Going green is a popular trend across all industries, especially in the world of personal and professional healthcare. As consumers increasingly opt for more natural products like charcoal toothpaste and bamboo toothbrushes in their personal lives, the incorporation of natural oral hygiene products within your dental practice will be a necessity moving forward.
Rid your inventory of artificial dental products made with unnecessary chemicals, in exchange for natural alternatives with healthier, more sustainable and less-abrasive ingredients. One simple way to update your dental routine is to consider using natural toothpaste, natural toothbrushes, and other complementary products, some of which are so advanced they’re even using similar health and beauty-boosting natural ingredients as natural skincare. The chances are you’ve already switched to other natural products for you and your home, such as non-toxic cleaning products, organic veggies and meat, and beauty products without chemical nasties in them. But perhaps you’ve yet to register that you can do the same for your smile. Well, you can, and here are 10 other things you really should know about natural dental care:
1. Natural dental products contain natural ingredients
No surprises for guessing that natural dental products do contain natural ingredients! It depends on which product, but most will include silica, a natural mineral which helps keep teeth clean. After this staple ingredient, different brands will use different accent ingredients. Examples are aloe vera, calendula and arnica for their healing properties, tea tree oil for antiseptic qualities, sea salt for cleaning, peppermint, spearmint, strawberries and raspberries for taste. What’s more, there are plenty of options on the market if you want to buy toothpaste or mouthwashes that use organically-derived ingredients. If you’re spending that bit extra on organic food, why put non-organic dental stuff in your mouth?
2. Natural toothpaste works hard
Essentially, the job they do is to remove plaque, neutralise acid, dissolve stains, freshen breath and maintain healthy oral flora. In short, it’s all the stuff that mainstream dental products will do. Pretty handy!
3. Natural dental care doesn’t include nasties
As with natural skincare products, natural dental products don’t include some or all of the following: parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, man-made surfactants (foaming agents), harsh abrasives or colourants. Some will also omit sweeteners, natural or otherwise.
Because they include natural ingredients and omit potentially harmful ones, natural toothpaste is kinder to you and to the environment too, both in the manufacturing and disposal; using natural toothpaste cuts down on pollutants down the plughole. Crucially, they won’t be tested on animals.
4. Many natural kinds of toothpaste are fluoride-free
Perhaps the most hotly debated topic here is about fluoride; natural toothpaste, on the whole (though not in all cases), doesn’t include it. The effects of fluoride on dental health, general health and the environment are still questioned.
5. Natural toothpaste is great for kids
Natural toothpaste, and brushes, are especially good for children because they don’t contain some of the chemical ingredients that can irritate if swallowed, such as fluorides, aluminium traces and hydrocarbons.
6. Natural toothpaste and mouthwash can beat mouth ulcers
If you suffer from persistent mouth ulcers it’s a good idea to try switching to a natural toothpaste that has something like aloe vera or arnica in it. The natural healing and soothing properties of these extract have been acknowledged by sufferers to help speed recovery and keep painful mouth ulcers at bay. They have also been shown to be good for conditions such as bleeding gums, and are recommended for adults and children undergoing homoeopathic treatments, as they are free of ingredients that might interfere.
7. Natural toothpaste works for teeth whitening
Yeah, yeah, we all want healthy teeth, but it’s hard to deny the allure of sparkly white teeth too! The good news is that it doesn’t take a barrel-load of chemicals to get a Princess Katherine megawatt smile; you can go natural and still get that whitening effect.
8. CoQ10 - not just for skin!
CoQ10 has been a real hottie in skincare in recent years, and now it’s available in dental products too. CoQ10 is a natural antioxidant that can be found in every cell in our bodies. Anti-oxidants work by neutralising or repairing free radicals (broken-down skin molecules) that can cause cells to die. CoQ10 toothpaste and soothing gels are especially good for fighting gum disease.
9. Ancient teeth cleaning solutions still work
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and salt are age-old methods for cleaning teeth, and they are still going strong today as ingredients in natural products.
10. It's not just toothpaste, it's natural mouthwash and brushes too
Your first step might be switching to natural toothpaste, but once that’s under your belt, why not try a more environmentally-friendly mouthwash and toothbrush too?