Can your toothpaste cause canker sores in your mouth?
Watch out for SLS in your toothpaste
An ingredient in toothpaste that causes canker sores is sodium lauryl sulfate or SLS. Sodium lauryl sulfate is a kind of detergent that is not only found in toothpaste but also in bubble bath, shampoo, shaving cream and car wash soaps. SlS is added on many brands of toothpaste to generate a foaming action which is a benefit of a toothpaste but is just one way of conditioning the minds of the user that the toothpaste is working effectively.
It is a fact that many people are sensitive to this ingredient, however, research used in determining effects of SLS on canker sores have been contradictory and sometimes complicated.
How SLS risk your oral health
One study from the 1990s concluded that SLS might contribute to canker sores while other trials showed that there is no relation between SLS and canker sores. However, an article of the Swedish Dental Journal released sometime in March 2003 relates SLS with wear on tooth surfaces as well as in mouth irritation. The are also some reports that people who previously used a toothpaste with SLS or an ingredient in toothpaste that causes canker sores became free from canker sores after shifting to Biotene toothpaste. It has also been found that SLS in toothpaste can irritate existing allergies and can cause bad breath.
The SLS ingredient in toothpaste can really cause oral damage than promote a healthy practice since the use of a toothpaste with SLS can be compared to with the use of a low grade hygiene product. SLS is known to cause dryness and together with the toothpaste results in your toothbrush forming microscopic cuts or tears in your mouth. The existence of cuts or tears in your mouth is tantamount to providing trauma to your mouth which will in turn result in canker sores. Anti-microbial mouthwashes are usually helpful in instantly relieving pain caused by mouth sores resulting from use of toothpaste with SLS. This mouthwash can also be used regularly as a preventive solution for mouth sores.
Natural toothpaste
Some brands of toothpastes that are free of SLS are Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, Burt’s Bee Natural toothpaste, Cardamon-fennel herbal toothpaste, Jason Natural Cosmetics toothpaste, Squigle Enamel Saver toothpaste, Sensodyne ProNamel Mint Essense toothpaste, Xyliwhite platinum mint to name a few.