As many people empty medicine cabinets of beauty and wellness products, it’s important to know the best natural toothpaste to sub in for standard pastes. If you’re looking for the best toothpaste, it’s important to start with understanding what should be in (and what shouldn’t be in) the product you choose.
Let’s look at how to find a great natural toothpaste, plus my top picks.
Disclosure:
Ask the Dentist is supported by readers. If you use one of the links below and buy something, Ask the Dentist makes a little bit of money at no additional cost to you. I rigorously research, test, and use thousands of products every year, but recommend only a small fraction of these. I only promote products that I truly feel will be valuable to you in improving your oral health.
Ingredients to Avoid in Toothpaste
I go into detail about the worst toothpaste ingredients in my article on DIY toothpastes (read it here), but here’s a quick list of what I recommend you avoid:
- Triclosan
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) (closely connected to canker sores)
- Artificial colorings
- Fluoride (it’s unnecessary with newer scientific developments; plus, it’s harmful if swallowed in large quantities)
- Titanium dioxide
- Highly abrasive ingredients
Some “natural” toothpastes also contain essential oils—even the ones on my list below. While some essential oils are great for the oral microbiome, like aniseed oil, others can be highly bactericidal. That’s not great, since they can kill some of the bacteria your mouth needs to stay healthy.
Even if your toothpaste is free of the worst ingredients, pay attention to the scent. If it’s incredibly strong, there’s a chance there’s a lot of essential oil content that could potentially do more harm than good in the long run.
Another ingredient I question is glycerin. Unfortunately, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid glycerin in toothpaste (unless you make it yourself). Fortunately, its effect on remineralization (reversing tooth decay) is neutral and, if anything, only slightly negative. It can interfere with biofilm development, but its impact is limited.
Do you actually need toothpaste?
Toothpaste isn’t necessary for normal dental health.
Take a moment to let that sink in.
Now, let me explain. While the act of teeth brushing helps disorganize your biofilm, toothpaste does very little to actually clean teeth.
I know most of us are so used to our brushing routine that getting rid of toothpaste would be weird. That’s okay! There are some great toothpastes out there for reversing cavities or achieving other oral health goals. (As an aside, though, the amount of toothpaste actors use in commercials is way too much! When you use toothpaste, you need just a pea-sized amount on your brush.)
Just remember that toothpaste is much less important than the motion of brushing teeth.
I’ll drop one more small bomb here, too: I don’t often recommend fluoride toothpastes.
In the past, I’ve suggested patients with developing cavities use prescription-strength fluoride toothpaste to remineralize them. But I’ve been uncomfortable with fluoride for decades—I raised my daughters without ingestion of fluoride… or cavities. Why? I thought it was weird that we fill our toothpaste tubes and water supply with a dangerous chemical!
Plus, the CDC released research that suggests our kids are using way too much fluoride toothpaste. Since too much fluoride can cause fluorosis (or worse), why not try something just as effective without the risks?
All that said, here’s my list of the best natural toothpastes—and why I love them.
Best Natural Toothpastes
Best toothpaste for reversing cavities
Boka Ela Mint Toothpaste
Made with nano-hydroxyapatite particles instead of fluoride. “Nano-hydroxyapatite” particles are tiny pieces of bone material that are drawn in by your teeth to rebuild areas that have been decalcified. These particles are the exact material your teeth are already used to, since they’re literally the same molecules! NHa is a great alternative to fluoride and is totally non-toxic for all ages.Best for oral microbiome management
Hyperbiotics Charcoal Toothpaste
Hyperbiotics includes some of the most beneficial bacteria strains for the mouth in their charcoal toothpaste. Plus, it’s made with activated charcoal, which may help remove some surface stains from teeth.Great non-toxic toothpaste
Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Toothpaste
Dr. Bronner’s is well-known for their all-natural, toxin-free products. This toothpaste has an excellent, minty taste and foams very little—which means you can brush longer.Best for short-term whitening
Jason Natural Powersmile Whitening Toothpaste
This fluoride toothpaste is great at removing surface stains to expose the true brights of your pearly whites. I don’t recommend whitening toothpastes for more than 2-3 weeks at a time, since their abrasivity can scratch teeth over time.Unique lemon flavor + all natural
Redmond Earthpaste Lemon Twist
Made with high quality, natural ingredients, I love this lemon-flavored Earthpaste when I’m in the mood for a different flavor. It’s also got very little foam and won’t upset your oral microbiome with unnecessary filler ingredients.DIY Toothpaste Recipes
Would you rather make toothpaste yourself? I’ve put together several recipes that you’ll love.
