Ask SmartPlanet: are there any organic whitening toothpastes?

Dear SmartPlanet, I drink a lot of coffee and need a toothpaste that whitens. Are there any organic ones that would work? Zade, London, UK

It's widely accepted that anything that can stain your clothes can stain your teeth too. You can't alter the colour change completely after drinking coffee, but you can change the shade of the stain -- and that's where teeth whitening pops up in conversations over your lattes.

Most non organic toothpastes are full of chemical uncertainties such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide -- hidden under their sweet minty taste. There's also the confusion over whether to go fluoride-free or not, and the relief is that you can do either with the range of natural toothpastes on the markets these days.

Myths tend to swell around ingredients when they appear as gobbledygook on health and beauty packaging. Yes, aqua is water and the rest can be explained, too, with some careful delving. Admittedly, there are a few additives floating around that even the Soil Association organic standards accept because they do not have any significant adverse effects on human health or the environment. These include sodium chloride (natural salt), sodium/potassium carbonates (including bicarbonate of soda which can be can be extracted from the ashes of many plants), calcium carbonate (natural chalk) and citric acid (often derived from natural sources such as lemon juice).

Natural whitening toothpastes tend to contain bamboo powder (collected in the form of a thick liquid which crystallises at room temperature and are rich in mineral salt) and calcium carbonate. Another useful whitener is silica, which removes stains without damaging enamel through harsh abrasion of most chemicals.

Toothpaste is an odd one. There's no easy answer to whether you can have a truly organic toothpaste -- in fact some oral care greenies such as Green People do not produce an organic whitening toothpaste, as they feel they would "need to add a chemical ingredient to the formulation to offer this as a benefit". But we love their Minty Cool toothpaste and feel it does the job bar for a slightly chalky aftertaste. £3.25 for 50ml from Green People's site.

Tom's of Maine (a Canadian company, funnily enough) produces a Natural Antiplaque Tartar Control & Whitening Toothpaste in varied flavours from fruity Apricot to Fennel, Peppermint and Spearmint. They contain an ingredient called xylitol (or birch sugar) which is known as a 'tooth-friendly' sugar as it discourages tooth decay. Recent studies also suggest that xylitol repairs minor cavities and reduces plaque. These toothpastes also have zinc citrate, a naturally occurring mineral that interferes with the calcification of plaque into tartar, as well as silica. They cost £2.75 for 85ml from Goodness Direct.

Although not strictly organic, the lovely tasting AloeDent Whitening Aloe Vera Toothpaste is fluoride-free and contains vitamin K, silica and the natural antiseptic tea tree. It also gets thumbs up for being produced by a local Welsh company Optima Health. £3.49 for 100ml from Optima's site. The only slightly disconcerting fact about Optima is that it was bought by Colgate-Palmolive Co. in 2006 in a reported £50m deal -- but perhaps that's more an ode to the power of the people consuming ethically.

Dr. Hauschka Skincare produces its WalaVita range of toothpastes in two flavours: Neem & Mint and Lemon & Salt. As a premium brand, both retail at a rather dear £5 for 75ml from Dr. Haushka's site.

Kingfisher natural toothpastes are GM-free and contain no artificial colourings, flavourings, sweeteners or preservatives either. Real fennel, real lemons, aloe and mint are just some of the flavours available. It's one of the more economical options, retailing from £2.48 for 100ml on Kingfisher's site.

The great news is that nearly all of these toothpastes are available at independent natural, wholefood and organic stores nationwide. All in all, if you're still battling with the organic toothpastes, then remember that keeping it as natural as possible is best.

You don't even have to stop at toothpastes. The traditional Natural Toothbrush, which has been revived thanks to the Tribe's Bruce Parry, contains cleaning properties from the twig-like root of the Araak tree (Salvadora Persica), which is widespread in the Middle East. They contain natural nutrients from fluorine and silicon, vitamin C, sulphur, salvadorine, and trimethylamine to minerals like potassium, sodium, chloride, sodium bicarbonate and calcium oxides (all of which greatly whiten and strengthen tooth enamel). The great thing about this product is that you don't need any toothpaste at all, only some mouth-watering action. It's £1.99 and is available here.

If you're still not sure then remember that it's actually better for you to chew on an apple straight after that cuppa than rely on claims of products that whiten organically. The key to removing staining bacteria that cause tooth discolouration is to get your saliva flowing and apples (or celery, carrots and even cucumbers for that matter) do a pretty good job. Now where did that fruit basket go?

Do you have a green shopping dilemma? Want an eco debate settled? Or want to know what an environmental buzzword really means? Email us on green@smartplanet.com and we'll do out best to help out in an upcoming Ask SmartPlanet.

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