{"id":23384,"date":"2016-10-13T08:58:15","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T08:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/natural-organic-blog\/?p=23384"},"modified":"2016-10-13T08:58:15","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T08:58:15","slug":"the-natural-toothpaste-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/blog\/the-natural-toothpaste-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Chomp on this: Natural toothpaste vs the conventional stuff"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forget cavities for a second; apparently, dental health is directly linked to heart and bone health. Seems caring for that toothy grin is more significant than avoiding a trip to the dreaded dentist.<\/span><\/p>\n

But with the huge number of products out there promising perfect smiles, along with all sorts of conflicting information on the good, the bad, and the necessary, it can be quite challenging working out what\u2019s truly best for your and your family\u2019s health. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve done some reading on the subject and found a few interesting things for you to consider, which we hope will be helpful in your plight for healthy, pearly whites. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, a little history<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Dental care has been around since 3000 BC. \u00a0Throughout the ages, twigs, leaves and cloth were employed as toothbrushes; and chalk, burnt bread, and concoctions made from salt, flowers, mint and pepper were used as early versions of toothpaste.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the toothpaste we know, fluoride was added back in 1914 and fluoride-free herbal alternatives became available as early as 1975. \u00a0In 1987 edible toothpaste was invented, not with the needs of children in mind, but for astronauts brushing their teeth and spitting into zero gravity. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ingredient debate<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

It seems fluoride and the health benefits thereof have long been in question. \u00a0With the existence of the internet, it\u2019s easy to gather plenty of information on the subject\u2026 too much, in fact. \u00a0It can be overwhelming.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an attempt to simplify the matter, we put together a short list of things we found out about fluoride and about sodium laurel sulphate, which we felt were worth taking note of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s the rub on fluoride:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Fluoride isn\u2019t actually an essential nutrient; no disease or dental decay has been caused by a deficiency in fluoride. Here are some other fluoride factors you may want to consider before rubbing it all over your chompers.<\/span><\/p>\n