Sunday, June 24, 2012

First Topic: Toothpaste

My dental hygienists have all screamed at me when I mention my affinity for Tom's of Maine toothpaste: "But that doesn't have fluoride!!!" which shows you how 1)uneducated or 2)bought by major corporations they are. Tom's does, in fact, have varieties of toothpaste without fluoride, but the majority of them do have it. All you have to do is read the package, people... seriously.


My specific favorite is the Tom's Wicked Fresh fluoride toothpaste in Cool Peppermint, as shown below:





You can't see it super clearly, but underneath the "Wicked Fresh!" it says fluoride toothpaste. I'm not a dummy; I know that fluoride helps keep your teeth from getting cavities, and dentists stress this. 


Tom's of Maine has never been mentioned to me by a dentist, which I think is curious because it is the best toothpaste I have ever used. I've tried many, many commercial brands: Colgate, Crest, Aquafresh, Sensodyne, etc., and all their varieties of whitening. I found Tom's quite by accident as I am an avid "free sample" junkie and they were sending out sample sizes of this particular toothpaste a year or so ago.


What I found: 

1. Tom's tastes better. There are no artificial sweeteners, and it makes a huge difference. 
2. It whitens better. Weirdly enough, although Wicked Fresh is not marketed as a whitening toothpaste, my teeth appeared a couple shades whiter after I used it for a week. Score!
3. While sold on the above two traits, after researching Tom's I found that they are a very respectable company that cares about their products and their effect on the environment.


Price:

Tom's is more expensive than regular old Colgate, but it's about the same or cheaper than some of the "Bright White" or heavily marketed whitening toothpastes. I pay about $5.00 a tube, and it lasts me about 3-4 months (my best guess). Well worth it, in my opinion.


Where to find it:

1. In Las Vegas, I go to the Sunflower Market (http://www.sunflowermarkets.com) because they have the best selection. I have seen Tom's products at Target before, but it's usually a toss up to which ones they are carrying at any particular time.
2. On the web: Tom's of Maine. They are currently offering free shipping on orders over $30.00. I might have to take advantage of that... :)


Anyway, feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments!


Until next time,
J

3 comments:

  1. Hey Jamie! (T., Huh? Have you finally changed your name? I thought you weren't going to!) Welcome to the blogging world! You should definitely create a Pinterest account for this. You'll find lots of info and get lots of followers. Do you need an invite?

    Have you done any research on the fluoride that's added to toothpastes and water? The version of fluoride that is added is not the same that is found naturally, and has never been proven to help with cavities like the natural sources do. It's worth looking into. I use fluoride-free toothpaste and then xylitol powder for my kids. You can also buy xylitol gum that's effective after eating for cleaning teeth, but obviously, doesn't replace brushing. Does this particular Tom's brand contain Propylene Glycol or parabens? I think some of them do.

    ~Kristi at My Cup Runs Over
    www.kristinewman.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Kristi! Thanks for the comment. No, I haven't officially changed my name yet, but I decided to use the 'T' for blogging purposes. I do not have a Pinterest account, and even though I've heard the name thrown around a lot, I really don't know what it is! :)

      As far as the fluoride goes, I haven't done any extensive research, but I know that all my dentists and hygienists have been very pushy about it. Tom's definitely does not contain propylene glycol or parabens in their toothpaste. The toothpaste I use also contains xylitol, which I know is derived from corn.

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  2. I must have been thinking of another "natural" brand that has those yucky ingredients, because, low and behold, there was Children's Tom's in my cabinet! LOL

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