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Dangerous Ingredients Lurking in Your Toothpaste

By Diane Hanson

You may not believe this, but it's true. While toothpaste cleans and whitens your teeth, it also comes with hidden health dangers. Dental hygiene products that your family uses everyday may contain toxins that are associated with cancer, blindness, and even death.

Many name-brand toothpastes and mouthwashes are loaded with potentially harmful ingredients like sodium fluoride, triclosan, food dyes, sodium lauryl sulfate, and hydrated silica. All these ingredients have been found to be dangerous to humans in the long run.

What Are Harmful Ingredients in Toothpaste?

Sodium Fluoride

You know that most toothpaste and mouth rinses contain fluoride (sodium monofluorophosphate, stannous fluoride, or sodium fluoride) because we were told by dentists that fluoride prevents cavities.

But you may not be aware that most popular brands contain enough fluoride in 4 ounces to kill a small child within 2 to 4 hours. Minimal ingestion of sodium fluoride can lead to salivation, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, and diarrhea. Large doses may cause paralysis, muscular weakness and clonic convulsions, followed by respiratory and cardiac failure.

Fluoride has never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A 1990 study showed that fluoride doesn’t reduce cavities and scientists are now associating fluoride with dental deformity, arthritis, allergic reactions and about 10,000 unnecessary deaths each year from cancer.

That’s why all fluoride toothpastes and dental care products must carry a warning label stating that if more toothpaste is swallowed than required for brushing, a poison control center or health care professional should be contacted immediately.

Food Dyes

Artificial colorings are used to make toothpaste more pleasing with eye-catching red, blue or green stripes. But, did you know that food dyes are derived from petroleum products and coal tar? Over the years, some of these synthetic dyes have come under scrutiny because of their carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. Because of this, they are still referred to in the industry as “coal tar dyes,” according to the FDA.

Studies indicate that food dyes can trigger behavioral, learning as well as health problems. They also cause potentially severe allergic reactions, asthma attacks, headaches, nausea, fatigue, nervousness, lack of concentration, and even cancer.

Even if you didn’t swallow the toothpaste, you’re still at risk. These dyes can be absorbed within seconds through the skin on your lips, or through the mucous membrane in the mouth. According to the Physician’s Desk Reference, the mucosal lining inside of the mouth has an about 90% absorption efficiency. These carcinogens enter your blood, brain, and cells quickly, considering the fact that you brush 2-3 times daily.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

SLS is added to toothpastes because they foam up and give the impression that the toothpaste is working. However, SLS has been found to be quite corrosive and harmful to skin tissue says a report by the American College of Toxicity. SLS can easily penetrate the skin and maintains residual levels in your eyes, heart, liver, the lungs, and brain.

In fact, SLS is so strong that it is also used in cleaning products such as garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and car wash soaps. You can find SLS in most shaving creams, bubble baths, shower gels and shampoos including “no tears” baby shampoos. SLS can prevent your children’s eyes from developing properly, cause cataracts in adults, retard healing, and impair hair growth.

Triclosan

Triclosan is used in many personal care products and toothpastes due to its antibacterial properties. However, triclosan is a chlorophenol, which is a class of chemicals that is suspected of causing cancer in humans. This antibacterial agent has been strongly linked to abnormalities with the endocrine system, particularly with thyroid hormone signaling, weakening of the immune system, birth defects, uncontrolled cell growth as well as unhealthy weight loss

While companies which manufacture products containing triclosan claim that it’s safe, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered it as a dangerous pesticide.

Hydrated Silica

Hydrated silica is primarily used as an abrasive in toothpaste. It is produced from crystallized compounds found in quartz, sand, and flint. Ionic calcium and phosphorus in the saliva re-mineralizes tooth enamel everyday. Hydrated Silica scratches the enamel and prevents re-mineralization, thus severe wear of tooth enamel could eventually happen.

Dental products containing silica and cellulose, in particular, should be avoided if you have gum disease, tooth decay, sensitivity or receding gums.

No doubt these ingredients can remove tartar and make teeth appear whiter, they may also harm your dental health by altering the acidic balance of the mouth, gums and tongue.

You and your family can avoid the hidden dangers of toothpaste and prevent potential health risks from chemicals and toxins in oral hygiene products. There are numerous safe, new yet low cost alternatives to toothpaste. For example, homemade toothpaste.

what are dangerous ingredients in toothpaste

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