13).
Sep 17,2008
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Grin and Bear It
The new toothbrush and sugar-free lollies were always pretty sorry consolation for trips to the dentist - especially in days of old, when you had to sit with "chocolate- or strawberry-flavored" fluoride gel trays propped in your mouth for 15 minutes, drooling like a river and waiting to answer the inevitable "How's school?" question with a grunt. All after a goodly amount of radiation, no less.
My obsession with flossing probably stems from a fierce desire to minimize conversation with hygienists and their unnaturally perfect teeth. Unfortch, I still have to go, but now there are all kinds of environmentally conscious dentists popping up - some even offer massage and other snazzy perks. We ended up tipping one that Heather tried out, and next month, I'll be heading to Toshio's tooth-fixer-upper, who's doing all kinds of good eco-things.
If you've got a great green one you can recommend where you live, share it in the blog!
-Jenifer Morgan...off to chomp on some greens...
Biter Comments...
I recently found out that large amounts of glycerin (found in all toothpastes that I know of) that slows down the process of remineralization and inhibits the mouth to do what it does naturally to keep it healthy. Which can lead to gum problems, etc. The solution? Try tooth soap!! There is a very small amount of naturally occuring glycerin and its easy to rinse off the teeth. I had a GREAT check up last time I went to see the dentist after using tooth soap for about 4.5 months. Throw out your old toothbrush if you change to tooth soap to get rid of the sticky brush.
You can purchase tooth soap online or simply use a food grade soap. With the wet brush, just slide it across the bar and voila! Note it does take a little adjustment from using toothpaste, but my teeth are smooth every day!!
I'm really interested in the "Personally Speaking" about less canker sores. Has anyone else experienced this? Mine are fairly obviously related to stress (usually), but I get 2-4 at a time every 4-6 weeks and they take a week or more to go away - horrible!
Re: canker sores - if you don't already, I suggest making a multi-vitamin a part of your daily routine. In times of stress and possibly not eating as well because of stress, a multi-vitamin helps.
Sodium Laurel Sulphate gave me what the doc called mouth ulcers. I have to watch out not just in tooth paste, but also shampoo, hand soap, and dish soap. It is a natural foaming agent so it is even in many green brands. My favorite toothpaste is Kiss My Face. Tastes really weird for a few days, then you get used to it. Very clean mouth!
Have any of you tried Eco-Dent? My husband and I love it. The original formula makes his teeth less sensitive. They also have a whitening formula, but it's only for intermittent use, since it makes your teeth MORE sensitive.
Eco-Dent is a powder. It's great for travelling. It's a small, lightweight container, and you don't have to worry about it leaking, like with toothpaste.
cheapest, easiest, earth-friendliest option that really freaking works:
baking soda
it's a completely underrated cleaner for just about anything. i switched a few months ago and my teeth feel cleaner, my breath is just fine and i don't have to worry about what all those toothpaste ingredients may or may not do. i was a big fan of Tom's of Maine, but i find it quite expensive these days.
I too use the Recycline / Preserve toothbrushes and I really like them. And it makes me happy that they aren't as bad for the environment.
As for canker sores I used to get them all the time, but I stopped using the well known brand toothpastes like Crest and Colgate and use alternative ones now (my favorite is the Jason brand). But even using Mentadent I noticed a huge difference. They say certain foods can trigger them also, like chocolate. I know there are others but can't think of them off the top of my head. Also I still notice everytime I travel I still get them, and I think I heard this is due to a change in the water systems. Sounds weird I know, but it really does happen. One way to prevent that is to use bottled or filtered water. Crazy again, but if it stops me from getting a canker sore, I'm all for it! You don't use that much anyways.
Lastly, I found a really nice mouth rinse from The Natural Dentist (I think that's the name). I tried the one with the berry flavor. It took a little while to get used to, but now I'm hooked. They market it for people with braces, which I don't have. But I don't think it matters one way or another.
2 things - canker sores and I once had a thing but I started avoiding the SLS and now don't have them. So finding a toothpaste that doesn't have it is worth a try, Katie.
The last time I got my teeth cleaned, my dentist offered a baking soda based spray, sort of pressure washed my teeth, I guess. I didn't ask, but wondered if it was any more or less eco-friendly than traditional icky polish put on with the rotating brush.
I've certainly heard of canker sores but I've never had one myself. I think they're like cold sores or fever blisters, aren't they?
Jenifer, you're fortunate that you can afford to go to the dentist on a regular basis. I'd like to, but I can't afford it. The last time I went to my dentist was July,'96. However, my mouth doesn't bother me at all, even though I brush only about once a week which is OK because I'm not around people all that often. Only when I know I'm going to be in a prolonged social situation do I brush my teeth and rinse my mouth, otherwise, I just can't be bothered.
JASON-SeaFresh toothpaste. It's SLS-free and you can get a flouride-free one as well, my choice. We have enough flouride in our tap water in Detroit. It's great, a little goes a long way. It gets really foamy. Your mouth feels clean and refreashed, all day. This is the best all natural toothpaste. It's all my husband and I will ever buy again. Well, you would think I worked for them, I don't, I'm just very passionate about this toothpaste.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Stateshoe | September 17, 2008 at 11:50 AM