UL Tooth Paste or Powder

[Rolls Kanardly]

For ultra lite hikers I have found a powdered tooth paste that may shave a few ounces off your pack weight. I found a tooth powder called "Country Gents" on Amazon and received a small vial of 2oz net weight in the mail. My wife and I tried the powder and it is similar to what we used when we were children in the 50's. It has very little taste or odor which it good for "Leave no Trace". The powder does a good job of cleaning teeth and would be a good item for discussion when setting up your pack. I have no connection with this company in any way but I think it is a good product for those that want/need a tooth powder. "Rolls Kanardly"

[geomaniac]

So what company makes it? Id like to try some.

[geomaniac]

I guess my reading comprehension needs a bit of work.....I will check country gentlemen on amazon.

[yellowsirocco]

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

[Kerosene]

A search on Amazon for "Country Gent Tooth" turned up these offerings (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=country%20gents%20tooth%20powder). Note that the shipping costs for a single container are pretty hefty.

[CarlZ993]

I used tooth powder that I bought in a local store & kept it in a very small vial. Worked pretty well for me. Really light. A lot less messy that toothpaste.

[Wise Old Owl]

swish with pond scum works too.... I opolgise I love this guy... Turtle man...


http://cincinnati.com/blogs/shiftinggears/files/2013/06/Turtleman3.jpg

[Tuckahoe]

As a reenactor I have used quite a bit of tooth powder over the years, and its been a pretty cool interpretive tool as part of educational programs (its a little hard to find toothpaste in a lead foil tube). Kids for some reason are absolutely intrigued by the thought of tooth powder.

But I've never thought of using tooth powder for backpacking. Ive always been content with regular ol toothpaste and never thought 0.8oz for a sample size was that much weight.

Honestly is there really that much of a weight savings to make it worth the hassle?

[shakey_snake]

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.

[yellowsirocco]

another thing with baking soda is you don't have to waste near the amount of water that you do with paste on cleanup.

[kunzman]

I travel for work internationally and often get these miniature toothpaste tubes on the plane.
Shown next to some floss picks for size reference. The Colgate one is 5 grams.

[MuddyWaters]

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.


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.

[Kc Fiedler]

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.

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!

[Shonryu]

Ive been using these. I ditch the bottle and carry them in a small zip lock baggie. 1 tablet split in half works for two brushing for me.

Archtek Toothpaste Tablets, Cool Mint - 60 Ea by Archtek http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UY1NMW/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_tDD8sb0GDWVFG

[pipsissewa]

Ive been using these. I ditch the bottle and carry them in a small zip lock baggie. 1 tablet split in half works for two brushing for me.

Archtek Toothpaste Tablets, Cool Mint - 60 Ea by Archtek http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UY1NMW/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_tDD8sb0GDWVFG



+1 on these. They're minimally packaged and you can count out exactly how many tablets you'll need for your hike--no waste. We used to use baking soda, but I like these better.

25825

:D

[atbackpacker]

+1 on these. They're minimally packaged and you can count out exactly how many tablets you'll need for your hike--no waste. We used to use baking soda, but I like these better.

25825

:D

i make my own...here's a how to link. the best part is you can use your favorite flavor. pepsodent, crest, colgate, etc.
http://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/load-bearing/trimming-weight-with-toothpaste-dots-for-lightweight-backpacking/

[pipsissewa]

i make my own...here's a how to link. the best part is you can use your favorite flavor. pepsodent, crest, colgate, etc.
http://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/load-bearing/trimming-weight-with-toothpaste-dots-for-lightweight-backpacking/


That's the bomb, ATB!!! Thanks for the link. I'm definitely doing this!!! :D <--me and my pearly whites

[squeezebox]

Can you dehydrate toothpaste?

[BrianLe]

I've been using tooth powder rather than paste for several years now on backpacking trips, but the minor weight savings isn't the point --- for me, at least.
I bought a bottle of Eco-dent tooth powder (http://www.amazon.com/Toothpowder-Daily-Care-Mint-Ounces/dp/B0006ON9NA) at my local drug store in, I think, 2007 (and am still using it, for backpacking trips only). I put some of it in a micro-dropper type of bottle, something similar to this (http://www.ultralightdesigns.com/products/packing/miniBottles.html). Note, important to remove the top part of the little plastic "bottle" that forces it to a drop-sized output. With the bigger opening I just sort of tap the bottle to get the right amount of powder on my toothbrush, on occasion spilling a little too much in the process, I'll admit.

Anyway, the point of this drill is to simplify resupply on long trips such as a thru-hike or chunk-hike. It's all well and good to start out with a small tube of toothpaste, but what happens when you run out and there's only the big tube for sale? Even a microbottle of tooth powder lasts me literally months. Typically on a thru-hike I'll have a place somewhere on the trail where I'm mailing things both ways and will include the bigger bottle of tooth powder in there, to top off my microbottle. I've never run out.

By the end of a long hike it's sort of a treat to use regular toothpaste again, but really either approach is fine with me.

And I do cut my toothbrush handle off. Not to save weight; I cut it to size the toothbrush to fit inside a snack-sized ziplock. My bandsaw at home makes quick work of this, but a moment with a file is helpful to round off the ends I think, FWIW.

[Odd Man Out]

There was an article on the news just a few days ago about how unnecessary toothpaste is. I thought it might come up here. The news story cited a number of sources that claim the physical act of brushing is the important part. For example:

http://dentalhygienehaven.com/the-truth-about-toothpaste/

[ocasey3]

Has anyone ever tried these? http://www.lushusa.com/Toothy-Tabs/toothy-tabs,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 (http://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/load-bearing/trimming-weight-with-toothpaste-dots-for-lightweight-backpacking/) 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 (http://www.itstactical.com/gearcom/load-bearing/trimming-weight-with-toothpaste-dots-for-lightweight-backpacking/) 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.