Okay, I've had chronic cankers for a long long time. If you have ever known: * That sinking feeling when you bite your lip, just KNOWING that you're in for 7-10 days paid when you eat, drink, or breathe... * What a week of food and plaque buildup on a single tooth because of a sore that just won't go away... * The disappointment of planning a date, and getting to enjoy NONE of the food when the day comes because it all hurts so much... * Watching others pour another wine, heap on extra salsa, or enjoy a salty snack knowing that you'll have to pass... * Having your significant other want to make out and smooch, and actually not being able to get in the mood because of pain... ...this is YOUR NEW TOOTHPASTE! Long story short, people love feeling the foam in their mouth when they brush. Makes it feel cleaner, I guess? I never, ever thought about it until I was off to buy my standby Tom's of Maine toothpaste on Amazon. I felt responsible, thinking that I was getting better ingredients and being good to my mouth. GUESS WHO WAS WRONG? IT WAS ME. I read the reviews, which took a nosedive off a cliff and learned something: Tom's of Maine was apparently bought out by one of the big guys a long time ago, who looked at the product and compared it to their magical mouth-care formula. Some old dude in a suit who brushes his teeth exclusively with hundred dollar bills panicked when he realized that it didn't foam as much as others. "MORE FOAM!" he declared, and they dutifully started adding what they add to every other toothpaste out there.... Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS). This stuff not only foams you at the mouth like rabid badger, it is CHEAP. It costs the company practically nothing to add to your toothpaste, and OH BOY DOES IT FOAM. Feel the clean. It's like freebasing crisp mountain air and peppermint patties. Aw yeah. Or is it? If we've all learned our lessons from fast food and dollar-store steaks, it's that you get what you pay for. Who here thinks a wild ingredient like SLS that costs almost zero dollars and adds skillions to the company's bottom line is possibly good for the consumer? Anyone? No? Well you're right. SLS is commonly known to cause stomach ulcers, and is one of the many reasons you're not supposed to eat toothpaste. Specifically, it causes ulcers in thin or broken membranes. SOUND FAMILIAR? I went hunting for a non-SLS toothpaste immediately. There are very few that are non-SLS and aren't a tube of dirt and twigs packaged up by some hippy in the woods, but this is not only one of them, it's the BEST one of them. It doesn't foam, and it's not cheap. It also tastes great, firms up your gums, and doesn't overwhelm the soft, delicate membrane of your mouth with horrid chemicals, causing them to rupture open and fester for weeks in both pain and the potential to have an ever worse infection. FAIR TRADE. I used to spend about 50% of my time with a canker in my mouth somewhere. I switched to this brand about 4 months ago and I have had ONE. It was small and lasted A DAY AND A HALF. Turns out that not pouring ulcerating chemicals into my mouth on a regular basis (or even better, pouring them into open sores in my mouth) was a PRETTY DAMN GOOD IDEA. In four months, brushing with Weleda saved me 60 days of torturous pain, enabled me to actually enjoy 180 more meals, 60 more glasses of wine, 5 more dinner parties, a dozen dates, and NEVER having to shy away from my beautiful wife when she's in the mood. NOW THAT'S SOME TOOTHPASTE.
