don't use toothpaste containing fluoride

Dental care is probably something many of us are misinformed about. When I was little, my grandmother told me that she used to brush her teeth as hard as she could to get them as clean as possible. This was before someone told her that she was destroying her enamel. My grandmother isn't crazy. I went on a beach trip with a guy once, and the bristles of his toothbrush looked like hurricane debris. I'm no tooth critic, I barely visit the dentist myself. But one thing I am completely convinced of is the detriment of having fluoride in our tooth care products.

What? Don't dentists use fluoride? Isn't it the main ingredient in like, all toothpastes? Yes. But why? Fluoride does not prevent tooth decay, and ironically can even contribute to the discoloration and disintegration of your teeth. In 2010, the Journal of the American Dental Association published a study showing that fluoride is bad for teeth. Yet, check out Colgate or Crest or Aquafresh and you'll see fluoride just dominating the list of ingredients. I guess fluoride-laden toothpaste is like cigarettes. We tend to conveniently ignore clear warnings of danger in favor of habit, satisfaction or comfort.

Toothpaste is one of those things many people don't stop to think twice about—they just grab the most appealing box or the one on sale or the brand they've been using since childhood. The toothpaste I've been using for a few months now is Tom's Fluoride-Free Botanically Bright Toothpaste in peppermint. Ingredients, as well as their purpose and source, are listed on Tom's website, which also says they produce this toothpaste without fluoride to "respect customers' diverse needs and interests." There are other options as far as fluoride-free toothpastes go, but this one has a consistency and effect that I like and trust. It's $4.49 at Whole Foods, and I think it's well worth the avoidance of poison (did I forget to mention?—fluoride was once used as rat poison).

At least in our society, teeth are a pretty important status symbol. Straight and white seems to be the only way to go. In pursuit of this perfection, be mindful of the products you use.