6 things most moms have never read on the back of a toothpaste tube. And the one fix for all of them.
A 4-minute read for parents who already audit every other label in the house.
If you're like most moms we've talked to, the toothpaste in your bathroom is the one product that hasn't been audited in years. Not because you don't care. Because nobody told you to. Most of us bought the same toothpaste for our kids that our moms bought for us. It's the one product nobody flags. Here are six things we found when we started flipping tubes over, and the one fix for all of them.
There's a federally mandated poison warning on most kids' toothpaste.
Read the back of any conventional kids' toothpaste tube. Somewhere in the small print, the FDA requires this line: "If more than used for brushing is swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."
The warning isn't there because of overuse. It's there because fluoride is genuinely toxic in larger doses, and the FDA has known this for decades.
Most parents have read it once, paused, and kept brushing because the alternative wasn't obvious. We did the same thing.
Kids swallow about half their toothpaste.
This is documented in dental research going back two decades. Children under six don't reliably spit. They swallow somewhere between 30% and 65% of every glob.
That's why the FDA warning exists in the first place. It isn't talking to overuse. It's talking to that.
Once we read this, we couldn't unread it.
"It's wonderful to have a safe toothpaste for kids. The added bonus of nutrients helps us be sure she is getting additional nutrients. She is a very picky eater and we worry about this."
SLS is the most common reason adults get recurring canker sores.
Sodium lauryl sulfate makes toothpaste foam. There's published clinical research linking it to recurrent canker sores in adults.
Most adults with chronic mouth ulcers haven't been told that their toothpaste might be the cause. Dentists rarely mention it because they don't sell toothpaste, and the alternatives haven't been mainstream until recently.
People who switch off SLS often see ulcers stop within two weeks.
No sore gums! Finally an SLS-free toothpaste that tastes good.
I'm not a very picky person when it comes to most products but toothpaste is one big exception. I tend to have sensitive gums (despite flossing daily!) and after many years I've determined that sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) was the culprit causing all my troubles. Better and Better toothpaste checked all my boxes — SLS-free, great taste, and no fear of weird unknown ingredients. 10/10 for this product without hesitation.
Hydroxyapatite is what your enamel is made of, and most toothpastes leave it out.
Here's the part nobody told us until last year.
Your tooth enamel is approximately 90% hydroxyapatite, a calcium-phosphate mineral. The thing your teeth are literally made of.
Most conventional toothpastes don't contain it. They contain fluoride, which bonds to your enamel and makes it harder. That's a different thing.
It's not a marketing word. It's the actual mineral. We use it in all three of our formulas.
Your mouth is one of the most absorbent surfaces in your body.
The tissues inside your cheek and under your tongue have been studied for decades for fast nutrient and medication delivery. It's why nitroglycerin tablets dissolve under the tongue, and why some vitamins come in dissolvable form.
Toothpaste sits in your mouth for about two minutes a day, twice a day. That's 1,400+ minutes a year of contact time with one of the most absorbent surfaces you have.
What's in the toothpaste matters more than the average label suggests. We thought that was a useful place to put a vitamin. So we did.
Plastic toothbrushes shed microplastics into your mouth every single brush.
Every plastic toothbrush you've ever used has shed a small amount of plastic into your mouth across thousands of brushes. The bristles wear. The plastic head abrades against teeth and gums. Microscopic fragments are released.
Bamboo handles with plant-based bristles solve this. They cost about the same as a good plastic brush and they compost when you're done.
"Okay I've had bamboo toothbrushes before. Big whoop. I am kind of obsessed with toothbrushes actually. I have tried every kind, and forgo plastic. I've tried wood, metal, and bamboo was never really for me. But for some reason, this one works. Maybe its the sleek, smooth design? The cute handle, the pristine bristles? I don't know, but I love it and I'm buying these (and the floss & toothpaste) as stocking stuffers for my whole ENTIRE family. Because, cavities are gross. 🙂"
Everything your family needs to make the switch. Already in the box.
One purchase. The whole household handled.
Why we ship it with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If anyone in the house doesn't take to it, you have 30 days to send it back. No questions. No return-shipping fee. No resubscription pressure.
The most common feedback in the first two weeks: "The watermelon kids' one is a hit" and "I forgot how good toothpaste could feel without SLS."
The questions you're allowed to take your time with.
No countdown. No pressure. We're still here when you come back.
$79.99
