Do Certain Toothpastes Cause Canker Sores?
askthedentist.com
Many toothpastes contain an ingredient called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). SLS is a strong detergent and has demonstrated in several studies to increase canker sore outbreaks and pain.

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 (mouth ulcers) 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 (edit: CAN cause) 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.

  • xapr [he/him]OPEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    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!