Over the course of a lifetime, the average American uses about 20 gallons of toothpaste,1 and even though you don't swallow it, chemicals in the toothpaste can make their way into your bloodstream, courtesy of the fact that your mouth has an absorption efficiency rate of more than 90 percent.2

With this in mind, it's well worth considering what you're brushing your teeth with on a daily basis. Many popular brands contain highly questionable ingredients that are best avoided for long-term health.

A recent report by The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog, highlights many of the problems in the regulation of cosmetic ingredients. Contrary to popular belief, the industry is allowed to largely regulate itself, which has allowed many hazardous ingredients to be introduced.

Is Your Toothpaste Loaded With Toxins?

The Cornucopia report, "Behind the Dazzling Smile: Toxic Ingredients in Your Toothpaste"3 and accompanying scorecard,4 reveals the potential risks associated with a number of common toothpaste ingredients — chemicals known to have endocrine disrupting, inflammatory and/or carcinogenic activity, for example.

This is true even for brands marketed as "natural;" a definition that has no legal or regulatory meaning whatsoever, even though most people believe it does.

In the U.S., a mere 11 synthetic ingredients are prohibited for use in cosmetics. In comparison, the European Union (EU) has banned more than 1,300 ingredients and restricts another 250 compounds from being used in cosmetics, including:

Sodium benzoate (synthetic preservative)

Potassium sorbate (synthetic preservative)

Sodium laureth sulfate (surfactant)

Artificial flavors and colors linked to behavioral problems in children

As noted by Jerome Rigot, Ph.D., a policy analyst at The Cornucopia Institute and the lead author of the report:5

"The FDA does not require impurities, including several potential contaminants such as 1,4-dioxane or ethylene oxide, both carcinogens, to be listed as ingredients on the labels of personal care products because these toxic chemicals are produced during manufacturing.

Even though technology … to remove them exists, many companies don't use it, because regulators do not force them to do so! …

The cosmetics industry is no different, and may be worse, than leading food companies when it comes to gimmicky ingredients and misleading health claims.

However, we have created a useful web-based tool to help discriminating consumers see through marketing hype and make the best decision for their family when buying toothpaste."

Do You Need Fluoridated Toothpaste?

Fluoride — which carries a poison warning6 and is a major risk factor for disfiguring dental fluorosis — has long been heralded as the answer to decaying teeth, but groundbreaking research has cast serious doubt on its usefulness.

A 2010 study7 found that the supposedly beneficial fluorapatite layer formed on your teeth from fluoride is a mere 6 nanometers thick.

To understand just how thin this is, you'd need 10,000 of these layers to get the width of a strand of your hair. This ultra-thin layer is quickly eliminated simply by chewing on something. According to the authors:

"[I]t has to be asked whether such narrow … layers really can act as protective layers for the enamel."

Other research8 has shown that toothpaste containing the naturally occurring cacao extract theobromine more effectively repairs and re-mineralizes dentin (the tissue that makes up the bulk of your teeth below the enamel) than fluoride toothpaste.