Summary: It is not unusual for consumers to mistakenly assume that natural products do not work as well as their chemical counterparts. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially when it comes to oral hygiene. We use natural ingredients in all our products, including our toothpaste tablets.
The oral care industry is currently undergoing a massive shift. Consumers are tired of plastic tubes filled with artificial dyes, synthetic preservatives, and more. They are turning to more natural oral care products like toothpaste tablets. In doing so, they are opting for cleaner, zero-waste, and more natural alternatives to daily oral hygiene.
Shifting to more natural oral hygiene leads to certain questions like, "Can eco-friendly ingredients clean and protect my teeth as well as conventional toothpaste?" Absolutely.
A toothpaste tablet formula featuring natural ingredients backed by science works just as well as any other conventional toothpaste product. Ingredient choices are key, which is why we use things like calcium bentonite clay and sodium bicarbonate. They provide a gentle yet highly effective clean without the need for additives or harsh chemicals.
1. Calcium Bentonite Clay: Gentle Yet Effective
EcoFam toothpaste tablets contain calcium bentonite clay, a soft and fine-textured clay that has formed over long periods of time from aged volcanic ash. If you are a geologist, you know that clay belongs to the smectite group of minerals. These minerals are known for their unique ability to absorb impurities and bind tightly to debris.
The clay gets its name from Fort Benton, Wyoming, the location where large deposits were first found. The interesting thing is that bentonite clay is found all over the world. Yet the calcium bentonite in Wyoming is a specific variety which is rich in calcium minerals. It also has less sodium than standard bentonite clay, making it milder and more soothing as an ingredient for natural toothpaste tablets.
Why We Put It in Our Toothpaste Tablets
We rely on calcium bentonite clay as a key ingredient that plays two critical roles:
-
Gentle Cleaning – Effective cleaning involves removing plaque, daily buildup, and surface stains. That is exactly what calcium bentonite clay does. It acts as a micro-fine but mild abrasive that gently cleans without scratching enamel.
-
Binding Impurities – Bentonite clay's natural negative ionic charge creates a second benefit: when activated by saliva, it works like a tiny magnet that draws out impurities and organic material. This is all material that otherwise gets stuck in hard-to-reach crevices between the teeth and along the gum line.
Calcium bentonite clay is truly an amazing material. Most people never stop to think that something as simple and natural as volcanic ash could be useful as an oral hygiene product. But it is.
It Is Safe, Natural, and Very Effective
At first mention, you might not be excited about putting volcanic ash in your mouth. However, rest assured that calcium bentonite clay is completely safe and natural. It is also remarkably effective. The clay we use is 100% naturally occurring and minimally processed to preserve its mineral structure. That structure is responsible for effectively lifting surface stains and debris without damaging the enamel. From our point of view, this makes it much more attractive compared to chemical polishing agents in traditional toothpaste.
2. Sodium Bicarbonate: A pH Balancer
Our natural toothpaste tablets also contain sodium bicarbonate, a substance you probably have in your kitchen cupboards right now. Most of us know it as baking soda. It is a natural substance composed of sodium ions and their bicarbonate counterparts. The interesting thing about this substance is that it is one of the most researched ingredients in preventive dentistry.
Sodium bicarbonate is actually made from nahcolite, a natural mineral usually mined from lake deposits or evaporite mineral beds. Producers can make it manually by combining mineral brine with carbon dioxide and letting the natural reaction work its magic.
Why We Put It in Our Toothpaste Tablets
We put sodium bicarbonate in our toothpaste tablets because it does an amazing job within the three roles it has been chosen for. Sodium bicarbonate:
-
Neutralizes Acid – Bacteria in the mouth produce acid as they feed on dietary sugars. Acid production reduces the pH, leading to tooth decay. Sodium bicarbonate addresses the problem by neutralizing the acids to help maintain a proper pH.
-
Disrupts Plaque Buildup – The same stubborn bacteria form a biofilm we call plaque. Sodium bicarbonate disrupts this natural process, making it a lot easier for your toothbrush to remove plaque before it builds up.
-
Whitens and Fights Odors – Sodium bicarbonate is very good at dissolving stubborn food stains and neutralizing sulfur compounds. The direct result is a combination of natural whitening and eliminating bad breath at its root source.
Traditional toothpaste typically relies on harsh chemicals to do the same things that sodium bicarbonate does naturally. We prefer to stay away from the chemicals. From our point of view, natural ingredients are better ingredients.
It Is Also Safe and Quite Effective
Just like calcium bentonite clay, sodium bicarbonate is 100% natural and very safe. In terms of its effectiveness, we have decades of clinical studies that confirm its ability to remove plaque. It does so far better than toothpastes with non-bicarbonate formulas.
There is no need to worry about abrasiveness either. Sodium bicarbonate has a comparatively low relative dentin abrasivity rating (RDA). It is far gentler on your teeth than the whitening ingredients so many commercial toothpastes contain.
A Combination That's Hard to Beat
Both ingredients are fantastic on their own, but when you combine them, they deliver a thorough and efficient clean that leaves your teeth feeling smooth, polished, and refreshed. Best of all, you are not putting harsh chemicals and aggressive synthetic formulas into your mouth.
Our natural toothpaste tablets contain other impressive ingredients too:
-
Nano-yydroxyapatite.
-
Xylitol and sorbitol.
-
Aloe vera and green tea.
-
CoQ10.
-
Stevia and Propanediol.
Rest assured that all of them are natural and have a specific purpose. Feel free to look around our website to learn more about them. In the meantime, if you have been looking for more natural oral care products, we hope you will take a look at EcoFam. Our full line of eco-friendly products will help you keep your mouth clean as you pursue a zero-waste and plastic-free lifestyle.
FAQs
How well do natural toothpaste tablets work compared to toothpaste?
Provided the right ingredients are included, natural toothpaste tablets are just as effective. You get a natural clean without the use of harsh chemicals.
Doesn't baking soda harm tooth enamel?
That's the conventional thinking, but it's not true. Decades of research prove that sodium bicarbonate gently cleans teeth without harming enamel.
Isn't calcium bentonite clay abrasive?
It is, but only mildly so. Calcium bentonite clay is considered a micro-fine and gentle abrasive that addresses plaque and surface stains. It doesn't harm enamel either.
Why do you put nano-hydroxyapatite in your toothpaste tablets?
Nano-hydroxyapatite takes the place of fluoride. It is a natural substance that helps re-mineralize teeth. It also smooths micro-defects in tooth surfaces and strengthens the enamel.
How does sodium bicarbonate help eliminate bad breath?
In many cases, volatile sulfur compounds cause bad breath in the mouth. They are acidic compounds that sodium bicarbonate easily neutralizes.
