As I have aged, I have become so much more critical of what I put in my body, and I read labels of everything now. Toothpaste is one that I most recently have looked into and didn't like what I found. I won't go into every ingredient that is in toothpaste, but I would like to point out some very common ones that just are not necessary.

Consider this:

The FDA does not regulate the vast majority of ingredients used in personal care products including toothpaste. This means like me, you need to do your homework and read labels. They regulate a handful of “active ingredients” like fluoride (e.g. stannous fluoride, sodium fluoride, and sodium monofluorophosphat. Fluoride is classified as a drug, and per the CDC can be poisonous if ingested. It can accumulate in your tissues and bones and has been linked to cancer in several studies. Again, read labels and know what you are putting in your mouth!
Your oral mucosa (the inside lining of the mouth) can absorb more than 90 percent of what it comes in contact with. So, even if you don’t swallow your toothpaste, it can enter your bloodstream. Make sure your mouth is absorbing beneficial ingredients, like minerals, and nothing potentially harmful.
Many natural or naturally derived ingredients are bioengineered and GMO, like xylitol, glycerin, citric acid, and sorbitol. If you avoid GMOs in your food, it makes sense to avoid them in your toothpaste too.
Poor oral health, indicated by periodontal (gum) disease and inflammation, is linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other systemic health issues. Most toothpaste does little to help control the bacteria that cause gum disease. Some commercial brands use Triclosan which wipes out both good and bad bacteria, while natural formulas often overlook ingredients that address this specific issue. Although toothpaste is not meant to heal gum disease, it can certainly help prevent it.
Most Dentists view toothpaste as a cosmetic. Brands market superficial benefits consumers have been trained to expect from toothpaste, like the slippery mouthfeel (glycerin for slickness, gums for texture and surfactants for foaming), strong zesty fresh flavor for bad breath (menthols or artificial flavors), tooth whitening - the whiter the better (hydrated silica or other rough abrasives that can damage enamel) and a pleasing color when it hits the toothbrush (white or even red, blue or green). And of course, everyone expects some level of cavity prevention. From some dentist’s perspective, this is all backward. If you ask a holistic dentist what is most important to oral health, they won’t mention toothpaste, they will likely answer: 1) brushing correctly, and often, 2) flossing every day, 3) taking trace minerals.
Ingredients in toothpaste should have real benefits with no downsides —a healthy mouth is critical to overall health and well-being.

I will start with fluoride. While there is a lot on controversy surrounding it, I will not take you down the rabbit hole, but I am going to give you these statements I found in my research and let you make the choice. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that water with added fluoride, bottled or otherwise, should not be used to mix concentrated formula or foods intended for babies age 1 year and younger to prevent tooth damage. Fluoridated bottled water comes with special instruction for infant consumption. The ADA stance is in congruence with the antifluoride lobby who report that the level of fluoride put into water (1 ppm) is up to nearly 50 times higher than normally found in mothers' milk (0.019 ± 0.004 ppm).[29] Therefore, there are no benefits, only risks, for infants ingesting this heightened level of fluoride at such an early age. I know most of us probably used baby formula and was told to use bottled water, but did you really know why till now? Also, fluoride is an acute toxin, with a rating slightly higher than lead. It is, in fact, one of the most bone-seeking elements known to human beings. Excess fluoride causes several diseases, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, brittle bones, cancer, infertility in women, brain damage, Alzheimer's disease, and thyroid disorders. A worrying scenario is daily ingestion of just 2 mg of fluoride could result in crippling skeletal fluorosis after 40 years. when you take into consideration that a lot of processed foods and foods grown with certain fertilizers contain fluoride then is isn't a wonder why there may be possible long-term effects of fluoride.  Please don't take my word for it and do your own research and make your own judgment call on its benefits in your toothpaste.

Next let's look at some of the lesser-known type of ingredients.

