You pay much more attention to the ingredients in your meals than to the ingredients in your food. your toothpaste. And yet, this product that is used twice a day, in small quantities on a toothbrush, is often composed of undesirable constituents.
Over the course of a lifetime, the average man will use about 75 liters of toothpaste and even if you spit it out, some of the chemicals in it are absorbed into the bloodstream. The mouth is one of the most absorbent places in the body. This is why some medications are administered sublingually, i.e. under the tongue.
That's why you need to be very careful when choosing your toothpaste. Most popular brands contain ingredients that you should avoid. Here are 7 toxic elements found in the composition of many toothpastes.
1. Triclosan
Colgate Total Toothpaste contains an antibacterial chemical called Triclosan allowing the company to sell it as "the only toothpaste approved to fight plaque and gingivitis." However, Triclosan has been associated with concerns such as resistance to antibiotics and endocrine disruption.
Endocrine disruptors are a serious topic, as they bring many health problems such as breast, ovarian, prostate and testicular cancers or prematurity, low birth weight, early puberty in girls or undescended testicles in boys.
Some animal studies have shown that Triclosan caused bone deformities in mouse and rat fetuses, hinting at hormonal effects.
Triclosan would also promote the progression of breast cancer. The state of Minnesota has already banned most products containing Triclosan, but it is still very present in many items such as makeup, soap, etc., sold everywhere else.
One study showed that people who brushed themselves the teeth with Triclosan-containing toothpaste had a concentration of this substance in the urine 5 times higher than those who did not use it.
2. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).
Toothpastes contain many surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate also known as sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). This surfactant is a chemical substance which brings its foaming and detergent side to the toothpaste.
SLS alters the taste. Indeed, this substance inhibits the receptors of the sweet taste and makes, thus, all bitter. Everyone has had a glass of orange juice shortly after brushing his teeth teethisn't it? SLS is very irritating to mucous membranes and skin and can cause painful mouth ulcers. Some research suggests that people with frequent mouth sores should not use toothpaste containing SLS.
SLS is an ethoxylated ingredient and may contain measurable amounts of 1,4-dioxane, considered potentially carcinogenic for humans, but also persistent in the environment. It can have toxic effects on marine life, fish, insects and crustaceans. Pesticide manufacturers have tried to get approval to market SLS as such in organic farming, but this request was rejected because of the damage the substance can cause to the environment.
3. Artificial sweeteners
Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are often added to commercial toothpastes. Aspartame is mainly composed of aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol.
You've probably already heard that aspartame is safe, because fruits and vegetables also contain methanol! However, in these foods, the methanol is bound to the pectin, which safely passes it through your digestive tract. Nothing to do with the methanol of aspartame this one is not connected to anything that can eliminate it from your body!
The second problem is that humans are the only mammals that cannot biologically break down methanol into harmless formic acid. It therefore travels through the blood vessels into sensitive areas such as the brain where it is converted into formaldehydes which are known to cause a lot of damage.
The symptoms of methanol poisoning are many and varied: headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, chills, memory lapses, numbness or stabbing pain in the extremities, behavioral problems or neuritis.
4. Fluoride
The fluoride has long been considered the best ally for decayed teeth, but it has come under increased scrutiny in recent years for a very good reason. A groundbreaking study published in the journal Langmuir found that the fluorapatite layer formed by fluoride on teeth and allegedly beneficial is just 6 nanometers thick. It would take 10,000 times this thickness to get a hair around!
Scientists now wonder whether this ultra-thin layer really protects the enamel, considering that simple chewing is enough to erode it.
Toothpaste containing theobromine extracted from cocoa would be better able to repair and remineralize dentin, the main material of the tooth under the enamel, than fluoridated toothpaste.
In addition, fluoride toothpaste is often the most important source of fluoride intake for young children and is a major factor in dental fluorosis. Research has shown that children easily swallow large doses of toothpaste during brushing; this ingestion provides a dose of fluoride that exceeds the recommended daily allowance.
Swallowing too much fluoride is particularly harmful to your health. It has been scientifically proven that fluoride is a toxic substance that accumulates in your tissues over time and produces serious adverse health effects such as neurological and endocrine dysfunction.
Children are particularly at risk from overexposure. Therefore, if you have young children, choose fluoride-free toothpastes...and for you too!
5. Propylene Glycol
Propylene glycol is a form of mineral oil that is used in industrial applications such as antifreeze, paints, enamels, varnishes and coolants. The pharmaceutical grade is used in many personal care products and, of course, in toothpaste as a surfactant. Research on propylene glycol in skin care products is lacking, but it is known to be irritating to the skin, eyes and mucous membranes and is believed to be toxic to certain organs. Knowing that it is a product handled with protective glasses, clothing and gloves, it is probably not a substance you want to brush your teeth with.
6. Diethanolamine (DEA)
DEA is found in many foaming products such as toothpaste. It is a known endocrine disruptor. It can react with other ingredients to form a potentially carcinogenic substance, N-nitrosodiethanolamine, which is easily absorbed through the skin and is believed to promote the risk of stomach, esophageal, liver and bladder cancer.
7. Microbeads
Microbeads are tiny plastic granules found in body washes, facial scrubs, toothpaste, etc. They pass into your sewers, through filters in wastewater treatment plants and into the environment. Plastic microbeads absorb toxins from the water and are eaten by various marine species as well as humans... In addition to the obvious environmental threat, dentists claim to find these microbeads in the teeth and gums of their patients. This can cause gum disease, as the microbeads allow bacteria to enter the gums and, in addition, provide them with food!
