Replace Your Toothpaste With Coconut Oil? Not yet.

This article originally appeared on Yoganonymous.com.

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It turns out, store bought toothpaste may be harmful to your oral health. 

According to this article published on DavidWolfe.com, store bought toothpastes contain "triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, fluoride, and artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Each one of these chemicals can cause health problems. Triclosan has been linked to an endocrine disruption that can cause several different cancers. Also sodium lauryl sulfate, which creates the foaming action in toothpaste, has been shown to affect the taste buds which increases the bitter taste."

So what does this mean for your teeth cleaning routine? It might be beneficial to incorporate natural oils into your toothpaste, mouthwash, and diet.

The Athlone Institute of Technology just conducted a study that found coconut oil to be the best natural oil for oral hygiene. Although coconut oil is antimicrobial and antibacterial, it does not kill off beneficial bacteria that forms a protective film over your teeth to prevent tooth decay and cavity emergence. 

The study also shows that coconut oil kills off bacteria with S Mutation, or acid producing bacteria. S Mutans "contribute to tooth decay for both adults and children. These bacteria get their energy from sugar and in return produce an acidic mouth environment. This acidic environment then demineralizes the tooth structure which leads to tooth decay." 

You can incorporate coconut oil into your oral hygiene routine by oil pulling, or by making a natural toothpaste at home. Recommendation: don’t use coconut oil alone and make sure your mouth rinses clean.

This is an easy toothpaste recipe, and other natural oral hygiene solutions from one of the Yoganonymous Editors.