SLS Free Toothpaste

Hi T.,

I buy Tom's Natural toothpaste - even my teenaged son prefers it over major brands now.

regarding mouth sores. Recently i mentioned this to someone who suggested putting ice on the sore spot immediately. she said this killed the sore. painful, I guess, but sounds like it may be effective. Lysine supplements and the tiny expensive Aleve has worked for me in the past.

Best wishes!
K. C

we used to use one called "squigle" or something like that. but DH gets mouth sores really bad and it really helped to go sls free for him (i think once they cleared up, he didn't get any while using this paste- 1+ years, now he gets them again) anyways, we could only find it on-line and it was pretty expensive, but it really worked. i might go try that tom's natural myself though

I wonder if Tom's natural toothpaste found in health food section is sls free? Look up canker sores online - I think there are some foods you can avoid that will help, such as coffee and cinnamon. Take note when you get them if you've eaten a certain food.

I have cold sore issues and had them so bad one time I went to the doctor. They gave me a very limited supply of Acyclovir (a pill). It works great - first sign of a cold sore, take one and it goes away. If you don't take the medicine right away, it still helps them dry up.
For me, cold sores are stress induced. Could that be an issue with your cankers? I feel for you - my husband and one of my kids get them quite regularly and it's so hard for them to eat certain food (like good ol Minnesota sweet corn with butter and salt)

As a dental professional, it sounds as if you have cold sores not canker sores (canker sores do not usually cause swelling and are not usually on the outer lip area but on the inner soft tissue). They are caused by two different viruses so I would look into treatments to get rid of cold sores. It looks like you want to go homeopathic so I would recommend tea tree oil or if you just want something from the drugstore Abreva works well. Also the whitening products in toothpaste don't really whiten your teeth. They use an abrasive to remove staining but do not sit on your teeth long enough to whiten them. Anything like baking soda will do the same. I know Byerly's has Tom's toothpaste(they might have it at Cub Food as well). It is natural but I am not sure if it is SLS free.

I have no idea where you have looked already but I would start at one of the many food cooperatives in the Twin Cities. Most have many natural toothpastes that may suit your needs. You could also just switch to brushing with a little baking soda. On those occasions when I get a small mouth infection or sore I rinse with diluted hydrogen peroxide.

We use Weleda Children's Tooth Gel from The Wedge co-op for my 3 year old.

Glycerin, Water (aqua), Silica, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula Flower) Extract, Algin, Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Oil, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Esculin Limonene.

I use Peppermint Dr. Bronner's soap. No joke. And I rinse with a solution of water and celtic sea salt, rather than a Listerine type deal...

Trader Joes!!! They have a toothpaste with fennel, myrrh and propolis. It has no sodium laurel sulfates. (It does have mint, so I guess you can't use it with homeopathic remedies.) The best part is, it's cheap! I think it was under $2 for a tube. I could be a bit off on the price, but I know it wasn't bad. Trader Joe's has a website where you can view all their locations. I believe here in the Twin Cities there are locations in Maple Grove, Woodbury and St. Louis Park. It's worth the trip if you've never been there.

P.S. There are also no whiteners in this toothpaste. Calcium carbonate is the first ingredient.