Why Use Toothpaste

Brushing twice and flossing once daily is a smart idea if your diet contains processed carbohydrates. Toothpaste always comes along for the ride on our brushes. Did you ever stop and wonder how necessary it is? I have. I say no. I will explain my rationale in this post.

 It is well established that tooth decay in humans was rare before the advent of agriculture over 10,000 years ago. 1 Before farming, our diets were low in fermentable carbohydrates, which are mostly found in processed carbohydrates like sugar, flour, and starches. When these substances come into contact with the germs in our mouths, they create harmful acids and toxins that lead to mineral loss in teeth and inflammation in the gums. The result is cavities, gingivitis, and gum disease. Before the widespread adoption of agriculture, brushing and flossing were unnecessary. On the other hand, toothpicks have been around much longer to remove impacted food between the teeth.

Tooth Brushing and Flossing

After people realized their food caused dental disease, they started to rid their mouths of the remnants with improvised implements. The first real toothbrushes only go back about 1,400 years in China. However, sticks similar to toothbrushes go back 5.5 thousand years. 2 

Dr. Levi Spear Parmly in New Orleans was the first to invent dental floss in 1815. Before that, researchers say that horse tail hair was used as floss but give no date for its first use. 3 

Toothpaste

The Egyptians created the world's oldest-known toothpaste formula in 4 AD. They mixed rock salt, mint, dried iris flowers, and pepper to create a cleaning powder. While it can cause bleeding gums, research suggests it's more effective than toothpaste used just a century ago. In 1780, people used burnt bread powder to scrub their teeth, and in 1824, a dentist named Peabody added soap to toothpaste for added cleanliness. Today, sodium lauryl sulfate is used for a smooth paste. Finally, in 1873, Colgate launched the first commercially produced toothpaste that smelled nice and came in a jar. Fluoride was not added until 1914. 4

Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention

Although we may view those who hunt and forage as primitive, they would not share this perspective. For them, the environment provided all the necessary nutrition. They simply needed to search for edible plants and hunt, kill, and prepare animals. Farming would never have been considered a simpler option. However, due to the extinction of larger animals known as megafauna, obtaining sufficient calories became more challenging, and farming became a worthwhile endeavor to prevent starvation. With the sudden dietary change came tooth decay and gum disease. It is not hard to see why people needed to find ways to prevent them, such as brushing and flossing and later adding toothpaste.

Ancestral health

Two decades ago, I learned about the ancestral health movement, which focuses on maintaining elements of our ancient lifestyles to achieve optimal health. Environmental factors like proper sleep, movement, sun exposure, and nutrition are some major factors considered. For instance, I wrote about sleep last week. We need to consistently sleep at night for at least six hours to be healthy. Another example is our need for vitamin B12. Before we had industry, we needed to eat food that contained it or suffer disease and death. Instead of taking B12 supplements, a follower of the ancestral health movement prefers to eat animal-based foods, the only foods containing B12.

Conclusion

I prefer an ancestral human diet that does not promote diseases, including cavities. I still brush and floss for cleanliness and aesthetics but I don't use toothpaste. Mechanical debridement with the brush and floss gives me 100% of the protection I need. No toothpaste on earth would add any benefit for me. Although I like the typical mint flavor of toothpaste, it is not a requirement for me. I have no reason to consume the dubious chemicals in most toothpaste that include titanium dioxide, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, fluoride, artificial coloring, abrasives, parabens, propylene glycol, saccharin, carrageenan, aspartame, and diethanolamine. You can read about my concerns about these chemicals here. They have a better chance of hurting me than preventing cavities.

On the other hand, if you enjoy the foaming and taste associated with toothpaste and the chemicals don't concern you, don't let me stop you from using it. On the other hand, plenty of healthy products, like Primal Life Organics, make safe toothpaste and toothpowder (toothpaste's lesser-known cousin). If you use the promo code DRSOLOMON, you can get 20% off your order. Lastly, there are instances that I recommend specific kinds of toothpaste, such as acute sensitivity.