My grandfather unflinchingly included teeth brushing as one of the original 18-in-1 uses of the Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. I don’t deny that. It works. It will clean your teeth. But it tastes like soap. He had the happy advantage of being able to take his teeth out of his mouth before he brushed them, so perhaps he didn’t notice?
In 2015, Dr. Bronner’s came out with the All-One Toothpaste, with 70% organic ingredients. I still remember those days when the toothpaste was in development and anyone who walked through the office got snagged to try out the latest formulation. I’m sure our dentists were all blown away by our super clean teeth. All the time and care in development was totally worth it – the toothpaste took off and hasn’t looked back.
In true Dr. Bronner’s style, it flouts many cultural norms: it doesn’t produce copious foam, it doesn’t contain fluoride, and it doesn’t have artificial whiteners or anything else. It also contains ingredients you don’t see elsewhere. I mean, coconut flour? Are we making a cake here or brushing our teeth? These differences generate a lot of questions from consumers. These are our teeth we’re talking about after all. We want them to last a lifetime!
Because of this cultural defiance and consumer uncertainty, I sought the input of someone who knows a whole lot more than I do – as many do – on what really matters. Dr. Mariza Muñoz, a dentist and orthodontist, gives us some insight into the whys and wherefores of this toothpaste’s unique ingredients and how they work.
To put to rest any nagging doubts, Dr. Muñoz received no compensation other than what you see at the end of the video. Then again, those were a pretty fine set of soap dentures I gave her at the end…
What is the abrasive rating of your all-1 spearmint toothpaste
Hi Larry- Dr. Bronner’s Toothpaste measures at an RDA of 119.92 ± 3.67. Dentifrices at or below 250 RDA, are considered safe and effective.
I thank you for your toothpaste. I had been using a baking soda powder. Apparently I am allergic to regular toothpaste. I am not certain what was added to the Crest that was different than the Crest I used as a child, but my mouth started shredding skin on the inside and was sore. My dentist suggested I stop that brand of toothpaste and use baking soda, which I did. My mouth healed. Then a few weeks later I tried the Crest again, just to see. Yep, mouth shredding. I now use your toothpaste with no problems at all! (The hardest thing is deciding which flavor I want to try as I love them all!)
Hi Deborah – I’m so glad our toothpaste has been such a help to you! Sometimes it’s not that formulations change (though that can happen, too), but also there might be an ingredient that was mildly problematic but our bodies are able to put up with for a while…until they don’t.
Can I use your toothpaste to clean my dogs’ teeth?
Hi Susan- We haven’t explored this usage of the Toothpaste, so we don’t fully know, but based on the ingredients, it seems like it would be OK. Still, we’d recommend you check with your veterinarian to confirm. If you do get the go-ahead, try the Anise flavor. Animals don’t typically like Peppermint flavors, and the Cinnamon Toothpaste is a bit spicy.
Does your toothpaste help with sensitive teeth? I have had to use Sensodyne for several years because of sensitivity. Would like to try your product, just wondering if it would help with the sensitivity. Thank you
Hi June- While we do not offer a toothpaste specifically for sensitive teeth, some customers are able to use our toothpaste. Additionally, we’ve heard from people with sensitive or softer teeth who like to use our soap as a toothpaste because it lacks abrasives. In this case, apply a drop or two of Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap (Peppermint is nice for this) to a wet toothbrush. Brush as you normally would, rinsing accordingly. Be careful about using more than a couple drops of soap as the soap will foam up quite a bit in your mouth.
The most recent 4-5 tubes we’ve bought have been sooo hard, it’s difficult to get the paste out and on the brush. Has the formulation changed? I don’t want to switch to a new product, but I shouldn’t need 2 strong hands to get the paste out. Help!
Hi Lissa- I’m sorry you received these tubes of thick toothpaste. Happily, this is a temporary issue and not a formula change (phew!). We are working with our Quality and Production teams on to adjust the xanthan gum levels in our product and resolve this issue. These Toothpastes with thicker consistencies are still safe to use, but I know they can be very difficult to squeeze out. I’d like for you to connect to our Customer Experience team to make up for this experience. Could you kindly reach out to them with the lot numbers (printed on the crimped end of the tube) using the Contact form on our website at https://www.drbronner.com/pages/contact. Select “Product issue” from the Subject line field.
