Help me find the ultimate toothpaste to buy online!

August 30, 2013 4:15 PM

I want toothpaste that does NOT have Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, but does have fluoride (that's important) whitening, plus anything else that's good for my teeth and GREAT TASTE! I'm surprised by how hard it is to find SLS free toothpaste that also tastes good. I'm currently using Tom's Clean & Gentle, Peppermint. But it doesn't taste very good. It doesn't taste bad. It's just blah. What's the best of the best?

Fluoride is very important because there's no fluoride in the water where I live.

No SLS is mandatory.

posted by 2oh1 to Health & Fitness (19 answers total)

I was going to recommend Burt's Bees toothpaste, which seems to be a bit more flavorful than Tom's, but it looks like they're discontinuing their toothpaste line. So maybe get some while you still can.
posted by zsazsa at 4:26 PM on August 30, 2013

Best answer: I'm not sure of the best way to procure this online, but if you have a Trader Joe's near you, their peppermint toothpaste is SLS-free, contains flouride and tastes way better than Tom's.
posted by JannaK at 4:33 PM on August 30, 2013 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Ooh! There *IS* a Trader Joe's near me! That sounds like a good suggestion.
posted by 2oh1 at 4:35 PM on August 30, 2013

Plus, it's pretty cheap! Win, win!
posted by JannaK at 4:42 PM on August 30, 2013

Biotene is okay. I realize this is not the most ringing endorsement but relative toothpaste deliciousness is not something I have given a lot of thought to.
posted by elizardbits at 4:44 PM on August 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

> Biotene is okay horrid.

ftfy. I only use Biotene because of a specific medical complaint that requires it. It's like brushing your teeth with vaguely minty spittoon swillings. It's also really expensive.
posted by scruss at 4:58 PM on August 30, 2013

I use this Jason one and like it just fine. My husband doesn't care for it because its a gel and doesn't foam like he's used to, but what he's used to is caused by the SLS.
posted by Terriniski at 5:44 PM on August 30, 2013

Best answer: i've been researching lately trying to find a good natural toothpaste that also doesn't break the bank. here's a helpful list i found. here's another list that also includes ingredients to avoid. people do seem to really like that dr. ken's all natural maximum care brand from my reading. i love trader joe's generally, but when i bought their shampoo & conditioner that were labeled as being natural i found they had parabens, so i'd be sure to check their ingredients label.
posted by wildflower at 5:46 PM on August 30, 2013

Closys - non-whitening, but it has fluoride and tastes pretty good (I like their mouthwash too).
posted by balacat at 6:41 PM on August 30, 2013

Tom's has lots of other flavors... I like the Cinnamon one, and follow with ACT, which has heaps of flouride, without the horrible burning sensation Listerine has.

I can't remember if Tom's other flavors have fluoride or not. ?

LUSH also makes toothpaste, not sure what's in it, but their stuff is organic and largely vegan.
posted by jrobin276 at 8:55 PM on August 30, 2013

Sensodyne Pronamel. It's the only mass-market toothpaste I've found without SLS, and it has fluoride.
posted by stopgap at 9:48 PM on August 30, 2013

I'll suggest a routine that works for me, Weleda Calendula toothpaste, which is all natural and does not have SLS. Follow this with ACT to get the fluoride you are looking for and general mouthwash benefits with no alcohol (i.e. Listerine). My dentist approves.
posted by Piano Raptor at 10:20 PM on August 30, 2013

I love Squigle toothpaste.

It especially helps with canker sores etc., and sometimes, my teeth start feeling very sharp (more acidity in the mouth, stress? I don't know), but it helps calms things down so to speak. Its just awesome.
posted by greta_01 at 10:49 PM on August 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: "Tom's has lots of other flavors... I like the Cinnamon one, and follow with ACT, which has heaps of flouride, without the horrible burning sensation Listerine has."

Tom's Cinnamint has Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. I realize SLS is part of what gives toothpaste the foamy feeling that most people associate with 'cleaning' but that stuff is bad news.
posted by 2oh1 at 11:45 AM on August 31, 2013

I realize SLS is part of what gives toothpaste the foamy feeling that most people associate with 'cleaning' but that stuff is bad news.
Can you link to something that backs this assertion up?
Or be more specific; what exactly do you mean by "bad news"?
posted by blueberry at 12:44 PM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]

from the second link i posted upthread:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. SLS is added to many personal care products for its cleansing and detergent properties, despite being a potential eye and skin irritant. It is also potentially carcinogenic when combined with other common chemicals.

it's pretty generally known to be bad news and avoided in shampoos as well.
posted by wildflower at 2:12 AM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]

This is getting off the original question, but toothpastes with SLS give me canker sores in my mouth. (Link goes to Mayo Clinic site listing SLS as a cause of canker sores.) That is plenty enough reason to avoid it.
posted by stopgap at 5:32 AM on September 1, 2013

Mod note: Comment deleted. Let's just stick to answering the question, please.
posted by taz (staff) at 5:41 AM on September 1, 2013

So,e of the Sensodyne NOT Pronamel's are also SLS free, and at least in Canada they tend to list that on their boxes as of recently (beofre which I knew some of them were SLS free, but they weren't clearly marked so I went with Pronamel to be safe).

Some people are sensitive to fluoride and some aren't. Same thing with SLS. SLS is used in labs to induce skin irritation when they are testing creams. It is also, apparently, the thing in regular toothpaste that makes food taste like death afterwards. Personally, it makes the inside of my mouth hurt, swell, and then the skin sloughs off, which is incredibly gross.

One possible alternative, which my dentist has recommended, is to use a "natural" (no SLS, usually no fluoride either) toothpaste (I like Green Beaver's orange stuff) and then to intersperse with very high fluoride mouthwash or toothpaste such as from the Colgate Gel Kam line.
posted by sarahkeebs at 8:26 PM on September 6, 2013