There are 100s to choose from but what’s the best fluoride-free toothpaste?
Luckily for you, I have bought and tested 40+ highly rated fluoride-free toothpastes and chose the best 5 brands.
While for those still scared to let fluoride go, you’ll be happy to hear there is ZERO reason to use it, as explained in my 10 reasons to use fluoride-free toothpaste article.
Important Things To Consider About Fluoride-Free Toothpastes
Since toxins can be absorbed through your mouth and into your bloodstream. It’s probably a good idea to consider the ingredients in your toothpaste, as it goes in your mouth multiple times a day.
Now fluoride-free is a great start.
But there are many other toxic ingredients. For example, you do not want the following ingredients in your toothpaste, some of them are just as bad as fluoride:
- hydrated silica
- sorbitol
- sodium saccharin
- titanium dioxide
- glycerin
- sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate
- macrogol 4000
- activated charcoal
- microplastics (from the container)
- carrageenan
- aluminum (from the container)
- PEG-8, PEG/PPG
- clay (bentonite, kaolin, etc.)
- diatomaceous Earth
- artificial color (ex. blue 1, yellow 10)
- endocrine disruptors (ex. lavender)
And there are a lot more.
It’s actually very rare for a fluoride-free toothpaste to contain no toxins. Even with the best options, some of them contain a few unwanted ingredients. But the good news is that there are some amazing options.
NOTE: Truth About Fluoride is reader-supported. When you buy through links on the site, I may earn a commission (every product is bought, tested & used by myself. With only the best being recommended)
The 5 Best Fluoride-Free Toothpastes
Of all the fluoride-free toothpastes I’ve bought and tested (some of them are pictured above), the following 5 are in my opinion the best. Which I decided based on the ingredients and how they cleaned my teeth.
So let’s start, leaving the best for last.
5. Weleda Salt Toothpaste
This fluoride-free toothpaste from Germany is a solid mainstream option.
The color of Weleda’s salt toothpaste is a pink-ish brown and does not taste that good. Its strong and zesty taste is something I never got used to but some people like.
However, if you look at its ingredients it could have been amazing BUT it contains glycerin which many people believe does not allow your teeth to remineralize. Along with alcohol which is probably a small amount but may damage the good bacteria in your mouth.
4. Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste
Since we’re talking about fluoride-free toothpaste, we have to bring up hydroxyapatite.
That’s because hydroxyapatite toothpaste has been shown to work just as “well” as fluoride toothpaste in remineralization (natural repair process for teeth). But instead of fluoride, these toothpastes include the naturally occurring mineral form of calcium apatite (what’s found in our teeth) which is safe to use and NOT toxic.
So by default…
It’s one of the “best” fluoride-free toothpastes.
BUT the biggest problem with hydroxyapatite toothpastes is that if you look at the most popular brands, you’ll see their ingredients list is not that good… to say the least.
For example, if you look at the two “best” selling hydroxyapatite toothpaste on Amazon you’ll see they contain glycerin, hydrated silica, carrageenan and just a huge list of ingredients which is never a good thing.
Do you NEED Hydroxyapatite?
Truth is, you don’t need fluoride…
And you don’t need hydroxyapatite.
However, hydroxyapatite is a nice insurance policy and gives your teeth a boost. It does as good of a job as fluoride but without any of the negative effects. So it’s a no-brainer to make the switch, considering you have nothing to lose.
But it’s important to remember there are many things more important for healthy teeth like having a diet full of nutrients like vitamins A, D, and K. Along with minerals like calcium and phosphorus. Getting lots of sunshine and quality sleep (easier said than done, I know).
3. Redmond Earthpaste
Redmond Earthpaste was formally my favorite fluoride-free toothpaste.
It contains minimal ingredients, no foaming agents, no glycerin, no GMOs, and no coloring.
Very impressive…
BUT as reported in my popular article called “Fluoride-free Toothpastes Exposed for Being Toxic“, the only problem (a big one) is that it’s made from bentonite clay which is LOADED with aluminum, lead and arsenic.
That’s why you see a Prop 65 warning on the toothpaste. Which is a California law that requires companies to label their product with the warning, if it contains any of the 800+ chemicals that may cause birth defects, cancer, or reproductive harm.
Now I don’t know how risky this is.
But aluminum, lead and arsenic are pretty scary. So I’d rather use any of the other toothpastes mentioned here and not take the unnecessary risk.
2. Dr. Bronner’s
Dr. Bronner’s could be a perfect choice but if you take a look at the ingredients list…
You’ll see that glycerin is the first thing listed. Which means there’s a lot of it. Now I understand why brands include it, it’s used to prevent the toothpaste from drying out.
But if it’s true that it does prevent your teeth from remineralizing (healing), that would be a deal breaker for many people. Nonetheless, if you take everything into consideration it definitely is still one of the better options available.
Do you NEED to use toothpaste? (Important)
Considering what you’re going to read after this section, what I say now might be a surprise…
I think brushing your teeth is important and you should do it. But if you take a look at almost ALL toothpastes on the market, there really isn’t anything special about them. In fact, I really don’t see a difference in someone brushing their teeth using any one of the “best” fluoride-free toothpastes VS plain baking soda.
