Today, I’m going to rant about toothpaste. Last week I was down to my last squeeze of the toothpaste tube. It was rolled up so tight that I could only get a light film of paste to cover the toothbrush.
The problem was that every time I went out shopping, I forgot to buy a new tube, even though I had that niggling feeling I was forgetting something. I was down to using the tiny tube from the travel kit, but I finally finished it as well. Finally I remembered the toothpaste, looked for my chosen brand name on the box and threw it on the bathroom vanity at home.
The next morning, I squeezed it out onto my toothbrush and stared at what was there. It wasn’t white, it was blue. It wasn’t paste, it was some sort of gel. I looked at the tube with the familiar name on it and realized that I should have read the small print that said this was: “The first and only leading toothpaste that protects against sensitivity and all these other areas dentists check most. It fights cavities, fights tartar, whitens teeth, freshens breath, fights plaque, fights gingivitis.”
To top it off, it says it is ‘Triclosan free.’ I have no idea what that means, but I decide to give it a try. I start to brush and my mouth suddenly feels like it’s full of gravel. I automatically spit it out and think that maybe this tube slipped by the inspector and is full of Triclosan.
Then I find out that Triclosan has been used in toothpaste for decades and is a proven factor in reducing gingivitis. But it is also regulated by the FDA for use in pesticides and mould depressants and toothpaste manufacturers are slowly phasing it out as an ingredient, upon recommendation of regulators.
But the ‘gravel’ is actually tiny bits of silica added as an abrasive to scour the crud from teeth and leave me with fresh minty breath and a charming white smile. However, further research tells me that the silica capsules are also on the way out, as dentists are finding them lodged under the gum line causing infection. In some cases, they are actually removing enamel from the teeth.
Also, the blue dye in my gel is said to have been linked to severe allergic reactions, headaches and other nasty conditions. What are we putting in our mouths every morning? Every drug store shelf has rows and rows of toothpaste and denture adhesives that contain a strange combination of chemicals.
We used to have three brands of toothpaste, all white and all paste. My Dad never used denture cream, he preferred having his dentures loose so he could flip them out at the grandkids and send them screaming from the room.
The challenge to get teeth sparkling white is a big business. I had a friend who spent big dollars to have her teeth professionally whitened and I’m sure if she smiled upwards in the night time sky, they could see her from the space station. It just wasn’t natural.
My Mom has always said you can’t beat warm water and baking soda for toothpaste. That sounds a lot safer than using pesticides and antifreeze components to clean my teeth.
I think I can use the rest of this tube of gel to fill the cracks in my driveway. At least that’s what McGregor says.