When making your own toothpaste (which is less overwhelming than it sounds!), stay away from acidic ingredients that can cause enamel erosion. You should also greatly limit essential oils, if you use them at all.
Finally, do not use hydrogen peroxide.
I’ve developed several DIY toothpaste recipes that you can make at home with minimal cost and effort:
- Homemade Toothpaste (this is the one I use every morning!)
- Charcoal Whitening Toothpaste
- Probiotic Toothpaste
- Kid’s Toothpaste
- Turmeric Teeth Whitening Paste
Have other toothpastes you like and you want to know what I think? Just contact me.
Read Next: The Complete Guide to DIY Toothpaste (And The Recipe I Use)
If a man has full dentures and brushes and stimulates his gums twice a day, is there any need to use any toothpaste or mouthwash? Thank you for your advice. Jim Mavridis 4/22/17
No!
Maybe swish with salt water once daily, vigorously. Chewing on a rubber stick to help prevent been loss or keep the dentures in and chew hard foods if possible will help. Bone resorption, hence ill fitting dentures, is the most common issue with long term denture use.
drb
Baking soda is way too abrasive, so I stopped using it as a toothpaste, however it’s a great mouthwash as it neutralizes acid.
What do you think of BioRepair’s toothpaste?
The relative dentin abrasiveness (RDA) is 7 on a scale of 200. Extremely low. In fact lower than 99% of all other toothpastes. I am not familiar with and have not used Biorepair. I’ll look into it. DrB.
When making your own toothpaste…you mention to leave out Essential oils–are there any that can be used like peppermint, or tea tree or clove just to give it a bit of flavor?
I have just about finished my first tube of “Parodontax” toothpaste and just today I notice that the lower quarter of my two front teeth and the upper quarter of my lower center teeth appear to be turning brown. Can the toothpaste be to blame?
The toothpastes here are fluoride free. Do you not recommend the use of fluoride?
The sodium fluoride in toothpaste is a fertilizer by-product that the World Health Organization says fertilizer companies can’t dump into natural bodies of water, but yet, cities all over North America (not Europe though, they don’t allow this poison) to buy it off them to dump in drinking water and the major toothpaste companies want to poison us with it too. Yes, if remineralizes teeth, but studies show, it actually leaves teeth and bones more brittle, and prone to breaking. Seriously, do the research as I did, you’ll be absolutely shocked that this poison is even allowed to be given to humans. I learned all that just a couple months ago, and switched toothpaste immediately, and my gums feel much healthier already!! I’ve had sensitive gums for as long as I can remember, but there is already significant improvement!
It is proven, fluoride is bad for the brain, intestines, heart, and other organs. Recent studies prove fluoride has NO help on teeth or gums whatsoever. Quite the opposite.
The last two years I have vocal cord swelling with crest pro health and Colgate total and I have always had trouble with cavities unless I used something like these brands. Regular Crest doesn’t work and I am not sure which healthier brand to use. I tried Toms and Jason’s and ended up with cavities. I also have started with receding gums that I never had before. Can you tell me which brands works best for cavities and what I am doing wrong for receding gums. Thank you so much
Hi! Can you use stevia instead of xylitol for homemade toothpaste?
You can, but beware that stevia is much more concentrated, so use much less. Also, it does not have oral microbiome advantages that xylitol may have.
DrB
Are there any nano-hydroxyapatite toothpastes that come in something other than a plastic tube? We are looking to cut down our single-use plastics, but really want to try this type of toothpaste. Thanks in advance for your help!
Hey Kristina! I totally understand that. To my knowledge, there are unfortunately no Ha or nHa toothpastes offered in non-plastic containers. For sustainable toothpastes, I typically recommend Bite, although they don’t offer an Ha option.
We don’t actually need toothpaste! That’s so interesting – thanks for sharing 🙂 Also, really enjoyed learning about the brands you recommend. Great post!