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Question about fluoride in toothpaste?

I am hearing conflicting views on the beneficial vs. harmful effects of using toothpaste with fluoride in it. Is it harmful? I have been using store bought toothpaste my whole life. I just want to know if homemade toothpaste (baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and oil of peppermint) would be safer without any of the potentially harmful chemicals (including fluoride?) in store bought toothpaste.

Hi Kasey Pink…….

I think you are right to be concerned. Other than what others have said with regards the potential harms of fluoride and possible intent behind some of the fluoridation, they used to give fluoride to those with hyperthyroidism as a means of controlling that and thus dampening down the thyroid gland’s hyperactivity. This of course implies that ordinarily, fluoride is toxic to an otherwise normally functioning gland and especially to a sub-optimally functioning gland. Thus fluoride would not help anyone with borderline hypothyroidism or full-blown hypothyroidism.

Tea certainly contains fluoride naturally…. in fact it is a known fluoride accumulator:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15237954

You might want to bear that in mind if you drink tea. Herbal teas such as chamomile and mint teas are virtually fluoride free. If you want a tea that may be similar in flavour to ordinary tea [ http://www.itmonline.org/arts/honeybush.htm ] but one that is virtually fluoride free and naturally caffeine free, look out for honeybush tea. It is also rich in antioxidants:

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:c0ruTb_eScwJ:www.port-trading.com/tea_nutrients.html+rooibos+tea+fluoride&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a

Use filtered water. If you don’t use filtered water, make sure you empty your kettle each time as fluoride concentrates in kettle water after boiling…

http://www.fluoridealert.org/pesticides/suggestions.html

You can make your own toothpaste certainly but you can also find in health shops many toothpastes that do not have fluoride and only natural ingredients. Look out for these labels: Toms of Maine*, Sarakan** [also SLS free], Kingfisher fennel toothpaste, Aloe Dent Aloe Vera toothpaste [also do a mouthwash], etc, depending on where you live [US/UK, etc].

* This company makes different versions, depending on your needs/requirements….i.e. SLS-free [non-foaming] or with SLS, fluoride-free or with fluoride, etc.

** Sarakan is good because it has an extract of Salvadora persica, they also do a mouthwash too.

Salvadora persica: the “toothbrush” tree, has been used in its natural state as twigs for centuries to keep teeth and gums healthy by those on the Arabian and Indian sub-continents certainly. Many Muslims use this because the Prophet [sallallahu 'alayhi wa salaam] used it and recommended it to his followers for good oral hygiene. There is quite a bit of scientific interest in it because it has been shown to have good anti-plaque properties [ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17823507?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=8 , http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15560804?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=14 ],
anti-fungal [candida] properties [ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19899011?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=2 ],
and some anti-bacterial properties [ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18672998?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=7 ].

I would avoid grapefruit seed extract [GSE] as most commercial ones may contain benzethonium Chloride, and in fact its known antibacterial action has been attributed to that of late. You could use oil of oregano instead as it has known powerful anti-bacterial properties in its own right and wild oregano has been used in food preservation for thousands of years apparently [ http://www.wildoreganooil.co.uk/wild-oregano-oil-story.html ]. Not sure on quantities however, you would need to do a little research. Peppermint oil used for flavour and “freshness” in many toothpastes may also has some preservation properties in its own right. If you want to use hydrogen peroxide you would need to make sure you store it in a dark container ….thus shielded from UV light.

Hope that helps.
Best wishes…
Salaams.

Homemade Toothpaste on the cheap!