UL Tooth Paste or Powder

[ocasey3]

Has anyone ever tried these? http://www.lushusa.com/Toothy-Tabs/t...,en_US,sc.html

[SawnieRobertson]

I miss Pepsodent tooth powder. If only it were on the market, . . . .

[okiefree]

I just use baking soda for tooth powder when I am hiking. Tastes a little salty, but whatever.

+1 for the baking soda, it better than toothpaste, no fluoride, and it also makes a great deodorant if you feel like ya need it.

[Deacon]

Toothpaste is a fluoride treatment. So it city water. What's important with fluoride treatments is that you're exposed to it over your lifetime. Taking a few weeks off won't make much of a difference.

Any polishing action removes enamel from your teeth, making them whiter, but less tough. You really don't need toothpaste. Brushing and flossing (how often do you use flossing paste?) is important to remove plaque, but the paste is optional. P&G and other such companies spend a lot of money to indoctrinate you into the lie of toothpaste.

Also, it's a bear attractant. It's as futile and unnecessary as wearing deodorant.

Completely agree with this. For the relatively few days spent on the trail, toothpaste and powder is just not needed. Far too messy to deal with.

[Just Bill]

If you guys were really UL you would just not brush. No toothpaste, powder or other to carry. No toothbrush, full handled or otherwise. And eventually no-teeth- resulting in a moderate from skin in savings on your base weight and significantly increasing your ability to catch large turtles.

On trips under a week I just leave the toothbrush at home, if I'm feeling grungy I use the finger brush on my swiss army hand or a hunk of TP to get any tough spots.

[RedBeerd]

I'm hopping on the "ditch your toothpaste" bandwagon. I asked my uncle who is a dental hygienist and a stickler about teeth. He says just brush with water, as mentioned in that article Odd Man Out posted, its the physical act of brushing.

But if you want to bring some didn't people used to use baking soda? Thats probably UL. You dont need much right..

[rusty bumper]

A travel size tube of toothpaste lasted me for 5 months. You really don't need much toothpaste to get a good cleaning...a tiny dab does the trick.

[BuckeyeBill]

I read about making toothpaste dots In one of the many books on Ultra-lite backpacking. Looked easy enough to do and takes up less space than a tube would. YMMV HYOH.

[shakey_snake]

Precisely.
There is very little data to support fluoride has any beneficial effects at all btw. Its actually considered one of the greatest scams ever put over the american people. You are drugged by the government, in your drinking water, without your consent, with no data to support any beneficial effect.

If its so helpful, why do we have cavities? In fact, at just slightly higher concentrations its deadly and poisioning episodes have occurred in cities when fluoridation limits were exceeded.

Many natural water springs are naturally fluorinated. The purpose of fluoridating city water is to regulate the amount of fluoride. Too much causes "mottled teeth" (stains), and too little leads to increases in tooth decay.

Interesting take on ditching the toothpaste. Have you tried brushing without paste over extended periods? What has your experience been with this? Bad breath? Plaque build up? No negative effects? I'm curious!

The purpose of physically brushing is to remove plaque buildup. The foaming action of toothpaste can help with this, but it isn't necessary.

I always have halitosis no matter where I'm at, no matter how much toothpaste I use. The only effective thing I found to combated it is a tongue scraper. I scrape my tongue with my toothbrush in the backcountry, but it's largely frivolous activity. Without regularly using a tongue scraper I have bad breath.

[MuddyWaters]

Im not arguing against brushing, or even brushing with flouride (although there is little to support it does anything positive) But simply, if brushing and fluouride were so effective, we wouldnt have so many cavities now would we? I know people with whole mouths full, and they brush religiously 2x per day and always have. Believe it or not, attributing tooth health to superficial surface scrubbing is a farce. There are tons of data to support that it is heavily influenced by nutrition. Ask any woman that never had a cavity, and ended up with several root canals after pregnancy.....

[Kc Fiedler]

Funny... The second quote there says it's from MW but I'm pretty sure I wrote the original.

[redseal]

I read about making toothpaste dots In one of the many books on Ultra-lite backpacking. Looked easy enough to do and takes up less space than a tube would. YMMV HYOH.

We actually just posted a blog on this today and then saw this thread so figured I would link to the video: http://www.backpackingengineer.com/blog.php/81

[Adriana]

I have not used toothpaste in over two years and have had great checkups, my dentist and hygienists have not noticed a thing. Ditto for soap for body washing and shampoo under normal urban life conditions. It cuts down your exposure to unnecessary chemicals and simplifies life.