Consumers may think they are using the best toothpaste for bad breath because the manufacturers say it contains fluoride and teeth whitening ingredients. However, what they do not tell you is that other ingredients included in the toothpaste are actually counterproductive to eliminating bad breath. In fact, ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium saccharin and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose will contribute to halitosis and may even provoke the development of oral diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis due to their extremely abrasive qualities.

Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose

This toothpaste additive is used in various food and non-food applications as a thickener, foaming agent and as a lubricant in medications like artificial tears. SCC is also found in laxatives, detergents, water-based paint and paper products. Unbelievably, this common toothpaste ingredient is also used by the oil industry as a water retention agent and viscosity modifier when drilling in mud.

When included in toothpaste, SCC is intended as a foaming agent and thickener and contributes nothing to eliminating bad breath. Toothpaste manufacturers want their products to appear as though they are performing an important service to consumers by making them bubble and foam up when applied to the teeth. However, this does nothing but abrade sensitive oral tissues, causing them to slough away to become extra debris for bad breath bacteria to consume.

Anaerobic bacteria are responsible for halitosis due to their excretion of sulfurous compounds. These gaseous compounds are comprised of putrescine, skatole, cadaverine and other elements that harbor highly offensive smells representative of severe bad breath. When toothpastes containing abrasives like SCC are regularly used, the additional mouth debris these toothpastes create only serve to provide anaerobic bacteria with plenty of food--and plenty of foul excrement.

Get the Most out of Theabreath Toothpaste

SLS

Sodium lauryl sulfate is another abrasive additive and foaming agent found in many brand name toothpastes. Similar in nature to sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, SLS is found in laundry detergents, hand soaps and bubble baths to produce that foaming action that manufacturers think will entice consumers to purchase their products. What many people are unaware of is that SLS, as a denaturant and surfactant is irritating to skin, especially mucous membranes and can be toxic to kidneys and the liver in large quantities.

SLS is also a prime suspect in the development of mouth ulcers and canker sores due to its highly abrasive qualities. These oral problems are known to exacerbate bad breath because of the extra dead tissue they produce, as well as small amounts of blood that are released when these sores are opened. Anaerobic bacteria, which feed on proteins, are especially attracted to mucus and blood due to their rich protein content.

Sodium Saccharin

Sodium saccharin is over one hundred times sweeter than sugar and is found in thousands of consumables as a sweetener. Although it is not abrasive, it serves no purpose other than to give toothpaste a pleasant taste and may contribute to the diabetic response in glucose-sensitive individuals. Researchers suspect that sodium saccharin may provoke an endocrinological response associated with pancreatic insulin production.

Insulin is needed to transport sugar throughout the body via the bloodstream. When the pancreas mistakes sodium saccharin as sugar and releases insulin, the absence of real sugar in the bloodstream makes transportation impossible, resulting in decreased sensitivity to insulin and a possibly higher risk for developing diabetic symptoms.

This artificial sweetener is also responsible for causing allergic reactions in people who are abnormally sensitive to sulfonamides. Breathing difficulty, severe headache, hives and/or skin rash and sudden diarrhea are some of the symptoms of an allergy to sodium saccharin. Infants can also experience allergic reactions to sodium saccharin because it is included in some formulas.

Triclosan

The U.S. Federal Drug Administration reports that triclosan is a trade name of cloxifenolum, a microbicide and pesticide chemical. Although the FDA approved the use of triclosan in 1997 as an additive meant to eliminate harmful oral bacteria in a popular name-brand toothpaste, the Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to reevaluate the safety of triclosan as a toothpaste ingredient in 2013 due to new reports that triclosan may inhibit developmental growth and stimulate the evolution of resistant bacterial types.

Dr. Katz Discusses Toothpaste

What is the Best Toothpaste for Bad Breath?

Toothpastes made with non-abrasive, natural antibiotic ingredients are the best types of toothpaste to use for chronic bad breath. TheraBreath toothpaste contains gentle yet effective ingredients such as:

1. Water
2. Xylitol
3. Stabilized chlorine dioxide (or OXYD-8, an oxygenating compound capable of eradicating anaerobic bacteria and eliminating bad breath)
4. Glycerin
5. Sodium fluoride
6. Aloe vera leaf juice
7. Essential oil of peppermint

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None of these ingredients are abrasives or foaming agents that are regularly used in harsh cleaning products. They all contribute to enhancing the flow of saliva in the mouth which produces a moist, oxygenated environment counterproductive to the growth of anaerobic bacteria. In addition, TheraBreath founder Dr. Harold Katz holds a patent on the OXYD-8 compound that he formulated years ago when perfecting his line of oral hygiene products.

OXYD-8 actually stops bad breath bacteria from excreting sulfurous compounds by supplying generous amounts of oxygen to the mouth. Anaerobic bacteria cannot exist in highly oxygenated conditions and rapidly die off when confronted with TheraBreath toothpastes, mouthwashes, rinses and sprays containing OXYD-8.

In addition, TheraBreath products contain no alcohol, an ingredient commonly found in mouthwashes due to its antibacterial qualities. However, alcohol is a known desiccant that, like other abrasive chemicals included in brand name toothpastes and mouthwashes, actually promotes bad breath by creating a dry, airless environment within the mouth.

Anaerobic bacteria thrive and swiftly reproduce in such conditions, causing people who use these products to experience a serious case of chronic halitosis. However, the OXYD-8 ingredient exclusive to TheraBreath products effectively and permanently eliminates halitosis without imparting any harmful effects to the mouth or body.