Toothpaste Ingredients - What's in that Drug Store Brand?
Which toothpaste ingredients need cause us concern?
Most commercial toothpastes are a combination of chalk, soap (SLS), glycerin and flavorings with a variety of additives. Many ingredients are there for cosmetic and usage reasons which don't always have to do with cleaning efficiency and health.
Here are some of the commoner toothpaste ingredients found in drug store and supermarket brands.
Common toothpaste ingredients:
Detergents
Most toothpastes contain Sodium Laureth Sulphate (same thing as Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, or SLS) which has creates foam and does play some role in cleaning. It's a major ingredient in washing up liquid.
It isn't strictly needed, though, in toothpastes and some studies have tended to show that it makes human tissues (skin, scalp, mouth surfaces) more easily penetrated by other chemicals. Many alternative toothpastes do not use it.
Detergents such as SLS help the cleaning process. Ammonium lauryl ether sulfate is now often used in preference to SLS because its larger molecules don't penetrate our skin and mouth membranes so easily. Detergents are anti-bacterial and have a role in breaking up plaque.
Common toothpaste ingredients:
Abrasives
A variety of abrasives are found in commercial toothpastes (see individual chemicals below).
Silica is a natural component of sand which is extremely hard and it helps the cleaning process by being abrasive. It has been used in toothpastes for a long time. It is generally considered safe in some forms. Hydrated silica is the particular type of silica used in gel toothpastes. It is a bio-accumulator i.e. it can persist and build up in wildlife and humans.
Calcium (chalk) Many toothpastes include calcium salts as abrasives. It is considered safe.
Common toothpaste ingredients:
Plaque prevention and control
Tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) is sometimes used as a water softening agent which removes calcium and magnesium from the saliva so that less plaque is formed. It is unpleasant tasting and alkaline and needs other ingredients (detergents) present to make it work. It is rated as moderately toxic by Toxnet.
Some toothpastes may contain Triclosan which helps kill plaque-forming microbes. Triclosan is one of those bio-persistent chemicals which turn up in fish, breast milk and wastewater.
Common toothpaste ingredients:
Bleaches and whiteners
Tooth whitening pastes may contain hydrogen peroxide. There are some health queries about the safety of this, especially in more concentrated amounts found in some products. One study (by Europa) concluded that most people suffered no problems from a 1.5% hydrogen peroxide solution used twice a day. However, hydrogen peroxide is also classed as a weak carcinogen and they also concluded that it should be sold in a 0.1% concentration only. Stronger solutions would need to be obtained by prescription...
Click here to read more from Green Footsteps
