# Toothpaste+OJ   What the heck is with this?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 31, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482 "2001-01-31T00:39:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Davidbw1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7993a0/32.png) [@Davidbw1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davidbw1)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482/1 "2001-01-31T00:39:18Z")

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Ok…this morning, I brushed my teeth (of course) after breakfast, and then…about 5 minutes later, i got thirsty, so I went to the fridge and got a glass of orange juice. BIG MISTAKE. I’m sure that most of you have had a similar experience, but does anyone know what it is that causes this strange phenomona?

p.s. I’m sorry if this has already been covered

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**Author:** ![RexKatWA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@RexKatWA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexKatWA)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482/2 "2001-01-31T00:44:17Z")

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Have a heart, and don’t make us all try this experiment. Can you describe what the reaction is that you experienced?

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**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482/3 "2001-01-31T00:47:36Z")

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IIRC it’s the surfactants (detergents) that cause toothpaste to foam in your mouth. Does it with Pepsi too.

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**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482/4 "2001-01-31T00:47:47Z")

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Try this: [toothpaste and orange juice](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=6427)

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**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482/5 "2001-01-31T00:58:40Z")

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If you have to spit, you must acquit…

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**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toothpaste-oj-what-the-heck-is-with-this/52482/6 "2001-01-31T06:04:07Z")

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I didn’t see this on the earlier thread quoted, so I’ll post it here…

I believe there is a specific ingredient in most toothpastes that causes the bad reaction with OJ. IIRC, it is saccharin, but it could be something else. In any case, I know that there was toothpaste sold in California in the 80s that did not contain what ever ingredient that was, and did not have the bad effect. I don’t think it was one of those “natural” toothpastes, but perhaps one of them would work as well.