These are 🙌🏼 hands down 🙌🏼 the Best Toothpaste Tablets
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Sooo, I recently reached out to get your thoughts on the eco products people are desperately in search of. And I was overwhelmingly surprised by a common theme I saw in many responses. There’s a serious need for toothpaste tablets that (a) taste good, (b) foam up properly, and for some people have fluoride in it. People were so frustrated in this department. And one person’s response was totally ingrained into my brain: “I tried toothpaste tablets and they were gross.”
Now I have to be honest, when I first tried toothpaste tabs, they were okaayyyy, but not great. So I can totally relate to feeling discouraged in this department. But in usual Mama Eco fashion, I’m here to tell you that there are toothpaste tablet brands that are the answer to any (and all!) of your frustrations in the teeth cleaning department. Yes, there’s the ever popular bite toothpaste tablets, which in full disclosure, I have not tried yet. But there are several others that are ready and waiting to foam up your mouth with their teeth cleaning, yummy tasting toothpaste tablets. So you ready to give toothpaste tabs one more try? I promise, you wont regret it! But first, let’s get clear on a few things…
What are toothpaste tablets?
Do you remember those pink tablets you got as a kid to show you where you had plaque and where you needed to do a better job of brushing your teeth? My sister and I used to love those! They were such a treat (or at least our parents made us feel like they were). We got to chew something that tasted like (synthetic) cherries that made all your teeth pink. This was exhilarating for me but probably scared the sh*t out of my mom seeing how badly I was brushing my teeth. The genius of these little tablets was that they gave you a challenge to see how well you could brush your teeth. Man, was that good marketing! Turning something that’s boring AF into something kids actually wanna do. Well played!
In writing this post, I looked up what those little tablets were called and found them under “Plaque disclosing tablets“. I guess the marketing department didn’t spend a whole lotta time on the name. But they did a great job with everything else. Anyways, toothpaste tabs are a cousin of those cherry flavored plaque disclosing tablets. Again, come on guys, can we work on that name? How about plaque tabs! Or teeth warriors?! Maybe pink teeth monsters? Tooth Armor?
Ok ok, get back on track Shannon! Give these people what they came here for! What the eff are toothpaste tablets???
Toothpaste tablets (or toothpaste tabs as they’re often called) are essentially toothpaste without the paste. It’s toothpaste in a pill form that you toss into your mouth, chew up with your teeth and brush. Now, crappy toothpaste tabs taste like chalk and some have a weird peroxide taste to them…gross! And they don’t foam up a whole lot so it can be difficult to get that good clean feeling you’re used to with toothpaste.
I first bought toothpaste tabs from a zero waste store in Berlin. The store was badass, but the toothpaste tabs were good (enough). I can’t honestly say that I loved them. But since then, I’ve tried about four or five different brands of toothpaste tablets and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the options, the flavors, and even the foaminess! And I’ve even got a hack to get you twice as much out of your toothpaste tabs. Aka twice the bang for your buck. You know I love a good deal!
What are the benefits of toothpaste tablets compared to regular toothpaste?
The main benefit of toothpaste tabs is that you skip the plastic tube and cap. You also eliminate a ton of product waste since it can be very difficult to get all of the toothpaste out of the tube. By the way, if you’re currently still using toothpaste out of a tube, I’ve got a great hack that works great with both plastic toothpaste tubes and even metal toothpaste tubes. It will help you squeeze every last glob out of that toothpaste tube!
Another benefit to toothpaste tabs is that they’re great for traveling since you don’t have to worry about anything spilling all over your bag or zero waste toiletry kit. And you don’t have to worry about those annoying TSA liquid restrictions. Toothpaste tabs also allow you to bring exactly how much you need instead of bringing an entire tube of toothpaste that you don’t. Simply multiply the number of days you’ll be away by two (if you brush your teeth twice a day) and that’s exactly how many toothpaste tabs you need for your trip.
That’s certainly enough for me to make the switch. Plus if you have kids, it’s a great way to make brushing your teeth a lot more fun. They might even see it as a treat, especially when you’ve got flavors like blueberry and watermelon.
toothpaste tablets = less waste + less travel anxiety
What are the drawbacks of toothpaste tablets?
Cost
The main drawback to toothpaste tabs is that they’re often more expensive than regular toothpaste. However, there are some that are more affordable than others. And I’ve got a hack for making them more affordable, which cuts the cost in half. I bite each tablet in half and put the other half back in the jar. Many of the toothpaste tablets even have a half-line indented into it to make it easier to bit it in half. Now, some toothpaste tablets are too small to do this. But my two favorites, Kaylaan and huppy are more than big enough to get 2 brushes out of every tablet. And not to worry, that half tablet will give you more than enough foaminess and coverage to properly brush your teeth.
