Dr. Gingiva Toothpaste: A Review

A Toothpaste for Sensitive Gums

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

It's hard to review a product as ordinary as toothpaste.  I'm not one of those cheery TV promoters that gets really bubbly about everyday household products. I use them and when I like a product, I keep using it.

I have difficult teeth with deep pockets in my gums that need special deep cleaning every three months. The process of brushing my teeth often leaves me with bleeding gums around my worst tooth.  In the past few months I have tried many different kinds of toothpastes.

A Search for the Right Toothpaste

I used to use The Dirt regularly for a long time. It's a toothpowder which I reviewed about a year ago here. I didn't get any new cavities during that year, but my gums started bleeding on and off near my problem tooth as the deep pocket got harder to clean. So after I ran out of my last order of The Dirt, I decided to try the sample packs of toothpaste my dentist was giving away.

First I tried Colgate Enamel Health Fresh Mint Flavor. I really enjoyed its cool flavor. Like The Dirt, it was supposed to strengthen my tooth enamel and polish my teeth. But also like The Dirt, it it did not address bleeding gums. Still I went looking for it on Amazon because I really liked the taste. When I got to Amazon I discovered Dr. Gingiva Toothpaste in the suggested products. I started comparing ingredients.

What's Different about Dr. Gingiva Toothpaste?

Colgate Enamel Health's active ingredient is sodium fluoride. The active ingredient in Dr. Gingiva is stannous fluoride. According to the Oral B web site information, of the two, only stannous fluoride protects against tartar buildup, gingivitis, erosion, and sensitivity. It also protects the teeth against plaque buildup by keeping plaque from sticking to the teeth. It keeps the bacteria that cause gingivitis from breeding in your mouth.

Another thing that made me want to try this was the addition of Chinese herbs that also addressed gum health. It's flavored with spearmint -- my very favorite mint, so I was pretty sure I would like using it. The customer reviews were almost all favorable, so I went ahead and ordered one package. I could have gotten a sale price by ordering four before June 15, 2019, but I wanted to be sure I liked it first.

My order came three days ago. Dr. Gingiva agrees with my mouth so far. I like the taste. My teeth feel very clean. So far my gums are not bleeding, but only time will tell if that lasts. They didn't bleed every day before -- only sometimes.

I do want to share two other things you should know. First, there is a warning that your teeth may take on a slight greenish tinge that a dentist would be able to remove. So far that hasn't bothered the reviewers.

The other thing you should know is that the reviewers are very motivated to give positive reviews. The company offers a reward of two free tubes of toothpaste, including tubes of their other brands -- Teagrance for bad breath and LMZ Herbal for toothache treatment. The customer chooses. So keep that in mind when you read the reviews. Of course, if one doesn't like the toothpaste, one probably wouldn't want more of it -- even if it's free. My offer came with my order. I did not receive any free toothpaste. I paid for the tube I'm reviewing here. Instructions for reviewing the product on Amazon came with my order.

Disclaimer: This product has not been proven to prevent or cure any disease. If you need oral health advice, be sure to consult your dentist or oral hygienist..

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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SLS-Free Toothpaste and Why I Brush With Tooth Soap

"I'm Going to Wash Your Mouth Out With Soap!"

Did your mom ever say that to you? I hope not, but if she did, she was actually onto something. In fact, after extensive research, I no longer use toothpaste. Instead, I brush my teeth with tooth soap!

Most of my life, I had a major problem with mouth ulcers. If you've ever had those white, painful sores on the inside of your cheek or lips that make it difficult to eat, then you know what I'm talking about. Several years ago, I started searching for a cause for mouth ulcers and I came across several articles about SLS in toothpaste. A good number of people like me were reporting that using an SLS-free toothpaste put an end to their mouth sores.

I was interested, in fact I was thrilled. But what toothpaste should I use? And where could I find toothpaste without SLS, one that was safe to use? My research continued.

SLS stands for sodium lauryl sulfate which is used in many products from toothpaste to industrial cleaners. Why? Because SLS causes a reaction in those products that makes them foamy or sudsy when they're used. But get this. It's also used as a skin irritant in testing of products made to heal skin conditions.

