Toms of Maine Natural Anticavity Baking Soda Fluoride Toothpaste, Peppermint

We found the best reviews of Tom's of Maine Natural Anticavity Baking Soda Fluoride Toothpaste at Drugstore.com, where more than a dozen users rate it and provide comments. Users also review it at Amazon.com and Vitacost.com, and the baking soda ingredient gets a useful critique at Slate.com. All the ingredients get a thorough critique at the Cosmetics Database produced by the Environmental Working Group, but some of their criticisms don't take quantities into account.

Tom's of Maine Natural Anticavity Baking Soda Fluoride Toothpaste is the only "natural" brand of toothpaste that's approved by the ADA. This toothpaste avoids the usual saccharin in favor of sweetening with xylitol, a natural sugar proven to combat harmful bacteria instead of feeding them. Reviewers' opinions differ on taste: Some users prefer it, saying it isn't too sweet, but others say the baking soda makes it taste bad. The calcium carbonite included in Tom's of Maine toothpaste is less abrasive than the hydrated silica in many of its competitors, but it doesn't remove stains as well. This toothpaste contains sodium lauryl sulfate, so if you're prone to canker sores or other mouth irritations, reviewers recommend a fluoride toothpaste that doesn't contain SLS, such as Sensodyne Pronamel (*est. $5.50 for 4 oz.).