I learned about this many years ago and the difference after I started using only SLS-free toothpaste was night and day. I used to get canker sores any time I would bite the inside of my cheek, hit my gums with the hard parts of my toothbrush, etc., and this completely stopped a while after I switched to SLS-free.
SLS is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, by the way, and it’s a detergent. From what I understand, the only reason why it’s added to toothpaste is to make more foam when you brush. But the SLS-free toothpaste I use makes plenty of foam, so I have no idea why they add it. It’s one of those things about the modern world that makes absolutely no sense. The ads and packaging should say in big letters: “now with even more canker sores!”
Unfortunately, the vast majority of toothpastes on the market (at least in the US) have SLS. I can only seem to find SLS-free toothpaste in natural food/supplement stores. It’s extra difficult to find toothpastes that are SLS-free but that keep fluoride too. The difficulty (and price? I haven’t compared) is completely worth it to me though.
TL;DR: The SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) in most toothpastes is unnecessary and causes canker sores (painful sores in your mouth and gums). If you have this problem, you will likely benefit from SLS-free toothpaste (some still include fluoride) that you can usually find at natural food stores.
SLS is in SO many products. Switching to a shampoo free from sulphates cured my dandruff and halted my hair loss.
Surprise, not rubbing surfactant into your scalp makes it healthier haha
I thought it was because of the food i was eating, thanks a lot
Through some rough experimentation, a rigid diet of Kirkland Signature Greek Yogurt mixed with honey 3x a day will prevent a canker sore from forming after biting your lip. The non-SLS toothpaste helps too.
I use an SLS toothpaste and have never had canker sores but I agree it seems silly to add it when even a small dab of toothpaste creates an unnecessary amount of foam with proper brushing.
and have never had canker sores
They come from a virus most people have living dormant inside them. Various factors may increase the breakout rate, but the virus is the true source. Sounds like you’re one of the lucky few uninfected.
I’d be curious how others feel but personally painfully brushing the sore causes it to heal the quickest in my experience.
Not joking
I have found mouthwash to be the best solution. If you feel one coming on or bite you mouth and think you might get it, mouthwash ASAP.
I notice they heal faster when brushing twice a day but absolutely do not brush the actual sore. I use listerine which absolutely burns like a cigarette being pushed directly into it. But after a minute or so it gets overloaded with pain I guess and stops hurting for a few hours.
I’ve always thought I was mildly allergic to some brands of toothpaste, wonder if this was related.
My symptoms were sores in the corners of my mouth/gums - took a couple weeks before they’d show up and the only way to get them to go away was heavy rinsing with water after brushing (which is not recommended because of fluoride mineralization)
Switched to Tom’s toothpaste (with fluoride) a few years ago and have had 0 issues since
Glad to hear. I used to use Tom’s but unfortunately I couldn’t find the SLS-free flavors locally anymore. I just checked their website and it seems they got rid of most of their SLS-free flavors.
Also, unfortunately, the brand I had been using, Jason, seems to be dropping most of their toothpastes. It took me a while to find a new, clean brand to use, but I think I finally found it: Burt’s Bees. It seems to be one of the cleanest toothpastes I’ve ever seen, according to https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ and it’s available at my local Target stores!
My toothpaste is getting low, I think I’ll try busts next!
Cool, I hope it will be good!
Does Sensodyne have any ingredients that cause this?
All of their toothpastes have fluoride but most don’t have SLS, only the ones that foam more do.
Their websites lists these as not containing any SLS:
- Sensodyne Extra Whitening
- Sensodyne Full Protection
- Sensodyne Fresh Mint
- Sensodyne Tartar Control
- Sensodyne Fresh Impact
- Sensodyne True White Mint
- Sensodyne True White Extra Fresh
And these ones do contain SLS:
- Sensodyne Deep Clean
- Sensodyne Rapid Relief
- Sensodyne Sensitivity & Gum
- Sensodyne Complete Protection
- Sensodyne Repair and Protect
I think the article is misleading. The studies don’t seem to show that SLS causes canker sores, but if you do suffer from them, it will exacerbate them or delay their healing. The article says “studies”, while only citing one study, that actually recruited patients who already suffered from the sores. A double blinded cross-over trial concluded that “The number of ulcers and episodes did not differ significantly between SLS-A, SLS-B, and SLS-free. Only duration of ulcers and mean pain score was significantly decreased during the period using SLS-free. Although SLS-free did not reduce the number of ulcers and episodes, it affected the ulcer-healing process and reduces pain in daily lives in patients with [canker sores].” Although I don’t have access to the full version, so I can’t view the details. By the way, SLS-A was an SLS-free toothpaste spiked with 1.5% SLS, and SLS-B was a commercially available toothpaste with 1.5% SLS in it already.
