6 Best Toothpaste Alternatives! (healthier teeth, no problems!)

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6 Best Toothpaste Alternatives shares why and how many people now avoid mainstream and natural toothpastes, in favor of something better for oral hygiene.

Have you ever gotten involved in what some people call a “crunchy” group of health gurus and learned something that made you re-think a practice you’d formerly taken for granted?

Well, brushing without normal toothpastes is one of those topics! It’s quite surprising to read testimonies from people whose tooth and gum health improved after giving up toothpaste.

Is it possible that toothpaste is nothing more than a deodorant and breath mint for the mouth — one that makes us feel better? What’s more — Is it possible that even natural toothpastes have a downside, do more harm than good?

Let’s look at what natural and mainstream toothpastes do in the mouth and what alternatives do instead.

What are the benefits of giving up toothpaste

Possible benefits of using an alternative to toothpaste:

• healthier teeth
• less or no plaque build-up
• compliments from your dentist or hygienist
• no more morning breath
• whiter teeth
• reduced microplastics in the body and environment

What does toothpaste do

In terms of what’s actually happening, toothpastes strip and coat our teeth to make them feel clean.

Plaque build-up may occur as a natural defense to keep the teeth from being stripped.

What about saliva? Perhaps we should not be surprised!: It’s actually good for our oral health and helps with tooth remineralization.

When we stop using normal toothpastes, our teeth are not stripped or coated, plaque build-up lessens, and saliva can do what it’s meant to do: reach our teeth to remineralize them.

Detailed downsides of normal toothpastes

Most toothpastes contain two key components: abrasives and surfactants:

• Abrasives include: baking soda, aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate and silicas. Surfactants make toothpastes foamy.
  • Abrasives are often too abrasive, and surfactants are not necessary.

Glycerin and fluoride:

• Most mainstream toothpastes contain glycerin. The concern about glycerin is that it coats the teeth and prevents the minerals that saliva provides from remineralizing the teeth.
  • Glycerin gives the teeth that smooth feeling many associate with cleanliness, but it prevents an important process that happens after brushing.
• Any product with fluoride may seem to strengthen the teeth, but in fact, it unravels necessary enzymes and causes many ailments. (Fluoride is the active ingredient in many pesticides. 98% of western Europe has rejected fluoridation.)
  • Fluoride may not work to prevent cavities. One example (among many) includes the Native American population. They’ve had free dental care and “forced fluoridation” for the past 62 years. As a people group, they have four times more cavities than most Americans.
  • Fluoride destroys the phosphate in teeth. (Teeth are made of calcium phosphate.)

Microplastics:

• Most toothpastes still contain microplastics.
• But there are now many, too, that have been tested and are free of microplastics; so they can be avoided.

Other suggested solutions

Some scholars promote the use of phosphate to help with tooth reenamelization (tooth enamel is made up primarily of calcium phosphate), but this study showed that reducing vitamin A (retinol) was much more effective.

How diet affects oral hygiene

Diet affects the microbiome of the mouth, the pH of saliva and bone density (including tooth density).

Vitamin A reduces bone density

Most surprisingly and little known, vitamin A suppresses bone formation (jaw drop!; pun intended LOL). Similarly, restricting vitamin A in Zambian children increased bone formation. Lastly, high intake of dietary vitamin A is associated with reduced bone mineral density.

The very shocking conclusion to these studies is that reducing vitamin A intake is one good step toward improved tooth density and oral health (as well as general bone strength).

Acidic foods cause cavities

Newer evidence proposes that it is not so much sugar that causes tooth decay, but acid foods and drinks — including sports drinks, carbonated/soft drinks, fruit juices and acidic snacks or sweets.

Rinsing acid from one’s teeth is one good step. Not sipping on acidic drinks all day is another.

If you try the methods below but keep eating acidic (without rinsing), high vitamin A and processed foods, your results will be less impressive.

Use Vitamin K2 for bleeding gums

If you have bleeding gums (or bruise easily), this reveals a deficiency in Vitamin K2.

Dosing on K2 can vary, but consider starting with the suggested dose on the bottle. Some people notice better sleep, too, from Vitamin K2, so you may wish to take it at night.

Here are a few good K2 products to consider: capsules (1 to 2 capsules is the suggested dose) or drops (10 to 15 mg is the usual dose).

Do not buy K2 combined with vitamin D. Vitamin D should be obtained naturally from sunlight, a sun lamp (I have the Fiji model and use it twice weekly all fall, winter and spring) or a healthy tanning bed, not orally.

6 Best Toothpaste Alternatives list

I do not necessarily advocate for one of these options over the others. There are strong proponents for each approach.

We have personally seen some great gains from #6, as far as cavity reversal. And the next ones I plan to use and try for our family are numbers 5 and 7.

As some of you begin this new journey of improved oral hygiene, notice that the alternatives to toothpaste are also more affordable.

