Sunday
14Jun2009
Tooth Soap
“I read your thing on tooth soap but if you didn’t ever say if it was a scam or not. Is it?”
In our opinion, dental or “tooth” soaps are not an outright scam, but as you read in our original article on dental soaps, some of the claims being made by the people who make these so-called “tooth soaps” are NOT true.
People who make and/or use dental soaps often cite a widely-distributed “letter” by a man named Gerard Judd and his booklet titled “Good Teeth, Birth to Death”. Dr. Judd is not a dentist but a chemist and researcher. In his 2002 “letter” circulated via the internet, Judd makes a number of outright false claims and even more that are misleading, at best. Among the outright lies are that “100% of Ugandan youths” have “no cavities”. We debunked this myth in seconds by doing a search of medical journals.
He also makes a number of inflammatory statements like “fluoride is a severe poison”. And, of course, like any good conspiracist, he also claims that there “is not the slightest doubt” that fluoride actually causes cavities.
While it’s not surprising that mainstream dentists decry the use of non-fluoridated tooth products, it just might surprise you to learn that a number of holistic dentists and other natural proponents also find the idea of brushing with soap a bit absurd.
Among the dissenting voices is that of Dr. Kerry Maquire. Unlike the people promoting tooth soap, Dr. Maquire is a dentist and is the director of professional advocacy at Tom’s of Maine. She calls ingredients like the coconut-based SLS Tom’s uses “necessary”.
One popular criticism of so-called “tooth soaps” is that they’re expensive. Perfect Prescription’s tooth soap for example, is $25 a bottle. In our opinion, that’s a lot to pay for some vegetable oils, water, a bit of lye of a few drops of essential oil. And it seems even more expensive when you consider that their tooth soap is sold under the FDA’s “soap exemption” and isn’t subject to FDA testing for effectiveness or safety.
As for whether we actually think dental soaps like Tooth Soap® is a scam …no. But you tell us. Do YOU use it?
In our opinion, dental or “tooth” soaps are not an outright scam, but as you read in our original article on dental soaps, some of the claims being made by the people who make these so-called “tooth soaps” are NOT true.
People who make and/or use dental soaps often cite a widely-distributed “letter” by a man named Gerard Judd and his booklet titled “Good Teeth, Birth to Death”. Dr. Judd is not a dentist but a chemist and researcher. In his 2002 “letter” circulated via the internet, Judd makes a number of outright false claims and even more that are misleading, at best. Among the outright lies are that “100% of Ugandan youths” have “no cavities”. We debunked this myth in seconds by doing a search of medical journals.
He also makes a number of inflammatory statements like “fluoride is a severe poison”. And, of course, like any good conspiracist, he also claims that there “is not the slightest doubt” that fluoride actually causes cavities.
While it’s not surprising that mainstream dentists decry the use of non-fluoridated tooth products, it just might surprise you to learn that a number of holistic dentists and other natural proponents also find the idea of brushing with soap a bit absurd.
Among the dissenting voices is that of Dr. Kerry Maquire. Unlike the people promoting tooth soap, Dr. Maquire is a dentist and is the director of professional advocacy at Tom’s of Maine. She calls ingredients like the coconut-based SLS Tom’s uses “necessary”.
One popular criticism of so-called “tooth soaps” is that they’re expensive. Perfect Prescription’s tooth soap for example, is $25 a bottle. In our opinion, that’s a lot to pay for some vegetable oils, water, a bit of lye of a few drops of essential oil. And it seems even more expensive when you consider that their tooth soap is sold under the FDA’s “soap exemption” and isn’t subject to FDA testing for effectiveness or safety.
As for whether we actually think dental soaps like Tooth Soap® is a scam …no. But you tell us. Do YOU use it?
Sun, June 14, 2009 | Lisa Barger
Reader Comments (13)
The author of this blog brings up a very good point when she says not everyone who is "green" agrees with these kinds of conspiracy theories. It's easy to forget that the people making the most noise aren't always the ones making the most sense.
I saw Lisa's response of the tooth soap woman' youtube and she never did completely answer the questions Lisa posed. If you can't back up your own claims with facts can you really expect people to take you serious?
I think it's a scam for the simple fact that you can get a great big bottle of Dr. Bonner's for about a quarter of what that little bottle of tooth soap costs and they're exactly the same thing.
I just want to point out one falsehood on the Perfect Prescription lady's site. Soap does NOT contain foamers or anything else like that. She's talking about detergent bars like Dove and stuff like that but if you'll look you'll notice that nowhere on the package does it ever say "soap".
I'm sorry if this seems like splitting hairs but she's bending the truth to make her soap look more natural when all it really is is soap.
So you're saying Dove isn't soap? What is it if it isn't soap?
I'm glad I came back. Lisa probably knows more about this than I do but soap is stipulated by the FDA and all it can contain is lye, oil, water plus colorants and fragrances. Stuff like Dove and those kinds of things are made with detergents so they aren't considered soap.
This is just an old dog with a new trick. My grandparents brushed with soap and they didn't pay 25 bucks for it. I don't know what all the hoopla is.
I would like to try this. Is there any reason to think that it could be harmful?
Thanks to everyone who has commented so far.
Maeghan, I'm not aware of any health risks associate with tooth soaps. Obviously, this product isn't intended to be swallowed but I've never heard of anyone having any problems using soap in the way these tooth soaps are intended to be used. And like Ben said, brushing with soap isn't anything new. :-)
Peggy, thank you for clarifying. Yes, when the FDA was reorganized in 1938 soap was one of the products specifically excluded from FDA guidelines, so long as it is "true" soap (and not a detergent) and has no health claims attached. If you attach cosmetic claims . . . "it makes your skin soft" . . . it becomes a cosmetic. If you make medical claims . . . "it helps with eczema" . . . it becomes a drug. I'm not sure where Perfect Prescription would fall in the eyes of the FDA.
Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has commented so far.
Somebody told me this turns your teeth grey. Is that true?
"curious", I've not heard of any discoloration. Perhaps they're noticing some staining due to the soap not having abrasives in it.
We tried brushing with soap and went back to paste after the dentist said the kids weren't getting their teeth clean. Maybe this would work for adults but I think kids need the safety net fluoride gives them.
PP, what do you mean your kids' teeth weren't getting clean?