For example, let’s pick on Dr. Bronner’s…
If you look at the ingredients list, sure it’s fluoride-free but there’s really nothing special for your teeth. They have hydrated silica, calcium carbonate, coconut flour, & baking soda. All of which are “supposed” to help remove plaque.
But why include more than one?
Truth is most ingredients are included to trick you into thinking the toothpaste is working or simply make it “feel” and “look” good.
Nothing or very little to do with your teeth.
Now let me explain by going through the other ingredients and their main purpose.
Glycerin (prevents the toothpaste from drying out), hydrated silica (absorbent & bulking agent), xanthan gum (makes it easy to be squeezed & gives a consistent and smooth string), potassium cocoate (foaming agent) & menthol crystals (enhances mint and cool feeling).
On top of that, we are told all these ingredients are “safe”. But we have to remember, they are man-made and having so many of them together can’t be a good thing, it just poses an unnecessary risk.
For example, you see man-made substances exposed very often. Even by mainstream news sources like CNN, Washington Post, and the DailyMail.
The most recent one was Erythritol.
A very popular sweetener that many people thought was “healthy” and is included in hundreds of products. Which is now linked to heart attack and strokes but was claimed to be safe by the FDA.
So the point is, when possible…
Avoid these new and man-made ingredients. Because even if it’s suppose to be “safe” truth is, it’s only a mater of time there’s a study exposing it for being toxic.
Now with Dr. Bronners…
It’s not all bad.
There is organic coconut oil. Only con is it’s one of the last ingredients on the list, which means there is very little of it. I also have no problem with the aloe leaf juice, solid ingredient.
But as you can see, nothing special. So I’d give it a “B” if I was grading it.
1. Modern Primal’s Toothpowder
If I’m being honest, I was very unhappy with this article for a long time.
I say this because our best options are Weleda or Dr. Bronners. Now don’t get me wrong, they are solid fluoride-free toothpastes. But they’re not “perfect”. Which is a problem for me since I have thousands of people visit the website everyday and I have to give recommendations.
So if it’s not perfect…
I don’t like recommending it.
I do this because people come to me since they trust me and are expecting me to recommend the best option, since as people who are trying to live a healthy life they want nothing but the best.
And what choice would I give them?
Well I could tell people to choose between toothpastes that are filled with glycerin and other fillers OR a “natural” toothpaste that’s filled with heavy metals.
So at a certain point, I got fed up.
And created Modern Primal.
And I completely understand people don’t trust someone as much when they sell their own product, you might think I’m in it for the money or other “selfish” desires. But I could only solve these problems one way…
Doing it myself.
Now I can talk for hours about what I did to make this product amazing, from dozens of laboratory testing in order to find the cleanest ingredients, months of personal tests, glass containers to avoid microplastics or aluminum leaching and so on…
But here’s what is most important.
It’s completely toxic-free and loaded with ingredients that are good for your teeth.
For example, if you compare it with one of the most popular toothpastes/powders you’ll see how clean the ingredients are. No aluminum, arsenic, lead, lithium or titanium (screenshot of laboratory testing below).
So if you’re interested, check out Modern Primal (link to website), the Original Toothpowder and the Lemon Toothpowder (link to products).
It’s basically the Bugatti’s and Lamborghini’s of the toothpaste/powder world. And of course I’m a little bit biased but I truly think it’s hands down the best choice – otherwise I wouldn’t have made it. And if there was something wrong or could be better, I’d put my ego aside and change it, which I can do since I have 100% control.
Which option should you choose?
Finally I can confidently answer this.
If you want a premium fluoride-free option, I’d go with Modern Primal. While if you’d like to save while sacrificing on ingredients and effectiveness a “little”, Weleda and Dr. Bronner’s toothpastes are good choices.
But if I’m being honest…
If you can’t afford to go the premium route, just use plain baking soda INSTEAD of brands like Dr. Bronner’s. It will save you money, work just as well, is fluoride-free and pose no risk to your health. Just keep in mind, using just baking soda is nasty but to make it taste better, add a drop or two of essential oil.
Final Words
It’s very important to realize, fluoride-free should not be the only factor.
Unfortunately, there are many ingredients included in toothpaste that are added in the best interest of the company and not your health. For example many ingredients are included to trick you into thinking the toothpaste is working well or to make it look and feel good (foaming agents, glycerin, etc.).
But in reality it’s not adding any benefit but only posing an unnecessary risk to your health.
And if you don’t think it’s a big issue to have a few of these ingredients in a toothpaste. Just remember you’ll be brushing your teeth everyday for many years.
So that small negative will add up.
Plus I don’t have to tell you this but we are constantly bombarded with toxins from all angles in our daily lives through food, air, water and so on…
No need to add to that list with toothpaste.
Now if you could, I’d greatly appreciate it if you shared this article with your friends and family using the blue buttons below. This way they can check if their toothpaste is good and if not, will know exactly which fluoride-free toothpaste to get!