28 Feb No Waste Toothpaste
Recently I ordered a product called Oxygenate Tooth Bites – a toothpaste alternative that comes in recyclable and environmentally friendly packaging. This product is made in Canada and the company is based in Toronto. You can find out more information about the company here: https://oxygenate.ca/pages/ingredients
The concept for the Tooth Bites is great! Plastic toothpaste tubes are usually not recycled and contribute to our vast amount of waste each day. Tooth Bites comes in eco-friendly paper-based packaging that can be recycled. I was really excited to try this product to see if it is a good alternative to my current toothpaste!
This is what came in the mail a few days after my order online.
The company gives a custom bamboo toothbrush with each Tooth Bites order. It’s a good basic toothbrush. The bristles felt gentle on my gums and firm enough that I did not have to apply a lot of pressure when brushing.
Tooth Bites comes in a tablet form and needs to be put into an airtight container to prevent moisture from ruining the tablet.
The tablet is made up of the following ingredients:
- xylitol – prevents tooth decay and gingivitis (see here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4232036/)
- sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) – abrasive to help remove plaque
- bentonite – possible antibacterial benefits
- calcium carbonate – mild abrasive to help remove plaque
- bamboo salt – reduce acidity that causes tooth decay
- peppermint – adds flavor
- magnesium stearate – helps tablet maintain its dose and shape
It is a very different brushing experience with Tooth Bites than toothpaste. If you’ve ever brushed with baking soda or activated charcoal, then you will know what I mean.
The instructions are to chew on the tablet and then brush. The product is not a paste consistency so it is difficult to maintain brushing for two full minutes without feeling at some point you are just brushing your saliva around.
I started adding a second tablet halfway through my brushing to satisfy my need for something to brush around. I’m sure this was not necessary.
I also tried the Tooth Bites with a few toothbrush variations – their bamboo toothbrush, my power toothbrush and my curaprox toothbrush (see here: https://www.curaprox.com/ca-en/cs-5460) and they all worked reasonably well.
A concern I had with the Tooth Bites is that it is fluoride free so I would caution patients who are prone to cavities to talk to their dentist before getting rid of their regular toothpaste.
Even though there are ingredients in this product that help fight tooth decay and gingivitis, topical fluoride is still one of the best tools we have to prevent cavities.
Overall, I think this is a good product and the benefits of the eco-friendly packaging is a major innovation into the toothpaste industry. In fact, the big toothpaste brands will also be coming out with their own lines of toothpaste with eco-friendly packaging.
There are many other options for zero waste toothpastes you can try. I chose Oxygenate Tooth Bites because it’s Canadian and I wanted to support them. I found this list on the Sustainable Jungle website that offers plenty of options.
Happy brushing!
Phuong Luu, DDS