Newsweek did a spread in its last issue about the top green products out there. Their source was GoodGuide.com, which ranks the products we use based upon their impact on our health, their impact on the environment and the effect the companies that produce them have on our society.

As I’ve said before, I use Tom’s of Maine Whole Care Peppermint Toothpaste. This ranks very highly in the overall score on GoodGuide.com. Interestingly, the absolute best toothpaste for your health according to the site is Miessence Organic Mint Toothpaste. This toothpaste is a little hard to find however. The reason Miessence ranks so highly is because GoodGuide.com deems it to have no ingredients that pose any level of risk to human health. Tom’s, however, scores more highly on the environmental and social impact scales used by the site.

I’ve always liked what Tom’s of Maine has done as a company. The fact that it scores slightly lower than one toothpaste does not bother me. The ingredients in question with Tom’s of Maine toothpaste are glycerin and sodium lauryl sulfate. Glycerin is considered to be a very low health risk. The other “risk” in Tom’s toothpaste should be examined more closely:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS is not carcinogenic. Though assertions to the contrary have been made over the years, SLS has not been proven a carcinogen through consumption or topical application.

So my organic toothpaste choice remains Tom’s of Maine. While glycerin can be considered a minor risk due to potential blood toxicity, it’s still a minor concern. But for those out there who want nothing in the way of risk in their toothpaste, keep an eye out for Miessence.

As a regular user of toothpaste for a majority of my life (my younger years were a little iffy between just wetting the toothbrush and lying about doing it), I think I have somewhat of an opinion on toothpaste.  I like it.  I like the way it makes my teeth feel, and I certainly like the fact that my teeth aren’t rotting away.  But as with anything, I am concerned about the amount of unnatural elements entering my body on a regular basis through medicines, foods and other products.  Let’s take a quick look at some of the standard ingredients regular toothpaste.  Here is a list of common (and some not-so-common but still present) ingredients in your standard toothpaste tube.

1. Sodium Flouride
2. Sodium Monofluorophosphate
3. Olaflur
4. Hydroxylapatite
5. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
6. Triclosan
7. Silica
8. Color Dyes
9. Artificial Sweeteners

I don’t know about you, but ingredients that are used in the creation of engine degreasers and floor cleaners should not be going in to your mouth.  Maybe that’s something you really hope for, but not this guy.  I prefer to know exactly what’s in my toothpaste so I can be assured it’s all natural.  That’s why I recently switched to (what I’ve heard) is the best organic toothpaste on the market.  Of course that was all based on an opinion I found on the Internet so naturally, I knew it had to be true.  After looking at a number of different organic toothpaste brands for comparison, I noticed that the one getting the most buzz was Tom’s of Maine Organic Toothpaste.  After reading a number of different reviews, I decided to order my first tube.  Is it different than regular toothpaste?  Most definitely.  I no longer feel like I’m putting chemicals in my mouth, and I can sleep easier at night knowing that I’m protecting myself from all that mumbo jumbo up top.

There is a lot of sketchy stuff going on with regular toothpaste (regular toothpaste users: I’m sorry but it’s true.)  I still am not a completely “organic” guy (how do you pass up on the occasional Wendy’s run?) but I no longer mess around with regular toothpaste.  I’ll stick with Tom’s of Maine as my personal choice for flavored organic toothpaste.