I’ve had the same issue. Thought I got a bad tube and got another one from a different place – same issue. I have loved this toothpaste for years but this development is a problem. Hope it gets corrected soon.
Hi Gail- I’m sorry to hear that you too had this experience with our toothpaste. I encourage you to reach out to our Customer Experience team through the link above. Know also that this issue has been corrected and the new toothpastes are appearing on shelves now.
I love every product by Dr. Bronner’s, but the spearmint toothpaste highly irritates/burns my lips and chin 🙁 I am unsure which ingredient is causing this, as Dr Bronner’s is free of SLS and flouride, but other toothpastes (Colgate and Crest) give me breakouts. Any suggestions from anyone for a new toothpaste to try?
Hi Sequoia- I am so sorry to hear of this reaction. It does sound like you are sensitive to an ingredient and should stop using it. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database is a great place to look for new products. Here is their toothpaste category – https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse/category/toothpaste/.
I am allergic to SLS, which is in almost all of the other pastes on the market. Dr. Bronner’s has been a lifesaver for me. My teeth are clean and white, and the texture of this paste has been great keeping tarter at bay. I love the understated peppermint flavor. Thank you, Market Basket, for introducing me to Dr. Bronner’s.
I’m so very glad, Kathie!
Just bought a tube of Peppermint toothpaste, just wondering if it is safe with veneers ? I wondered about the abrasive qualities.. thanks.
Hi Cecile – I’m sorry to have missed your question from August. In case you are still wondering, yes, the Dr. Bronner’s toothpaste is safe for veneers. It is less abrasive than conventional toothpaste.
I have Trigeminal Neuralgia and really strong mint is too much for me so I am guessing maybe the anise flavor even though I have no idea what it tastes like?
Hi Carolyn- I’m so sorry to hear you’re having to deal with that. Anise the flavor of black licorice and I’d say is the most mild of the four flavors. Our toothpaste is on promotion on our webstore through the end of this month.
FYI, not all drinking water contains enough fluoride to help with cavity prevention. For example, Portland, Oregon does NOT add fluoride to the drinking water, and the amount of naturally occurring fluoride in the water is very low. For this reason dentists in the area may recommend supplemental fluoride (pills, toothpastes, etc) to prevent cavities, especially in children.
Fluoride is a PROVEN neurotoxin! Stay away from it at all costs. I got fluoride poisoning while in Florida for 5 months using a Berkey water filter because my neighbour there who has a holistic health clinic and sold me the Berkey said she never got a definitive yes from the county on their fluoride – but you can smell the bleach in the water. I did not get the extra fluoride filter because I would not be needing it in the future where I was emigrating to and my Oligoscan test showed high fluoride levels in both my husband and myself (and my dog, who got really sick) the day we left.
What’s the RDA (relative dentin abrasion level) of Dr. Bronner’s toothpaste?
Hi Lisa- The RDA of Dr. Bronner’s Toothpaste measures at 119.92 ± 3.67, which is well within the federal and international limits and is considered safe for a lifetime of continued use.
What do you think about using the citrus Castile soap as toothpaste? I recently bought the mini at Sephora- I was looking for a mini peppermint but they didn’t have it. Would that be a bad idea due to the acidic nature of citrus??
Hi Jordann- That would be fine. But it will taste like soap! Orange, lime and lemon essential oils are cold-pressed from the rind of the fruit and are pH is neutral. Citrus juices, on the other hand, come from the pulp of the fruit and have a low pH, and therefore, it’s acidic.
I’m glad I watched the video. I haven’t tried the toothpaste because I figured it was just castile soap with a thickener added in so I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks!
Excellent!
I have been able to identify all of the luminaries mentioned on the All-One Toothpaste label with the exception of
“Aleson MD.” Would you be able to enlighten a benighted soul as to who this might be?
Hi Rourke- It’s great that you’re reading the label so closely! That was exactly my grandfather’s hope. There are so many questions I wish I could go back and ask him about it. Unfortunately, we don’t know for certain which Dr. Aleson (or possibly Allison) he meant. As you may know, later in life my grandfather was blind. As such, during the time he wrote the Moral ABCs, he was dictating to a scribe. This resulted in a few misspelled names and such. Through our research, we’ve not been able to identify an Aleson with certainty, but suspect my grandfather may have been referring to either William Alison, MD or Lewis Alesen.
