There are so many places in our homes where we need to clean up toxic exposures - and toothpaste is a major one but so easily swapped out. Many years ago, I started by making sure my toothpaste did not contain fluoride, SLS (sodium laurel sulfate), fake sugars or food dyes. All of these ingredients are unnecessary to clean your teeth and gums and may even cause harm.
For a long time I used Tom's of Maine, but when they were bought out by Colgate Palmolive I felt disappointment. It is a double edged sword when good, clean, mom & pop companies get bought out by conglomerates. The wonderful thing (and I always look for the silver lining) is that more people have access to a product since Colgate Palmolive can use their resources to distribute Tom's toothpaste to a wider audience. One of my concerns was how the formula might change which often happens when small companies are bought out. While I have not researched the nitty gritty about Tom's formulations, I am always on the lookout for wonderful products and I recently came across My Magic Mud. After reading about the benefits of using charcoal to whiten teeth without using harsh chemicals, I thought I'd give it a try and so far I am loving it! It tastes refreshing and if it wasn't black, you would never know it was any different from any other toothpaste.
One of the concerns with using charcoal is how abrasive it can be on your enamel, so I made sure to find some answers. To break it down in the most simple terms - the American Dental Association, along with some other agencies, has created a scale to let consumers know what is a range of acceptable abrasiveness. It is called the RDA (Relative Density Abrasivity) and the scale ranges from 0-250. Anything below 250 is considered safe. My Magic Mud's RDA value for their toothpaste is 136 and for their tooth powder it is 116. Based on this information, I feel it is a completely safe product when it comes to your enamel.
The really cool and freaky thing about using My Magic Mud, is freaking my son out with black teeth!! It is seriously creepy and weird looking and I love it. I don't know if it is making my teeth any whiter yet, but I feel good that the product I am using is clean and non toxic. I even got my dad to switch to My Magic Mud from his Colgate Whitening toothpaste!! If you want to learn more about My Magic Mud, please visit their website. Bottom line, stay away from most of the toothpastes sold in grocery stores and drugstores. My advice to anyone searching for a better toothpaste is to find a product that does not contain fluoride, SLS or artificial dyes and sweeteners.
Happy, healthy brushing!
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