# A toothpaste question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 17, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134 "2003-01-17T02:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/1 "2003-01-17T02:12:21Z")
And no this had nothing to do with Spoofe. I have a propensity for canker sores. There was a GQ thread on this awhile back that linked canker sores with sodium lauryl sulfate in toothpaste. Basically, sls is a deteregent that makes the toothpaste all nice and foamy…and aggrivates gum tissue in some people. Anywho, willing to give it a go, I searched for toothpaste **without** sodium lauryl sulfate. I found [this](http://www.rembrandt.com/CGI-BIN/LANSAWEB?WEBEVENT+R0545C9394C76D3FEEE77E5Z+LRP+ENG). Of course at the time, they did not advertise it as a product to prevent canker sores…it just happened to not have sls. **Now** they advertise it as a canker sore preventative…and **now** it also costs more. This pisses me off…all they did was NOT add an ingredient to their toothpaste…which you would think would bring DOWN the price. They even admit it… > [@](#): > > Rembrandt Whitening Toothpaste For Canker Sore Sufferers\* has eliminated the ingredients which irritate canker sores The stuff costs like 6 bucks or more for a tube. I feel like I’m buying Rembrandt “Teeth Whitening Crack—with Retsin” Does anyone know of another brand of toothpaste that does **not** contain sodium lauryl sulfate? I even checked Toms of Maine (made from twigs, berries and granola) which still has sodium lauryl sulfate. ---
**Author:** ![peri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@peri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peri)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/2 "2003-01-17T03:00:08Z")
Biotene, TheraBreath, RetarDent and Radiance do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate. The first 2 are available at chain drugstores such as Walgreens and Eckerd. I’m not sure about RetarDent. Radiance seems to only be available online or by mail. Sensodyne may also have ONE formulation without SLS. Biotene costs about the same as Rembrandt. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/3 "2003-01-17T17:23:15Z")
You could always just use baking soda. If you insist on flouride you can buy that separately and mix a drop or two in. Or get a flouride pre-rinse (Like Plax…do they still make that?) That’s gotta be WAAAAY cheaper than $6 a tube. Also check your local dollar store if you have one. Sometimes stuff ends up there that’s just like what’s on the shelf at the regular store, but with an older label design or something. If you can’t find your actual Rembrandt there, you might be able to find a similar knockoff brand, or something similar that was made for export, etc. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/4 "2003-01-17T17:29:50Z")
Foamy toothpaste makes me gag. I can’t even watch people brush their teeth. In fact, I can’t watch toothpaste commercials most of the time. I’d say that at least once a month I vomit or come close to it while brushing my teeth 😕 ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/5 "2003-01-17T18:45:30Z")
Write them and ask 'em what the deal is. Say you’ve been a customer of their product for years but you feel shafted as its now tripled (or whatever) in price. Sure, everyone already _knows why_ ($$$), but I’d like to hear their response. Maybe they’ll send you some gratis. The squeeky wheel… ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/6 "2003-01-17T19:10:07Z")
My hubby has this problem and absolutely CANNOT use Crest or his head explodes. We buy Colgate and he never has any problem. I’ve never checked the ingredients, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/7 "2003-01-17T19:22:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OpalCat \* > \*\*I’d say that at least once a month I vomit or come close to it while brushing my teeth 😕 \*\* Well, that certainly seems counter-productive… ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/8 "2003-01-17T20:00:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\* Or get a flouride pre-rinse (Like Plax…do they still make that?) \*\* You’re thinking of ACT Fluoride Rinse, which they do indeed still make. It comes in mint or cinnamon. Plax is supposed to help prevent plaque build-up and is, according to my dentist, crap - she said it’s no different than rinsing with plain water. When the company gave her free samples, she sent them back; she refuses to distribute them to patients. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/9 "2003-01-17T20:18:17Z")
According to bit off googling I did, while Tom’s of Maine does have SLS, it has a low percentage of the stuff. Maybe I’ll do a price comparison at the local K-Mart. Sadly…no standard brands (Colgate, Crest…) are SLS free ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/10 "2003-01-17T20:33:57Z")
You can also use far, far less toothpaste than you think and still do an effective job. A dab of toothpaste the size of a pea is sufficient. You don’t need to cover the whole brush with a solid tubular stripe of the stuff like they show on commercials. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/11 "2003-01-17T23:33:34Z")
I think you and **Esprix** need to share some notes! ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/12 "2003-01-18T19:32:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by porcupine \* > \*\*You’re thinking of ACT Fluoride Rinse, which they do indeed still make. \*\* Huh…I WAS thinking of ACT and I actually typed that first, but then I put Plax because I figured it was the same thing and more people had heard of it. Weird! ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-toothpaste-question/149134/13 "2003-01-19T05:27:12Z")
> [@](#): > > My hubby has this problem and absolutely CANNOT use Crest or his head explodes. Now that was the funniest thing I’ve seen all day. Yes, I know, I need to get out more.