For decades, people have been skeptical of fluoride. That’s despite the fact that the United States is pretty fluoride-obsessed. So much so that, throughout the country, fluoride is added to drinking water in order to improve oral health.
This, historically, has worked. As noted by NBC, studies have consistently shown that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay in a population by around 25 percent.
However, some take issue with fluoride, noting that in high enough doses fluoride can be toxic. Even though, as the Cleveland Clinic explains, “it’s difficult to reach toxic levels due to the low amount of fluoride in over-the-counter products like toothpastes and mouth rinses.”
Regardless, some people have decided to ditch fluoride, opting instead for fluoride-free toothpaste. One label offering fluoride-free oral care products is called Hello Toothpaste. Though, according to one user on TikTok in a video with over 2.1 million views, you might want to think twice before picking up anything from the brand.
Why does this man say not to get Hello Toothpaste?
In his video, TikTok user Jeff (@jeff_my_life) recounts his Hello Toothpaste horror story, claiming that he “almost had my whole s*** rocked” thanks to the brand.
“I had a very messed up mouth as a child, and I had extra teeth growing all over the place,” he starts. After undergoing multiple surgeries and orthodontic treatment, Jeff says his teeth are now at a place with which he’s comfortable, though he still makes a considerable effort to keep up good oral care.
Fast forward to 2020, Jeff decides to try Hello Toothpaste’s activated charcoal line.
“I was gonna do this activated charcoal stuff, fluoride-free, very trendy, very cool,” he explains,
However, after going through about two and a half tubes of the toothpaste, Jeff says something began to feel off.
“I hate how my teeth feel,” he recalls. “They feel gritty. There’s a grit to my teeth.”
What did the doctor say?
Soon after, his throat began to hurt and, although he put off treating it for some time, he eventually caved and went to a doctor—who proceeded to tell him that he had a throat ulcer “about the size of a half dollar.” When he questioned whether the toothpaste could have played a role in this, the doctor allegedly told him, “yeah, that’s almost definitely it.”
After this experience, Jeff decided to stop using the toothpaste—but his problems didn’t stop there. A month and a half later, he broke a molar.
“A molar that didn’t have a cavity,” he adds. “Everything about that was expensive and painful.”
In conclusion, Jeff warns others to avoid the product entirely, saying, “If you have it, just throw it out.”
He also criticized the anti-fluoride trend, stating, “The whole fluoride ‘debate’ is not a debate… The reason that Americans have nice teeth, for the most part, is the fluoride in our water.”
Can toothpaste cause ulcers?
While Jeff references a class action lawsuit against Hello Toothpaste, this is unrelated to a toothpaste’s alleged ability to cause ulcers, as the settled lawsuit was related to allegations that the company falsely advertised that their products contained no artificial sweeteners.
However, evidence suggests that certain toothpastes can cause ulcers in some people. One study found that people using toothpaste without sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), an ingredient found in Hello Toothpaste, experienced a reduction in ulcers when compared to people who used an SLS toothpaste.
That said, another study was unable to replicate these claims, though “they did find that while using the SLS-free toothpaste, the volunteers self-reported feeling less pain and that the ulcers healed slightly quicker,” per the BBC.
As far as Jeff’s cracked molar is concerned, it’s unclear why or whether his toothpaste choice would cause this to happen.
There has been another allegation made against Hello Toothpaste: that its charcoal whitening toothpaste is too abrasive, with one person suing the company claiming that using the toothpaste “permanently damaged” their teeth, per Fox 23.
In response, Hello Toothpaste said that studies confirmed its toothpaste was within the acceptable range of abrasiveness provided by the American Dental Association (ADA).
The TikToker follows up
In an email to the Daily Dot, Jeff stated that he has not had any throat/mouth ulcers since ditching the toothpaste.
“It was a very strange experience overall, and I’ve been shocked to see how many people in the comments say they experienced or are experiencing something similar with activated charcoal products,” he wrote.
“The comments are loaded with dental hygienists and other dental professionals who constantly urge people to stop using them because they find the charcoal can accumulate in tissue,” he continued. “For someone like me, that resulted in an ulcer. Some people can just live with pockets of charcoal in the cheeks, gums, and throats. Crazy!”
Is activated charcoal harmful?
While dentists say that using charcoal on one’s teeth in small doses is likely fine, one should not use this type of toothpaste every day, as it is abrasive and could cause long-term damage to one’s teeth.
Jeff stated in his email that he believes the activated charcoal part of the toothpaste to be the one that caused him issues.
“It’s important to note that what happened to me was because of the activated charcoal and not because of the Hello brand. I mentioned that I discourage people from going fluoride-free only because that’s what lured me in,” he shared.
“Had I known the video was going to do numbers, I would have stressed that this was a warning against activated charcoal. Hello was the brand I used, and it seems to be the most popular charcoal product, but there are LOTS of companies selling this stuff to people,” he added. “Some folks have no clue that dentists everywhere are warning people against using activated charcoal. I didn’t know until yesterday when dentists were thanking me for warning people about it.”
@jeff_my_life #fyp #jsyk #hellotoothpaste #dental #teeth #teethcare #classaction ♬ original sound – Jeff my life
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users claimed to have comparable experiences using the toothpaste, though causality between their issues and the toothpaste could not be definitively determined.
“My daughter used the children’s brand and at her 6-month check up her 2 back molars had the start of cavities the only change I made was hello toothpaste,” shared a user. “I went home and threw it away.”
“Wait I broke a tooth I haven’t even gotten fixed yet and I was using Hello Toothpaste!” exclaimed another.
That said, others had positive experiences.
“Been using it everyday for 3 years now none of these problems,” offered a commenter. “I notice my diet affects my teeth more than my toothpaste.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Hello Toothpaste via email.
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