# New toothpaste and peeling cheeks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2000, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243 "2000-11-01T15:10:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/1 "2000-11-01T15:10:59Z")
I’ve started using one of those fancy “Total” toothpastes (Colegate Total I think) that promise to clean, whiten, get rid of tartar, fight plaque and give you a hug when your feeling lonely. But I’ve noticed that the inside of my mouth, the cheeks mostly, slough off a little layer of skin afterwards. Is that normal? Could it be some fancy new space-age ingredient thats irritating my skin, or have I merely started noticing something I’ve merely taken for granted before? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/2 "2000-11-01T15:54:51Z")
I’ve noticed the same thing. I don’t think it’s peeling skin, I think it’s some kind of coating. ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/3 "2000-11-01T18:48:29Z")
Any of the Tartar control toothpastes irritate my mouth and tongue, making them uncomfortable to use. Perhaps it is a similar situation for you? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/4 "2000-11-01T18:56:30Z")
I thought I was the only one who found the inside of my mouth peeling when I use tartar control toothpaste. I talked to my dentist about this, and he looked at me like I just grew another head. I suspect it is related to sensitive skin (sensitive to tartar control chemicals, at any rate.) Easy enough problem to fix, though - I don’t use tartar control toothpaste anymore 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/5 "2000-11-01T19:08:45Z")
Guys, please, use your brains before spending money on fancy stuff. All these new toothpastes are only marketing tools. Chaulk is good enough to maintain your teeth. Not very tasty, though. Animals do not brush their teeth, do not go to dentists. They, although, eat differently too. Anyway, a few toothpastes have been around for awhile. They do their job, and some perhaps? “fight cavities”. At least they have no side effects. Use them, you have only one mouth and only one life. You can afford to live it with less than perfect set of teeth. Yes, a toothpaste can cause peeling (“no coating”, though, it’s hard to “coat” the skin with, for instance, paint, for long, less so always wet internal cheeks). Some people are blessed with whiter enamel than others. We do not know the reason. But using a toothpaste to change its color is exectly like using soap to lighten one’s skin. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/6 "2000-11-02T00:06:13Z")
Actually, just because animals do not brush their teeth does not mean they do not need to. My one cat, for example, has an hereditary gum disease, and she’s had at least nine teeth removed. WE have to give her an oral cleansing liquid everyday. We also have a special tooth paste for my other cat. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/7 "2000-11-02T01:17:33Z")
Some of you may remember my posting a month or two ago about toothpastes and detergent. I’m plagued with canker sores, and when doing some 'net research about them, found that many claim that using toothpastes without sodium lauryl sulfate can reduce canker sores. I tried a SLS-less toothpaste, and it’s true. Sodium lauryl sulfate = detergent. It makes toothpaste foam and makes you think you’re sudsing up your mouth and getting your teeth ultra clean. Detergent is also a compound that dissolves proteins (that’s why you wash stained clothes in it). I can’t say of course that this is related, but it makes sense to think that the SLS can’t be that gentle to your delicate mouth tissue. Oh, and by the way, sodium lauryl sulfate is derived from coconuts. If you’re allergic to nuts, both this fact and the detergent factor may be bringing about any canker sores anyone has. Only a hypothesis, but worth knowing. And now that you mention it, I used to get peeling skin inside my cheeks, too, but have not since I’ve been using toothpaste without SLS. I believe you’re right, Inky-. ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/8 "2000-11-02T02:20:53Z")
My remarks of mice and men covered normal conditions. The fewer chemicals a toothpaste contains, the better. I remember sweet tasting sugar containing Italian toothpastes. Are they still available? ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/9 "2000-11-02T06:27:47Z")
I don’t know about those fancy Italian toothpastes, but There are companies who make some good stuff without all the detergents and such. Tom’s of Maine is one that comes to mind. I know there are others. My local health food store has a small section with several different brands. ---
**Author:** ![lesa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/34f0e0/32.png) [@lesa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lesa)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/10 "2000-11-02T10:22:02Z")
What are some brands of SLS-less toothpaste? Are they available on the web or at health food stores? Do they have fluoride? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/11 "2000-11-02T14:33:26Z")
I’ve heard Tom’s is one detergent-less toothpaste, and Enamel Saver is another. I bought Enamel Saver on the web. Not only does it not contain detergent, it tastes a lot milder – it doesn’t have that ultra strong burny mint factor. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/12 "2000-11-02T15:16:14Z")
Does anybody besides me not use any toothpaste at all? I use an InterPlak at home and a plain wet brush elsewhere. I get checkups every six months (great insurance) that show good dental health. Toothpaste? Who needs it? ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/13 "2000-11-02T19:15:36Z")
I use Tom’s of Maine… I’m allergic to both mint and flouride (yes, it sucks)… Tom’s has enough abraisives in it to scour the plaque away and my teeth are clean. Didn’t stop them from being yellow when I used to smoke though… ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toothpaste-and-peeling-cheeks/39243/14 "2000-11-02T19:33:01Z")
Myron, it ain’t a bad idea, actually. The less stuff you put inside your body, the better. Even for awhile, as toothpaste. But I seriously doubt that your “good dental health” is due to whatever you are doing, daily and every six months. You are born with good teeth. Keep your great insurance, thoigh, just ib case.