What about other potentially harmful ingredients in toothpaste? Did you ever wonder about the “Do Not Swallow” warning on the label or why many toothpastes say they are not to be used by children under six-years of age?

Many of the ingredients in toothpaste can be dangerous. For instance, there's silica. Medicinenet.com defines silica this way: “The chief component of sand and a substance responsible for lung disease and cancer.” Read the label on your own toothpaste and I’m guessing you’re going to think twice before you squeeze that tube tonight on your way to bed!

But back to SLS-free toothpaste and why I brush with tooth soap.

My research eventually led me to tooth soap which at that time was expensive and somewhat hard to find. Since then, I make an effort to put fewer ingredients that I can't pronounce into my body. A few of the "natural" alternatives for brushing that I've tried are these (prices are subject to change):

* The Tooth Soap brand is what originally sold me on tooth soap. Get a 4-ounce jar of peppermint shreds for $23.86 with Amazon Prime.

 * Squigle Tooth Builder, Sensitive, 4.4 oz Toothpaste, $9.50 with Prime. Ingredients: 36% Natural Xylitol, water, calcite, glycerin, poloxamer, cellulose gum, Methocel, calcium propionate, lactoferrin. I like this, but it doesn't make my teeth feel as smooth as they get with tooth soap. And it's expensive.

* Xyli-White Toothpaste 6.4 oz $3.99 add-on item. Ingredients: Water, xylitol, hydrated silica, glycerin, sorbitol, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium coco-sulfate, carrageenan, tea tree leaf oil, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, papain, potassium sorbate. I've tried this and it's actually pretty good (discounting the silica on the ingredient list) and it's cheaper than most on this list but, again, it doesn't clean as well as tooth soap.

* Tom's Toothpaste. Tom's has a reputation for using natural ingredients in its products. Unfortunately for me, they use sodium lauryl sulfate as a dispersing agent, so I have to eliminate this product from my "recommended" list. Apparently there is a low-sudsing variety without SLS, so look for that and give it a try.

* Coconut Oil Toothpaste. I have tried brushing my teeth with coconut oil, fresh from the kitchen, and that wasn't a very satisfying experience, though your results may vary. Additionally, I tried a coconut oil toothpaste in a tube and had mixed results. Why mixed? Because since coconut oil is responsive to temperature, during cold weather it became partially solid and was nearly impossible to squeeze out of the tube, so I became very frustrated and quit using it until summer.

* Today's winner and my overall recommendation: Uncle Harry's Tooth Soap (peppermint) $8.99 for a 2-ounce jar, free shipping. This is something I found recently, started using it a few weeks ago, and I really like it! The price is right (those 2 ounces will last a long time), I love that it's a whipped formula and not a shred like the original Tooth Soap brand, and my teeth are getting much cleaner than they did with the xylitol toothpaste I previously used. Recommended!

You might be asking yourself, does tooth soap taste like soap? Well yes, it actually does. The Uncle Harry's tooth soap that I've been using contains organic peppermint essential oil so when I open the jar, it's the minty fresh smell that I notice. It doesn't take much soap to brush, just a dab on the tip of my toothbrush, so my mouth doesn't fill with suds and spread the soap taste to my taste buds. Plus, by now I've gotten used to brushing with soap and it doesn't bother me a bit. You'll get used to it, too.

Bottom line, I brush my teeth with tooth soap, always SLS-free, and my mouth ulcer problem has disappeared. I no longer wake up with an icky mouth and a coating on my teeth. Instead, my teeth feel smooth and clean after I brush. And, (did I mention?) no more mouth ulcers with SLS-free tooth soap! It worked for me and I hope it will work for you.

(To learn more about SLS, visit this page at Mercola.com.  It's a very interesting topic to research.)

--Susan Deppner

About the Author

Posted by Susan Deppner

About the Author

Susan Deppner is a baby boomer, a cancer survivor, and a Southerner who believes in the Golden Rule. She enjoys writing about food, faith, and fitness; health, home, and holidays; people, places, pets, and patriotism, and more. Follow Susan on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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