Why Should I Use Fluoride-Free Toothpaste?
Fluoride-free toothpaste is a great choice for people who believe they get enough fluoride from their food and water intake, such as people with allergies, people against animal testing, and young children.
Luckily, Bite has effective, fluoride-free toothpaste for people of all ages.
What Is Fluoride?
Fluoride is a mineral found in your bones and teeth. It’s also found in water, plants, soil, and food. An appropriate amount of fluoride can strengthen enamel to protect against future cavities, but fluoride can be dangerous when consumed in larger quantities. The more fluoride in toothpaste or water, the more likely that streaks and spots will appear on the surface of teeth.
Fluoride toothpaste is not recommended for young children because they can’t spit out the toothpaste as effectively as adults and end up consuming a fair amount of the toothpaste they use when brushing their teeth.
It’s often difficult for a child to avoid swallowing toothpaste because most toothpaste with fluoride marketed towards children is enticing to swallow, with flavors such as bubblegum and strawberry. We know kids like fun, sweet flavors, so we have parents covered in that department.
How Is Fluoride-Free Toothpaste Different?
Fluoride-free toothpaste is most obviously different because it doesn’t contain fluoride–ours actually contains xylitol and Nano Hydroxyapatite (nHAP).
Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol found in most plant materials and effectively prevents cavities, while nHap is a well-researched fluoride alternative. Just because there’s no fluoride in fluoride-free toothpaste doesn’t mean it will do a bad job at protecting your teeth. Xylitol and nHAp is a great replacement for fluoride as it protects against cavities without the stress of staining your teeth.
Fluoride is already put into the local water supply in most urban and suburban areas, and it can be found naturally in some foods, too. When you choose to use fluoride-free toothpaste, you are helping to lower the amount you put into your body while still protecting your teeth. When children use fluoride-free toothpaste, the chances of potential health risks popping up in the future are lowered.
Pros of Bite’s Fluoride-Free Toothpaste
- Reduces cavities: Xylitol reduces the chances of getting cavities, while nHAp remineralizes tooth enamel — a great duo for preventing the onset and worsening of cavities, cracks, and fissures.
- Safer for children: Too much consumption of fluoride as a child can lead to various health risks. It’s best that children not swallow toothpaste while brushing, but sometimes it happens. Small amounts shouldn’t cause any harm.
- Less risk staining: Too much fluoride can cause dental fluorosis, which stains the teeth. By using fluoride-free toothpaste, the risk of staining on the teeth is lessened.
- We currently carry them in three flavors: Bite Toothpaste Bits are fluoride-free, vegan, and gluten-free. We carry three different flavors for our toothpaste—Fresh Mint, Mint Charcoal, and Berry Twist—all without fluoride.
Cons of Bite’s Fluoride-Free Toothpaste
- You do need some fluoride: Fluoride is essential. If you don’t think you consume enough through your water or food, you should consult your dentist about additional fluoride options.
Should You Use Fluoride-Free Toothpaste?
Using fluoride-free toothpaste can help us become more mindful of our fluoride intake. It’s great against cavities and effectively keeps the mouth clean. A lot of us are already receiving fluoride through our food and city water. Using fluoride-free toothpaste can help to ease our worries about overconsumption. We can still feel confident using fluoride-free toothpaste, knowing that our teeth are being protected from cavities.
Fluoride-free toothpaste is also a great option for those of us with allergies to fluoride.
Children may have a hard time not swallowing the toothpaste, and there is the risk of children swallowing too much fluoride when brushing their teeth. The best way to control their fluoride intake is to give them fluoride-free toothpaste.
Bite’s Fluoride-Free Products
Bite has a sustainability mission to reduce plastic waste and our Toothpaste Bits aren’t just fluoride-free — they’re environmentally friendly and promote the desire to help people become more sustainable in their product usage. Bite’s products are all fluoride-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and vegan and come in recyclable packaging.
Our products come in glass jars and are refilled every four months with a subscription which helps reduce our carbon footprint. It makes us feel good knowing we’re mindful of our environment when creating our products.
Bite carries several other fluoride-free products and promotes a healthier, greener lifestyle, including Mouthwash Bits and Vegan Floss for the ultimate sustainable dental hygiene trio.
Bite’s Sustainability Mission
Bite’s mission is to reduce plastic waste. We pride ourselves in our ability to deliver sustainable, healthy, natural products to our customers.
We don’t use any plastic in our products to help cut down on the staggering volume of plastic that ends up in our oceans and landfills. All of our products come in glass jars with aluminum lids. Glass jars, unlike plastic containers, are entirely recyclable, so they can properly break down into sand at the end of their lifecycle. Bite also doesn’t use plastic shipping materials — instead, we use recycled envelopes with newspaper padding. This makes our shipping packaging compostable and fully recyclable.
By using Bite products, you can feel good knowing you’re making a difference in shaping the future of our planet.
Sources:
The Fluoride Debate: The Pros and Cons of Fluoridation | NCBI
Xylitol: Uses, effects, and possible benefits | Medical News Today
