February is National Children's Dental Health Month’ and with that, I want to talk about why I use chemical free toothpaste in my home. Two of our five children have come home with their packets of Colgate from school, clean teeth is a great thing, right? As a mom, yes! As a crunchy-green mama, it's disheartening. When I see my children coming home with products full of chemicals that a company got to share with my children at school, I get frustrated.
Why I'm Against Fluoride
Fluoride is in two main places in our lives – our toothpaste and in our water supply. There are countless debates and votes all over the US, Canada and other countries, such as China & India with regards to Fluoride being a highly toxic substance. Consider, for example, the poison warning that the FDA now requires on all fluoride toothpaste sold in the U.S. Because this is such a big 'open for debate' issue I would like to just simply say this is cause for concern but would like to focus more today on a solution to the problem.
With it being National Dental Health Month, I thought I would do some blogging on the subject and show you what we do here at our home.
Tell me what you think about fluoride in our toothpaste or in our water supply, feel free to leave a comment below, I would love to know how others feel about this subject, Something brought you here to read further about the subject so let's get right into it.
Why Chemical Free Toothpaste?
Did you know that the chemicals in our children's toothpaste such as:
Cellulose gum, hydrated silica, mica, PEG-12, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium saccharin, sorbitol, titanium dioxide, +/-blue 1, +/-red 33, +/-red 40, +/-yellow 10 are all up for debate and I’m sure if you did some research on your own you may find that turning to a better, healthier, chemical-free alternative is the best solution.
Put these ingredients into the Environmental Working Group and see just what these chemicals are known to do.
My solution to the problem is simple, I use doTERRA’s Proprietary Natural Whitening- On Guard toothpaste. It has their OnGuard essential oil blend of Myrrh, Wild Orange, Wintergreen, Clove, Peppermint, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary that cleans and freshens breath, and sweetened with Xylitol.
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Let's break this group down to show you some green goodness here:
- Myrrh essential oil is soothing to the mouth, gums, and throat
- Peppermint essential oil combined with the doTERRA On Guard proprietary blend leaves your breath cinnamon-mint fresh
- Calcium hydroxyapatite has been clinically shown to support strong and healthy-looking teeth
- Natural xylitol sweetener tastes great while helping to keep the teeth and gums clean, as it is Birch Sugar, a natural byproduct that actually had been shown to strengthen teeth.
- Hydrated silica is a natural abrasive that helps remove plaque and tooth stains, but is gentle enough to not damage tooth enamel, unlike the ground up pumice stone found in commercial toothpaste.
For a great DIY, you can create your own mouthwash
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Directions for Use:
After flossing, apply a pea-size amount of paste to a moistened toothbrush, or less for kids. We use as directed by our dentist. For improved results, follow with a non-toxic, alcohol-free mouthwash. I run Copaiba over my kid's teeth or put a drop on their toothbrush for added protection to teeth and bones.
For me -- because I am a crazy essential oil user and I Love how it makes my mouth feel, I put a drop of 'DDR Prime' on my toothbrush to seal the deal on my brushing ritual. The end result, my teeth feel so clean! It seriously feels like I just had my teeth cleaned from my hygienist, you know that smooth feeling you get when you run your tongue across the front of your teeth? That's the feeling I'm talking about. Reconsider the idea of going chemical free and let me know how it goes for you and your loved ones. Oxo