Could making the switch to natural toothpaste help improve the health of your smile? Here we explore how to keep your mouth healthy without harsh chemicals.
What is in your toothpaste?
When choosing a toothpaste there’s a lot to consider; should you opt for a toothpaste that promises a whiter brighter smile, or a formulation that claims to care for sensitive teeth and bleeding gums?
The options are endless but paying careful consideration to your toothpaste label could simplify your search and help you to avoid exposing your teeth and gums to toxic ingredients.
SLS is commonly used in synthetic toothpastes and can create an imbalance in the mouth. Its use has been linked to gingivitis, receding gums and mouth ulcers.
Gentle dental brands like Green People will not use ingredients like SLS in their formulations.
Instead we make our range of natural toothpastes using essential oils and plant extracts known to help reduce the number of decay-causing bacteria in the mouth.
How to choose a natural toothpaste
Not sure which of our natural toothpaste formulas is right for you? Regular dentist visits can help you to identify any problems in the mouth which may affect your choice of toothpaste.
The best natural toothpaste for those prone to gum disease
Bacterial build-up between the teeth can lead to gum disease, an oral health problem that affects one in three people over the age of 30.
There are two types of gum disease and the most common is Gingivitis, a condition which causes the gums to become sore and inflamed. If left untreated, this can develop into Periodontitis, a more serious infection of the gums which can cause the gums to recede and put the mouth at risk of tooth loss.
By examining your gums your dentist can determine if you have gum disease and show you how to brush to care for your teeth and gums more effectively.
The toothpaste foaming agent SLS has been shown to promote periodontal disease so, if you have gum disease, you may want to consider switching to an SLS-free toothpaste.
For an SLS-free toothpaste that won’t aggravate sensitive gums, we recommend our Fennel & Propolis Toothpaste. 100% natural and suitable for people with bleeding gums, we make this toothpaste with antimicrobial Fennel and Propolis and anti-inflammatory Aloe Vera juice.
A soothing plant extract, Aloe Vera helps to reduces gum swelling and sensitivity and provides a powerful antiseptic action in hard to clean gum pockets.
Fennel & Propolis Toothpaste 50ml
A natural, mint-free and fluoride-free toothpaste with fresh Fennel flavour
£6.50
TOP TIP: If your gums are sore or swollen, try massaging a small amount of our Fennel and Propolis toothpaste on to the sore areas of your mouth and leave it to work overnight.
The best natural toothpaste for people prone to mouth ulcers
Approximately 20% of people experience recurrent mouth ulcers and a common cause of this is the use of SLS-based toothpaste.
There’s no quick-fix to stop mouth ulcers but if you frequently experience mouth ulcers, switching to an SLS-free toothpaste could help.
It’s so effective that the NHS recommends using a SLS-free toothpaste to help accelerate the healing process, reduce mouth ulcer pain and to prevent mouth ulcers from coming back.
To make shopping for toothpaste simpler, all our natural toothpastes are SLS-free and we have also shared our tips for naturally relieving mouth ulcers in our article Is Your Toothpaste causing mouth ulcers.
TOP TIP: Recurrent mouth ulcers can be a symptom of mouth cancer and for this reason we urge you to see your dentist if your ulcers have not disappeared within three weeks.
The best natural toothpaste for people prone to Dry Mouth Syndrome
Dry Mouth Syndrome is also known as xerostomia and develops when a lack of saliva causes the mouth to become very dry. As many as 1 in 4 of us will suffer from it at some point in our lives and it can affect the way we communicate, as well as our sense of taste and our risk of dental decay and gum disease.
Dry mouth is especially common in people who have undergone chemotherapy and those experiencing it can find it incredibly frustrating. The good news is that there is a natural ingredient that can help to relieve the symptoms.
Betaine has been shown by clinical trials to promote saliva production and relieve the effects of Dry Mouth syndrome and is a key ingredient in all Green People toothpastes.
Best practice for brushing your teeth
As a minimum we should all brush our teeth twice a day for 2 minutes. It takes 2 minutes to brush all your tooth surfaces, yet most people spend 30 seconds or less brushing. As a result, they miss the same spots day after day, allowing plaque bacteria to thrive.
Natural toothpaste can be used on manual and electric toothbrushes, but most dentists believe using an electric toothbrush will enable you to clean the teeth and gums more thoroughly. Apply a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to the brush and brush your teeth just as you would a high-street toothpaste. Unlike SLS-based toothpastes our natural toothpastes will not foam in the mouth. For this reason, it is important that you take time to carefully brush each tooth.
Shop natural toothpastes
How has switching to a natural toothpaste improved your oral health? Join the conversation at @GreenPeopleUK or by commenting in the section below.
