• Desert Essence
• Dr. Ken’s Total Oral Care
• Eco-DenT
• JASON
• Kiss My Face
• Meswak
• Nature’s Gate
• The Natural Dentist
• Tom’s of Maine

In addition, I suggest the following tips for choosing a good toothpaste and for brushing teeth:

• Try avoiding flouride (especially for kids).
• Use just a pea-size amount.
• Best toothpastes have minimal, natural ingredients.
• Prefer toothpaste with calcium carbonate, which helps re-mineralize tooth structure.
• Avoid sodium urealyl sulfate, because it’s linked to cancer.

Got a question for the ToothHugger blog? Send it in to Info [at] ToothHugger.com with the subject line “Ask ToothHugger!”

We get this question a lot. Here’s what it says on Tom’s of Maine Web site:

We use 100% aluminum tubes because they are environmentally sensitive. They are recyclable in most communities. They also help maintain our natural flavors. The tubes that we use are lined with a thin layer of food-grade plastic (meaning a pharmaceutical grade inert epoxy which is approved safe for use with food ingestibles) that prevents the toothpaste from coming into contact with the aluminum.

How to recycle Tom’s of Maine tubes:

In order to recycle our toothpaste tubes, you must first remove the plastic cap and the plastic threaded covering on the neck of the tube. The tubes can then be tossed in with your aluminum cans for recycling. In case you’re wondering, any toothpaste left in the tube and the food-grade plastic liner does not affect the tube’s recyclability. When the aluminum is processed, any residual toothpaste as well as the food-grade liner melts away without contaminating the recycled product.

More about Tom’s toothpaste tubes »

Flouride is not my first choice.

The way flouride works is that in its ionized form it is highly attracted to phosphate ions in your teeth. Flouride is a smaller ion than calcium, so it goes in your tooth and is tightly packed, meaning it’s harder to unravel the enamel with acids.

Topical flouride, as in toothpaste, is fine in severe cases because it’s usually the last measure to cover rampant decay or hypocalcification (areas where tooth is weak due to lack of calcium). Systemic, as in pill form, definitely not. It has to go through your stomach and blood to get to your teeth. This means flouride as access to bones, nerve and other tissues where we don’t want it to go.

Definitely don’t recommend flouride for kids. They tend to swallow toothpaste and, if it contains flouride, can brittle their little bones.

There are flouride alternatives like calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate. Try MI Paste or Meswak, which have bioavailable calcium to help remineralize tooth structure.

(thanks to @Green_Luvin for the great question! photo by yomi955)

Have a question? Ask ToothHugger.

Tanins in coffee are what stain your teeth and the best way to get rid of stains is to get them polished. Dentists typically use pumice, but at home you can use baking soda or table salt.

Both are natural abrasives, which means they will strip the outter layer of your teeth if used excessively and can cause your teeth to be sensitive. Be careful and don’t use every day.

Dip your toothbrush into the salt or baking soda and brush only your teeth. Brush for about a minute, then rinse your mouth out with water. For minor stains, do this once a month. If heavy stains, do once weekly to remove stains.

(Thanks to @BuyWellCoffee for the great question! Photo by lilivanili.)

1. Use thyme oil to clean the surrounding area.
2. Apply 1-2 drops of clove oil on tooth with a cotton swab.
3. If throbbing, take 60 to 120 kavapyrone for analgesic effects (it is derived from kava plant and known to blocks pain receptors).
4. Do warm salt water rinses 4 times daily ( make salt water rinse with 1/2 teaspoon salt with 1 cup water).

See your dentist immediately or find one here or here.

A dentist is green in four ways:

Client relationship

Green dentists create a health partnership with clients so they co-discover, co-diagnose and create a co-treatment plan. Our approach is to be comprehensive so there is genuine space and all health issues are disclosed up-front, versus the one-tooth-at-a-time-because-that’s-what-your-insurance-will-pay-for plan. And, yes, that means we prioritize and discuss silver mercury filling replacements.

Materials used in dentistry

Rather than doing it the old-fashioned way, green dentists commit and take measure of their energy and water usage and limit waste including:

• Digital imaging means no toxic fixers or lead waste in the water.
• Digital charting means no paper use.
• OSHA compliant natural cloth covers and bibs.
• Steam-based surgical sterilization vs machines that use chemicals.
• Restorations and materials that don’t increase horomone levels.
• Non-toxic disinfectants.
• Mercury-free office equipped so no silver fillings are placed.
• Safe protocol set-up for mercury filling removal.

Office design

Integrating green building practices into office design or renovations is key. The GreenDentistry offices were designed to meet LEED Silver standards. No-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) wood, so there’s no off-gassing. The air is filtered and water is distilled. Focusing on the office is an important aspect of health for our clients, employees and the environment.

Partners

Green dentists integrate other green businesses into their practices. Become a member of the Green Chamber of Commerce, Green America or other certifying organizations. Use services like Dharma Merchants, New Resources Bank, The Green Office, to name just a few.

Founded by green dentistry pioneer Dr. Nammy Patel, ToothHugger offers advice, answers, guides, giveaways and the cleanest, greenest oral care info on the Internet.

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