Surfactants (yes, soap) – Some leading natural toothpastes still contain SLS/SLES, a foaming agent that is a carpet bomb to your biome and tainted with harmful chemicals in the manufacturing process. While other popular brands use coconut-derived substitutes, including sodium coco-sulfate, sodium cocoyl glutamate, potassium cocoate, and sodium methyl cocoyl taurate which are not safe to swallow. There is little or no data on the safety of these alternatives, so it is probably better to avoid them. Besides, you don’t need soap in your toothpaste.

Preservatives - Sodium benzoate is also known as potassium benzoate and benzoate, is billed as the safer alternative to parabens, but it is suspected to cause damage to mitochondrial DNA, and some researchers see a link with cancer, particularly when it combines with vitamin C or E to form benzene, a known carcinogen. Citric acid is a better natural alternative, but it is likely GMO unless otherwise stated. Some toothpastes, like Akamai Mineral Toothpowder and Toothpaste use essential oils and clay to keep mold and bad bacteria at bay.
Carrageenan – Derived from seaweed, carrageenan is a common thickening agent in natural toothpastes that help improve the texture and reduce the water content. Animal studies suggest that consumption leads to intestinal inflammation and colon tumors. While adults are unlikely to swallow their toothpaste, when it comes to kids’ toothpaste best to steer clear. This ingredient, along with similar gums, does not benefit oral health.
Glycerin – A natural ingredient derived from vegetable oils and a byproduct of soap production, glycerin is added to toothpaste to create a pleasant texture and add that slippery mouthfeel. Unfortunately, it leaves a coating on the teeth, which not only inhibits the natural process of remineralization, but it is also a magnet for plaque. Glycerin is also typically produced from GMO vegetable oils. Of all of the natural ingredients in toothpaste, this is the worst for oral health. Brushing with a natural toothpaste that has glycerin is completely counterproductive.
Hydrated Silica – Used to remove debris and stains, this common abrasive is a component of sand. Over time, it can scratch and damage your tooth enamel and may prevent tooth remineralization by changing your mouth’s acidic balance. There are other, less abrasive alternatives, like clays that gently polish without compromising enamel.

Now that I have said all that let me talk about why I have chosen the ingredients i have for my TOOTH CLEANSE.

First off, my tooth cleanse main ingredient is backing soda. It is a naturally produced and mined and works as a mild abrasive (recommended to use a soft bristle toothbrush) to clean your teeth and help keep tartar off your teeth. Baking soda has a natural PH level of 8.3 which makes it an alkaline base substance but because most of our mouths run more acidic because of the foods we eat the baking soda works a neutralizer and can help stop bacteria growth. 

My next ingredient is turmeric and yes it will not be pleasing to the eye when you brush your teeth, but it has its benefits. Turmeric has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties. There are many dental issues that cause inflammation. The two most common of these are gingivitis and periodontal disease. Gingivitis is a gum disease where you have redness and irritation. Periodontal disease, also called periodontitis or gum disease, is when the soft tissue of your mouth is infected and becomes inflamed. so daily use of turmeric powder can help eliminate the issues caused by those 2 diseases and might stop the onset of both as well. Along with those benefits there have been studies that show that turmeric can work as a natural tooth whitener as well without the harsh chemicals of whitening toothpaste.

My final ingredient is, wait for it, cocoa. researchers discovered that when cocoa powder was applied to the enamel surface of teeth, it actually remineralizer or repaired. According to Dr. Mercola, “… the results showed that patients who brushed their teeth with the cacao-extract toothpaste twice a day for one week had “100 percent dental occlusion” with their tooth dentin becoming re-mineralized or repaired.” Researchers noted that theobromine (the bitter alkaloid of the cocao plant) made teeth less susceptible to acid erosion from bacteria, which could be a precursor to cavities. Cocoa has been seen in some studies to work as good as fluoride in its ability to prevent and stop cavities from forming.

So, there you have it, I have taken the long list of ingredients in store bought toothpaste and reduced it down to 3 very natural ingredients to achieve the same results.

Click her to go to product page where you can purchase my herbal Tooth Cleanse TOOTH CLEANSE .25 OZ (trial size)