Earthpaste Review and Why to Use It

Today we want to share with you a product category including one of our favorite solutions, called Earthpaste. Most people don't know that this category exists and don't know why it should. But we'll explain.

For the most part, folks may think that the purpose of toothpaste is to:

• Scrub bits of food off the teeth
• Provide fluoride to the teeth to prevent cavities
• Freshen the breath

But there's a totally different way of looking at toothpaste that can dramatically change the products you're looking for. Consider the following:

• Yes, you want to clean bits of food off your teeth, but you also don't want to damage the enamel of the teeth. Even the dentist will tell you that their gritty tooth polish is something you wouldn't use on a daily basis because of this. Yet some toothpastes are highly abrasive, relying on silica (aka the substance found in those "Do Not Eat" packets) to scrub the teeth. There are more natural, less abrasive options.
  
  
• If you're not aware of the fluoride controversy, time to look into it. In short, fluoride is a known neurotoxin. And we know that things in the mouth can absorb quickly into the bloodstream. At best, fluoride provides some topical protection against cavities; at worst it does little to nothing while exposing you to a dangerous substance. Ever notice the poison warning on toothpaste? That's because of the fluoride. And it's a substantial danger if children get their hands on it and eat the toothpaste because it tastes good.
  
  
• In order to make your teeth feel smooth and clean when you're done brushing, most toothpaste and mouthwash includes glycerin, which coats the teeth. But it's believed by many that the minerals in your saliva are supposed to re-mineralize your teeth, rebuilding them like most tissues in the body are designed to do. This should keep them strong without exposing you to fluoride. But when you coat your teeth with glycerin, you prevent this re-mineralization process.

So what we're introducing you to is the category of tooth products without glycerin. These are meant to allow your teeth to rebuild and stay strong. (This still relies on you having adequate minerals in your saliva, and that can involve other health choices.) Many (or all?) of these products have NO fluoride, many avoid damaging ingredients like silica, they don't include questionable ingredients like sodium laurel sulfate, and yes, they still freshen your breath.

One of our favorites is Earthpaste. This is about as natural a product as you could hope to find, as it's basically a natural, mineral-rich clay used to clean the teeth. CLAY??? Yep. And mineral rich, which in theory should help with re-mineralizing the teeth. And while you might not want to eat it, clay is perfectly safe if consumed, so if you swallow some ... no need for a trip to the emergency room.

Earthpaste has just a few ingredients: water (to soften the clay); clay; "Real" salt (for scrubbing the teeth, and again a mineral rich ingredient); xylitol (to sweeten it, and xylitol has many, many studies showing support of tooth health); and essential oils to flavor it. The peppermint flavor also has menthol.

While we might prefer an even stronger flavor from the essential oils, Earthpaste tastes great and does help to freshen the breath. And once you get used to a brownish toothpaste, we bet you'll love the experience, knowing that you're truly supporting tooth health.

There are other products in this category. We've tried Toothsoap, which didn't have a strong flavor and basically just uses oil to clean the teeth. We think this is a good product, but doesn't taste as good and is a pretty different experience from usual toothpaste. Dr. Bronner's has a version we haven't tried.

There are some alcohol-free, glycerin-free mouthwash options too. Some that have a great flavor are oil based and we found them messy and less pleasant to use than our favorite, Essential Oxygen Brushing Rinse, which is based on hydrogen peroxide. (So-called because you can also use it on your toothbrush for brushing your teeth.) This is another one where we wish the flavor were stronger, but it still provides a clean, freshening experience.

We hope you'll explore this category of glycerin-free oral care products and discover a better way of keeping a clean, fresh mouth!

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