The Dirty Facts about Cleaning your Pearly Whites

Keeping your teeth squeaky clean has been drummed into us since we were old enough to hold a toothbrush. But at what cost to our overall health? Because, even if you eat organic or unprocessed foods and live a generally healthy life, what goes into your mouth twice a day (at least) could be slowly poisoning you.

Keeping your teeth squeaky clean has been drummed into us since we were old enough to hold a toothbrush. But at what cost to our overall health? Because, even if you eat organic or unprocessed foods and live a generally healthy life, what goes into your mouth twice a day (at least) could be slowly poisoning you.

Let's take your average whitening toothpaste. It contains peroxides, abrasive agents such as alumina and silica, detergents such as sodium lauryl sulphate, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (which was used in the first really successful hairspray in the 1950's), triclosan and other sodium-based chemicals.

Sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium cetyl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are present in most toothpastes for their detergent and foam-generating properties. Not only are these toxic chemicals known to be irritating to the skin, they are actually used for just that purpose in laboratory experiments!

As the focus of manufacturers is always on marketability, they often try to disguise these synthetic and toxic ingredients by making them seem 'natural'. Labels will often state something like, "sodium lauryl sulfate - derived from coconut."

Regardless of derivation, these man-made detergents pass through the skin and mucous membranes and bio-accumulate in fatty tissue to levels that can cause cellular malfunction and disease. And toothpaste is especially important because the mucous membranes in your mouth are very permeable. So, if you expose yourself to toxic toothpaste several times a day, you subject yourself to a lot of toxins.

Take triclosan. A common anti-bacterial compound, it is extremely popular because of its broad-spectrum bacteria-fighting ability. The whistle on its potential health impact was first blown by Professor Peter Vikesland of Virginia Tech. A study that he conducted showed that it reacts with the chlorine in tap water.

Guess what eventuates. Chloroform – which carries 'potential carcinogen' classification from the Environmental Protection Agency. So, every time you brush your teeth and you rinse it out with tap water, you are getting a little chemical reaction going on in your mouth.

What about that other wonderful claim that so many toothpastes make – that they'll whiten your teeth. They usually use calcium carbonate for that. A lot of it. Now, calcium carbonate is just ground-up seashells. Not bad, in and of itself. But did you know that it actually mars the enamel on your teeth … giving bacteria a place to hide out and replicate.

Some toothpaste also contains formaldehyde, usually in the form of preservative, and many add artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners. And then there's fluoride - another popular toothpaste ingredient.

The fluoride story began decades ago. As long ago as 1961 it was exposed as a lethal poison in the US water supply. Yet it's still put into toothpaste and marketed as 'the way to keep your teeth strong and healthy'.

Those who support its use say that fluoride occurs naturally and helps develop and maintain strong bones and teeth. Opponents to the use of fluoride say that when fluoridated water is consumed, toxic levels of fluorine, the poisonous substance of fluoride, builds up in the body and causes severe harm to bone tissue and to teeth.

The reason for the controversy is that there are two different types of fluoride. The naturally occurring form, calcium fluoride, is not toxic. But, and here is the important point, you will not find calcium fluoride in your toothpaste. You will find sodium fluoride. And sodium fluoride is an acute toxin - with a rating slightly higher than that of lead.
All US and Canadian toothpastes with fluoride have to carry a warning to keep them out of young children's reach. It further states that if they swallow more than used for brushing, the parents are to contact a Poison Control Centre immediately.

Not so in Australia. Although Government and health regulatory bodies reduced the amount of fluoride in toothpaste by over 90%, they did it surreptitiously. When the National Drug and Poisons Committee asked for submissions in 1998, they wanted a consensus as to whether Australian manufacturers of fluoride toothpastes should be legally obliged to put warnings on the pack and tube.

The Australian government's answer was to reclassify it as a cosmetic. Which meant those manufacturers who had been carrying S5 POISON LABELS on their toothpaste removed them. And the Australian public was kept oblivious.

All in all, it pays to read labels carefully and be aware that labels with words such as "Hypoallergenic", "Fragrance-Free" and "Pure" are not regulated and provide no assurance that the product is free of harmful synthetic chemicals.

But don't despair. Despite these dirty tricks, it is possible to cleanse and brighten your teeth naturally. Mrs Flannery's has a range of effective products that use a proven formula of natural ingredients, free of harmful chemicals. If in doubt, just ask.