I learned about this many years ago and the difference after I started using only SLS-free toothpaste was night and day. I used to get canker sores any time I would bite the inside of my cheek, hit my gums with the hard parts of my toothbrush, etc., and this completely stopped a while after I switched to SLS-free.
SLS is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, by the way, and it’s a detergent. From what I understand, the only reason why it’s added to toothpaste is to make more foam when you brush. But the SLS-free toothpaste I use makes plenty of foam, so I have no idea why they add it. It’s one of those things about the modern world that makes absolutely no sense. The ads and packaging should say in big letters: “now with even more canker sores!”
Unfortunately, the vast majority of toothpastes on the market (at least in the US) have SLS. I can only seem to find SLS-free toothpaste in natural food/supplement stores. It’s extra difficult to find toothpastes that are SLS-free but that keep fluoride too. The difficulty (and price? I haven’t compared) is completely worth it to me though.
TL;DR: The SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) in most toothpastes is unnecessary and causes canker sores (painful sores in your mouth and gums). If you have this problem, you will likely benefit from SLS-free toothpaste (some still include fluoride) that you can usually find at natural food stores.
You should also know that SLS is banned in the EU, so this post made no sense to me until I went to Google for answers…I swear, sometimes it’s hard to fathom the little ways you got it rough over there.A Google listicle about “7 banned substances in the EU” or some shit, straight up lied to me.
SLS (Sodium laurilsulfate) is not banned, not even particularly regulated, in medicinal products, in the EU.
“The vast majority of SLS use is in oral products (tablets and capsules) where it rarely displays any adverse reactions.”
It only is “not permitted”, as a food additive in the EU, and there is a 2017 study which argues for its regulation in skin products, because of irritation.
I was careless on the internet, and the world is more complicated than it seemed at first glance. Story as old as time.
It is not.
Wut
italy here, and I’m holding a toothpaste with SLS rn (Elmex Sensitive Professional)– Edit
Same goes for Sensodyne Herbal Fresh
Funny cuz none of these make much foam, and also I almost never get canker soresYep, can confirm that toothpastes in the EU contain SLS
I’ve always thought I was mildly allergic to some brands of toothpaste, wonder if this was related.
My symptoms were sores in the corners of my mouth/gums - took a couple weeks before they’d show up and the only way to get them to go away was heavy rinsing with water after brushing (which is not recommended because of fluoride mineralization)
Switched to Tom’s toothpaste (with fluoride) a few years ago and have had 0 issues since
Glad to hear. I used to use Tom’s but unfortunately I couldn’t find the SLS-free flavors locally anymore. I just checked their website and it seems they got rid of most of their SLS-free flavors.
Also, unfortunately, the brand I had been using, Jason, seems to be dropping most of their toothpastes. It took me a while to find a new, clean brand to use, but I think I finally found it: Burt’s Bees. It seems to be one of the cleanest toothpastes I’ve ever seen, according to https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ and it’s available at my local Target stores!
My toothpaste is getting low, I think I’ll try busts next!
Cool, I hope it will be good!
For my fellow mint haters (we exist!), I’ve found hello toothpaste and Oxyfresh gentle to be a great combo.
Most stores (in US) have Sensodyne. I switched to them when I learned that my old toothpastes were causing cankers. I’ll never go back
Sensodyne has SLS too. Its largely a scam toothpaste to be honest. It just has a numbing agent in it and costs twice as much. Maybe youve just gotten lucky but that shit was useless for me and still gave me sores.
you should also know that people in the past would just brush with a fresh twig and maybe some salt, and their teeth were absolutely fine within the limits of not having any sort of dental care beyond “pull a bad tooth out with pliers”.
and nowadays we have fancy electric toothbrushes that are way more effective than a twig, so really i see little reason to use toothpaste beyond society as a whole having been convinced that if your mouth doesn’t taste like mint it’s DISGUSTING.
They also had way less sugar in their diet then
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