# Toothpaste ingredients

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-ingredients/356167>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 10, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-ingredients/356167 "2006-05-10T02:20:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-ingredients/356167/1 "2006-05-10T02:20:40Z")

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I have heard that sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate can be irritating to sensitive gums. I know SLS was falsely rumored to be carcinogenic, but can getting SLS-free toothpaste help things like canker sores? Wikipedia says there’s anecdotal evidence that it causes aphthous ulcers, but not a lot of clinical information, so I don’t know what to think about it.

What about fluoride? Is it really important to use toothpaste with fluoride in it? I have well water, so I’m not getting it that way. Is a fluoride rinse just as good as the toothpaste?

The toothpaste that has no SLS or fluoride is about $5 per tube. Expensive! If there really are no material advantages to eliminating it and/or fluoride, I’d just as soon use the $1 toothpaste.