You can tell that the article is trying to sensationalise something by such phrases as:
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“But there’s no reason to accept a hazardous chemical in your toothpaste.” You know what else is in your toothpaste? Sodium fluoride. Which is lethal at high enough dose. It’s all about the concentration.
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“It’s strong stuff — the cleaning solution I use on our garage floor is 50% SLS.” Well, yes, if you use it at concentrations ridiculously above the ones found in a toothpaste, of course it’s going to be “strong stuff”. You know what else is strong stuff? 100% acetic acid. Yet somehow, at 10% we happily consume it as vinegar. By the way, vinegar - great cleaning agent!
Don’t get me wrong, if you’re sensitive to SLS, by all means avoid it. But I’m not a fan of articles that make blanket statements about a chemical that is mostly harmful in the concentration that it’s used in hygiene products. It’s another one of those “aspartame gives you cancer” (which it doesn’t by the way).
Well, technically it’s the excessive drying out of the mucous membrane that causes tissue damage which results in a canker sore/aphthous ulcers. But saying SLS isn’t the cause is like saying
guns don’t kill people, massive physical trauma and excessive blood loss from being shot kills people
SLS can still cause drying of the mucous membranes in the mouths of people who don’t regularly suffer canker sores. That drying can lead to tissue damage, and that can then become a sore. It just happens less frequently than for people like me, who are sensitive. But it’s due to the chemical action of the SLS.
I get the point of your gun analogy, but I don’t think it’s an apt one. It’s not like only people sensitive to gunshot wounds die from gunshot wounds. If you shoot a person with a gun the damage is pretty certain. If cankers were as certain to be caused by SLS then everyone using SLS-containing toothpaste would have cankers. We don’t. The bottom line is that the article linked to by OP is making misleading claims.
But I despite me not agreeing that the gunshot wound analogy is apt here, I get what you mean, so maybe the title of the lemmy post would be better phrased as something like “YSK that SLS […] can be the cause of cankers in sensitive people”. Which is also kinda the point I was trying to make in the last paragraph of my original reply.
Edit: formatting
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I suffered for years before finding out about SLS causing canker sore outbreaks. Switched to an SLS free toothpaste, and haven’t had a canker sore in years. Little advice for people still suffering from them though, rinsing your mouth out with peroxide, instantly stops the pain. Also no burning sensation like you get with a fresh cut. It also seems to shorten their duration too. Just be careful not to swallow any.
If you’re sensitive or are allergic to SLS, ysk that it’s in damn near everything - not just toothpaste and cleaning supplies, but also laundry detergent, soap, face and body wash, shaving cream, and bubble bath. It also goes by a plethora of other names, so that’s fun.
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Hmm. It’s not silicone free, though, and seems to react with hair dye, so maybe use with caution.
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Huh. A while ago the toothpaste I was using (plus many subsequent toothpastes I attempted to use) started causing the skin on the inside of my mouth to start peeling. Wonder if that’s the same cause.
For informational purposes, the only standard brand I’ve found that doesn’t do that to me is Arm and Hammer.
toothpaste brands that you find in asia have an even higher quantity of SLS and it’s completely fucked
you should also know that people in the past would just brush with a fresh twig and maybe some salt, and their teeth were absolutely fine within the limits of not having any sort of dental care beyond “pull a bad tooth out with pliers”.
and nowadays we have fancy electric toothbrushes that are way more effective than a twig, so really i see little reason to use toothpaste beyond society as a whole having been convinced that if your mouth doesn’t taste like mint it’s DISGUSTING.
They also had way less sugar in their diet then
Yeah no joke. Those mouth bacteria fuckers love sugar. Keep a standard western diet and brush with a salty twig and you’ll be needing dentures within the decade.
For my fellow mint haters (we exist!), I’ve found hello toothpaste and Oxyfresh gentle to be a great combo.
Extra super mega plus a million on this advice! I suffer these ulcers too and they’re horrible. I have three right now, in fact.
I bear good news though: King Soopers/Ralph’s/Kroger has SLS-free toothpaste for cheap now! Check the ingredients in your region of course but this is the one I get: https://www.kroger.com/p/kroger-enamel-protection-mint-breeze-gentle-whitening-for-sensitive-teeth-toothpaste/0004126037699
To quickly check any grocery store brand though, you can also look for “Compare to Sensodyne ProNamel”. That’s a brand name one with no SLS. These should all pretty easily available in US grocery stores, from what I’ve found.