1. Activated charcoal

Revered for its whitening powers, activated charcoal is able to remove some surface stains. Because charcoal attaches to toxins, it’s also a good anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal.

Make a paste with activated charcoal and water, with up to 1/8 teaspoon charcoal. Use it up to twice a week only; otherwise its abrasive nature may damage tooth enamel or irritate sensitive gums or lips. (For this reason, charcoal may not be the best choice for kids’ teeth.)

Between charcoal brushings, consider using #3 or #7 below.

Read here, What is the Best Activated Charcoal.

2. Charcoal pull

Instead of brushing, which some argue is too abrasive, consider doing a charcoal pull. This approach is similar to oil pulling, but with charcoal.

Simply swish with activated charcoal and water, then spit. This can be helpful for some with sensitive teeth or gums.

Many will prefer to combine this approach with #10 or flossing, to get the teeth cleaner.

Others argue that small amounts of plaque between the teeth is protective, and that brushing is modern, but not helpful.

3. Coconut oil

Expect less plaque with the use of coconut oil alone, and very clean feeling teeth. Coconut oil is also antibacterial and antifungal.

This option may not be as good for those with fillings, as it may promote them falling out.

Some create a toothpaste recipe with coconut oil as the base. They add ingredients that may include: essential oils (like tea tree for killing bacteria or peppermint for the fresh flavor), diatomaceous earth and xylitol.

4. Tooth soap

This product is so effective that your dental hygienist may be left without any work to do. Expect no tartar.

Find Tooth Soap here, a product that is formulated with the information shared in this article in mind.

Better than an electric toothbrush, this approach leaves the teeth feeling and looking very clean.

Tooth soap is a great product for most of us who are slow to give up toothpaste altogether but want to do better than buying mainstream products.

5. Calcium Therapy

If you have cavities you need to reverse, I can personally recommend this approach. We were able to fully reverse my daughter’s cavities in 4 months using this product.

Additional benefits and uses for this product include: Both the mouth rinse and the pre-coated toothbrushes they sell help heal all kinds of mouth sores much more quickly, including: canker sores or when you bite your cheek.

6. No product at all, just water

How to transition to no longer using toothpaste

To stop using all toothpaste products and use water alone, if you wish, start by reducing the amount of toothpaste you use daily. Then, consider using that smaller amount only every other day. Reduce the amount again. Use water alone on the days in between.

You may need to get used to it, but assess as you go how your teeth feel.

Many who start brushing with water alone report: no more morning breath, no plaque build-up, whiter and cleaner teeth.

Personal update: I ended up choosing this method for our family, and we like it.

For me: The plaque on the back of my lower middle teeth fell off! My teeth feel clean and good. I’m amazed at how easy and effective this method is.

For my husband and kids who are more prone to cavities, we’ve gone back to alternating with #5 above.

Why we didn’t include baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, sea salt or essential oils on this list

1. Baking soda can be too harsh, eroding tooth enamel over time.
   • While loved for its alkalinity, which helps to neutralize acids in the mouth, even water helps restore the proper pH to ones mouth after acidic foods or drinks.
2. Hydrogen peroxide is revered for making teeth white and clean, killing bacteria and reducing plaque. But, as I share in this post, “… teeth are VERY porous … when we whiten our teeth with products like peroxide, we are sucking calcium from them — the worst thing we can do.”
3. Sea salt makes a great mouth wash and works well for healing up canker sores, but its abrasive nature doesn’t make it as good for tooth brushing.
4. Essential oils are too strong to be used alone in the mouth. Diluted with coconut oil, they become gentler but are still overkill. We don’t need strong concentrated cleaners on our teeth.

Alternatives to toothbrushes

Mainstream toothbrushes are made of plastic. Medical researchers are now connecting the dots, that small plastic fragments can be released into mouths directly and the environment indirectly.

• Bamboo toothbrushes — Newer on the market, these present a good alternative even to recycled toothbrushes, which still recycle plastic, adding it to our bodies and the waterways. (Find good bamboo toothbrushes with boar bristles here (no plastic, best option) and for kids, plant-based bristles + bamboo here — or less good but better than all plastic, bamboo with BPA-free compostable bristles for adults here, or kids here.)
• Wash cloth or paper towel — A wash cloth or paper towel may be used to brush the teeth. Wrap cloth around index finger, and brush the teeth the best you can, as you would with a tooth brush. This method is best reserved for times when you’re traveling and don’t have your usual products.
• Twig — Word on the street is that twigs were the original toothbrush. See here the best product for beginning to brush your teeth the way they used to do it, favored by many!

Best Toothpaste Alternatives: Tips for brushing

Consider the Bass brushing technique: Brush teeth at an angle so that the bristles point toward the gum line.

Or, take at least two minutes: Focus on each tooth and use gentle circular motions.

Favorite floss

I personally love this one and have tried so many. Unscented and made with activated charcoal, this dental floss is everything we need and nothing we don’t. This company even uses less packaging.

You can Pin 6 Best Toothpaste Alternatives here:

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