I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s Toothpaste for several months now and I’m very happy with it. I also use Dr. Bronner’s Soap, shampoo, shaving cream and hair cream.
I’ve tried both the Anise and Peppermint, and I like them both… but I do lean more towards the Peppermint.
Thanks Dr. Bronner’s for all your great products and for keeping me healthy!
Great informative interview Lisa and Dr. Munoz. Thank You. I guess there is still a “kid” in me somewhere, because my favorite flavor is the Anise, and I’ve been a “senior” for many years! LOL I just may have to try that new 2020 flavor though, because I do like Spearmint as it is milder than Peppermint to me. I do have one question though. Is it just my hands getting weaker, or was there some kind of change in the formula? It seems like the last two tubes of Anise was harder to squeeze out and the paste itself seemed a little thicker? Was just wondering… Thank you for great products. I have used your castile soaps and laundry soaps too.
Hi Peg- That’s great that you enjoy the Anise toothpaste! There hasn’t been a change of formula to make it thicker. If you email our customer service team at info@drbronner.com, Myrna or Emily can look into it for you.
I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s soap for many years until the toothpaste got released. And yes, the soap tastes like soap! If you want foam, use the soap. If you want the better flavor, use the toothpaste!
Because I travel a lot for work, I’m very happy that a travel size is also available. I *could* still do it all with soap – shave, brush, wash, clean insects (killing them is a side effect of the cleaning, hehehe!) – but it’s great having all the separate formulations for specialized uses. I’ve been using these products for 8+ years now, and it has made a great difference in my life as far as I can tell. Reducing the number of chemicals I expose myself to and reducing the amount of detergents and abrasives has been a great choice in my life, and I do it with Dr. Bronner’s.
I appreciate this, however the issue with glycerin in toothpaste isn’t whether the glycerin will “break” the enamel as your dentist said, but that it coats the enamel and inhibits the natural process of remineralization. Glycerin is also a magnet for plaque. These reasons have always been the consistent issues with glycerin, and the reason why many holistic dentists recommend steering clear of toothpastes containing it.
Hi Akash- Although there’s been a lot of chatter about glycerin and teeth, I’ve not come across any studies on the topic. If you have a study on glycerin’s effect on remineralization to share, I’d very much like to read and consider.
Great informative video Lisa. I’ll definitely be trying the toothpaste soon. I’ve been using only Dr Bronner’s soap (as shampoo and body wash) and hair creme for 2 months now and I can’t believe the difference in my hair. It’s softer, healthier, AND I have curls now. Not sure where they came from after 40 years, but it’s probably due to no more chemicals stripping my hair!
Great to hear, Danna! And great to hear from you! I, too, found curls when I switched to Bronner’s only. It’s fun! I used to fight so hard for them when I was a kid.
Love this! Thank you!
Thank you for the video! I haven’t tried this toothpaste yet but I’ll definitely do it!
I have 2 tubes of Dr. Bronner’s toothpaste in my cabinet right now. Sometimes I have 3 or 4, so I can change the flavor each night! Call me crazy, but I really love this toothpaste, and my last 2 dental checkups were great. . . no cavities or other problems!
PS Love the bar soap too! ! ! !
Love your videos and information. They are informative and fun. Of course, love the products, too. Have never tried the toothpaste, but certainly will now.
Thank you!
This is too cute! Glad to see Dr. Bronner’s has a toothpaste, I’ll give it a try.
Kelle
We have well water, which obviously doesn’t have fluoride. If I use your toothpaste, where can I find fluoride, which my dentist says I need?
Hi Jeanine- There are fluoride rinses you can use and fluoride can be obtained through food sources too, such as black tea (naturally occurs in the leaves even without being made with fluoridated water), shellfish, grape juice (and dare I say, wine?), raisins, and baked potatoes.
My favorite way to brush my teeth with Dr. Bronners is to use the toothpaste with a couple of drops of Dr. Bronners peppermint castile soap on top. Makes the whole toothbrushing experience very nice and foamy and my teeth feel great.
Awesome!