All day long I’m either eating or snacking—and in between those moments I’m brushing my teeth. The last thing I want is to stack food smells and flavors in my mouth. As much as the food I eat is important to me, so is clean, fresh breath. I brush my teeth three times a day so I realized that the oral care products I’m using so frequently should be chemical-free and as natural as possible. For this reason, I’ve been on the hunt for toothpaste that meets those standards and aligns with my values.
Why Brush Your Teeth?
I carry around a toothbrush and mini toothpaste in my purse that way I never miss an opportunity to brush! It’s so important to me but I know not everyone makes it a priority. Here are a couple of incentives that make me motivated to brush my teeth:
Clean Mouth Feeling
Oral Hygiene
Fresh Breath
Bonus: It curbs the desire to snack or graze needlessly.
My Background in Oral Care
The first time I ever went to the dentist in my life was at age 12. Prior to that, my family didn’t have dental insurance and felt we would be fine without the annual dentist check-ups. Despite that, my mom instilled the importance of teeth-brushing from the very beginning.
As a kid, I’d hate to eat something after I had just brushed my teeth. It distressed me to ruin the clean, minty fresh feeling that brushing my teeth achieved. Flash forward to my first dentist visit and I was cavity-free. Yes, CAVITY-FREE after 12 years of never seeing a dentist. Young Melanie sure ate a lot of sweets daily so I can’t attribute my results to an impeccable diet. I say it came from a great oral health care routine: brushing my teeth after any meal.
I’m not a dentist or registered anything but, from personal experience, I know teeth-brushing is important for cavity prevention and oral health overall. That is, the action of effectively cleaning debris off teeth helps prevent build up that can lead to tooth decay. Unfortunately, oral care products often have fluoride and other elements that I don’t want to ingest or have in my mouth, even in small amounts.
Fluoride and What Else to Avoid in Oral Health Care Products
Perhaps you might remember being a child in elementary school and being provided a cup of fluoride to swoosh around in your mouth during recess. Or was that just at my school? Maybe your city or state utilizes water-fluoridization. The idea behind both is that fluoride is helpful to clean teeth and people, children especially, need more help in that department. Though, recent research, which collated the use of fluoride in water across multiple countries, demonstrated miniscule decreases from its use. If anything, a scientific review of fluoride in drinking water is shown to be a potential endocrine disruptor and that is the last thing I personally want in my body. Particularly when hormonal balance is a major concern of mine.
Thus, I am happy to bring to light a company that produces oral health care products free of fluoride. Oral Essentials toothpaste and mouthwash range are completely chemical-free and non-toxic. In addition, the products are made without dyes, preservatives, alcohol, glycerin, or SLS (a shady ingredient even found in household cleaners)!
Why I Like Oral Essentials
What is in Oral Essentials products, then? Their brand utliizes the natural exfoliating power of Dead Sea salt. Other ingredients worth mentioning are coconut oil, aloe vera, non-GMO xylitol, and essential oils. All of these ingredients are familiar, safe, and allow me to continue my oral care routine without worry.
I tried out the Whitening toothpaste and mouthwash, Sensitivity toothpaste and mouthwash, Dry Mouth mouthwash, and Original formula toothpaste. I honestly cannot differentiate between the products as far as effectiveness goes. Though, I can feel a difference in the cleanliness of my mouth in comparison to my old toothpaste. It wasn’t until I started using Oral Essentials that I realized how traditional toothpaste leaves a slippery film on my teeth. I would sometimes double brush my teeth because I just didn’t feel like my mouth was clean enough after the first brushing. Not anymore.
Simply one brushing with Oral Essentials toothpaste leaves my teeth feeling residue-free and clean. While there are a few choices, the toothpastes are all quite similar. They each feel slightly dry from the sea salt but there is no gritty feeling. Unlike the typical store-bought brand, Oral Essentials toothpaste is not thick and goopy, and it dissolves quickly. At first, I found myself using a little bit more toothpaste than I would normally use. The light-mouth feel and thinner consistency of the toothpastes are different than what I am used to. I now use a small amount and that serves to efficiently remove any bit of gunk I may have on my teeth. I pair it with the mouthwash for an even fresher, sting-free clean feeling!
My Oral Essentials Product Variety of Choice
When it comes to the product line varieties, I enjoy the original and sensitivity formulas the most. I do not have a tooth sensitivity issue but the flavor and feel of the original and sensitivity line are most similar to what I previously had in toothpaste. The whitening variety made with lemon peel is a bit zingy for me, though it is not harsh! I should mention that each Oral Essentials product is designed to be suitable for sensitive mouths. Therefore, each product is non-irritating and safe for frequent, daily use.
I could definitely see myself continuing use of Oral Essentials toothpaste and mouthwash. Any of the varieties are great and I’m proud to recommend these non-toxic products. I hope my review is helpful if you are also interested in natural products. 🙂
DISCLAIMER: The Oral Essentials product review is completely my own opinion. I am not under any obligation to promote or endorse their products. I truly enjoyed them so I just want to share my review.