Toothpaste tablets with fluoride
Another tricky thing is finding toothpaste tablets with fluoride. Now, I’m not gonna get into the fluoride / no fluoride debate cuz that’s a whole other blog post. But I’ll catch you up on the main details. From my research, most dentists (including ones I’ve spoken with directly) believe that fluoride is crucial for maintaining healthy teeth. However, there is research out there that says that too much fluoride is harmful and even toxic.
But from what I understand, the amount of fluoride you get from your toothpaste isn’t enough to be harmful.
Now I’m no dentist, and I won’t pretend to be, so I suggest speaking with your dentist to find the best option for you. With that said, there is an ingredient in many toothpaste tablets called Nano-Hydroxyapatite (or N-HA) that’s a “non-toxic fluoride alternative that keeps teeth safe from decay” (huppy). And there are studies to show its effectiveness. But I think there likely needs to be more research in order to get mainstream acceptance. Still, I’ve been brushing without fluoride for several years now and have had no issues. But again, I’m no dentist.
Here’s the thing though, with so many toothpaste tablets on the market, you no longer have to choose between using fluoride and avoiding plastic packaging. You can have both. And by that I mean toothpaste tablets with fluoride that don’t come with plastic packaging. Kaylaan, a toothpaste tab company based in New York, offers toothpaste tablets with fluoride and without it, so the choice is yours. They also happen to be the most affordable toothpaste tablet option I’ve found. And the company was co-founded by a woman of color, so you can shop your values on a multitude of levels.
Here are the best toothpaste tablets
huppy
Lots of foaminess! • Fluoride free • Plastic free packaging • Cruelty free
3 flavor options! peppermint (my personal fave), charcoal mint and watermelon
Owned/founded by people of color • Made in the USA • Great for sensitive teeth
Easy to bite in half so you can double your money • Subscription options available
They donate 2% of revenue to funding sustainability initiatives
Kaylaan
[most affordable option]
Lots of foaminess!
So many flavors! mint, blueberry, watermelon, and variety packs
Part of 1% for the planet • Plastic free packaging • Cruelty free
Owned/co-founded by a woman of color • Made in the USA • Great for sensitive teeth
Easy to bite in half so you can double your money • Fluoride and fluoride free options
For every purchase, they plant a tree through Eden Reforestation Projects
Bite Toothpaste Tablets
Full disclosure here, I haven’t tried Bite toothpaste tablets. However, I have several trusted friends who have and like them. But I can’t give you a firsthand recommendation and I always try to be transparent about what I have and haven’t tried firsthand. Still, here are the specs on Bite toothpaste tabs: they have multiple flavor options, are fluoride free, come in plastic free packaging, and are big enough to bite into two pieces for double the brushing. They also offer subscription options.
Added tip for using toothpaste tabs
If you’re buying refills for your toothpaste tablets that don’t come in a jar, make sure you keep in them in an airtight container. Don’t make the mistake I made and keep them in an opened package. If you do, they’ll absorb the moisture in the room and get soggy. And you don’t want that. I mean, they still work, but they’ll have more of a chewy vibe that a crispy tablet crunch.
Conclusion on toothpaste tablets
Now you have the full scoop. When it comes to toothpaste tablets, you can get the full cleaning power, taste and foaminess you want and deserve without sacrificing your eco values. And you don’t have to worry if you have sensitive teeth. I’ve got extremely sensitive teeth and I’ve never had any issues with huppy or Kaylaan. Plus, there are toothpaste tablets with fluoride and without fluoride, so you can pick which feels most aligned with what you want.
I’ve been using tabs for ages, and yeah- the early days were ROUGH aka gross. I’ve not tried either of your recommendations… mostly because I found BITE toothpaste tablets way back when they first started. And I’ve never had a reason to change things up. I love that they have a refill program that auto ships (I’m never without tooth tablets). And my dentist thinks they do a fab job at keeping my teeth squeaky clean and in good health. Full disclosure: I do get a fluoride treatment every 6mo because BITE is fluoride free and I mostly consume well-water.
That’s interesting to hear about the fluoride treatment option. I hadn’t thought about that. Also good to hear your dentist has no complaints! Back when I started making my own tooth powder, I got the ok from my dentist and only told him after (once he gave me his unbiased opinion of my teeth) that I was making my own tooth powder…lol. If you ever wanna try a fluoride toothpaste tabs, kaylaan’s is great!
I was using Bite and my gum started to bleed. My Dentist did not approve it, and had to switch to regular Toothpaste.. Thank You so much for writing this article. I am definitely going to give Kaylaan a try.
Let me know how you like Kaylaan. I’m about to try their fluoride tablets and will revert back with my experience 🙂