Tue
12
May
Acid reflux usually occurs when a donut shaped muscle at the bottom of the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) doesn’t operate properly. Normally, the LES prevents the backflow of acid by tightening up after swallowing. However, when people have acid reflux, the LES becomes relaxed and weak, which allows acid and the stomach contents to seep back up the esophagus.
Although there is still no consensus on exactly what causes the LES to weaken, there are several factors have been shown to worsen on contribute to acid reflux. These factors include:
- Obesity (extra weight can put pressure on the LES)
- Pregnancy
- Hiatal hernia, a condition where the top of the stomach protrudes above the diaphragm muscle of the chest
- Smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- Caffeine consumption
- Eating large meals
- Eating before bedtime
- Medications such as antihistamines, calcium channel blockers, theophylline, and nitrates
- Fatty, fried, and spicy foods; citrus fruits; chocolate; tomato-based foods; mint; garlic; and raw onions
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 11:00 am
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February 9th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
MINT TOOTHPASTE IS OVERLOOKED AS MAIN CULPRIT
Everyone, listen up: no one realizes that mint toothpaste — the hyper minty gel kind like in Colgage Total — is what’s behind the acid reflux epidemic of today. Whatever doesn’t get rinsed during nighttime brushing, seeps down the esophagus after we go to bed and loosens up that sphincter muscle night after night, until it stays open permanently. As soon as I switched to non-mint toothpaste, my chronic reflux went away. I’ve helped others cure their reflux and heartburn as well, and have submitted articles to both Health and Prevention magazines this week because I want to spread the word. Think about this: toothpaste and mints weren’t that strong in the past and either was society’s heartburn issues. They happened around the same time. Anyway, please help get the word out. Colgate Total and Altoids: good for your breath; bad for your health. When I switched from Colgate Totl to Cinnamon Closeup; Tom’s Fennel and Crest citrus flavored toothpaste my acid reflux went away. It’s been 6 years and I’m heartburn free.
February 10th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I wish I had read this a couple of weeks ago! I just arrived at the same conclusion tonight after having another acid reflux episode. I got up to brush so it would not eat at my teeth and wham, it hit me. The cause might be this toothpaste I got on sale at Costco. I will immediately stop using this Crest w/Scope. If the acid reflux goes away, I will also help spread the word. Thanks!
March 18th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I just recently figured out that Mentadent Advanced Cleaning was causing nightime reflux for me — wish I had determined it before I suffered for months. I switched to Tom’s of Maine, which still has some peppermint in it and lots fewer strange flavorings and colorings. So far, so good. Maybe it is the degree of mintiness that mattered for me, or maybe some other ingredient from a chemical vat somewhere : )
August 4th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I think you might be right, but I think it’s the whitening formula, it softens up the skin inside the cheeks, imagine, that softened tissue develops down in the esophagus where the toothpaste that stays in the mouth, and pills get stuck and the sphincter is probably also affected. I don’t think it’s the mint as much as it’s the whitening formula and chemicals! I bet the same companies who make whitening formul also make GERD medicine! I switched from whitening formula to normal formula sensodyne.
September 6th, 2009 at 7:43 am
i had a problem related with toothpaste i had severe dysphagy and acid reflux. sometimes my problems were increasing though using proton pump medicines i could not get a full positive effect. when i change my toothpaste i have seen that my problems diminished. the most important thing is Sodium laureth sulfate is a detergant being in toothpastes. This chemical makes hyperplasia in esophagus epitel. in future that corrupts motility of esophagus . and then hyperplasia makes a bacground to develop carciogenic cell type .pls use unfoaming toothpaste. and make sure that does not contain sodium fluoride. it must contain sodium-monofluorophosphate .
December 9th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I have just brushed my teeth and it started really bad, used Colgate Total Mint, so ate a red apple and a table spoon of honey and that was the only thing that really soothed it completely. Avoid that toothpaste and eat a red apple with tablespoon of honey before bed and all meals. Helps digestion and soothes with pectins.
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:09 pm
this is amazing- I just typed this in as a longshot since everynite when I went to bed I got acid reflux- no matter what I ate. And it was always after brushing my teeth with Colgate Total. Boy, do I feel relieved now. I am switching tonight to something else!!!! Thanks !
March 23rd, 2010 at 9:11 pm
This is AMAZING- I just typed this in as a longshot as I was getting acid reflux day and night (no matter what I ate) after brushing my teeth with (you guessed it) Colgate Total. I am switching tonight. Thanks a bunch.
May 7th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
WOW!! I am so glad I decided to check this out today. I have been a wreck. Murat the person that wrote last September is so right on. I have bad acid reflux and the inside of my mouth and throat would turn white at times. I went to Dr. and had a biopsy done and it came back with HYPERPLASIA. The doctor said it can happen with acid reflux.The dr. didn’t seem like it was harmful it’s just something that can come with acid reflux.I have looked up hyperplasia and found that it could cause cancer. I think the dr.just didn’t want to worry me about getting cancer. I use whitening toothpaste and my mouth peels every day. I never made the connection. Now I know its from the toothpaste.
July 1st, 2010 at 12:57 am
Another ingredient to watch out for is sodium cocoyl glutamate. I’m seeing it more frequently. I don’t know if it causes acid reflux but for me it was causing: insomnia, agitation and depression, ADHD like symptoms, a very coated, fat tongue, constriction of my throat, the sensation that something was grabbing my neck at the base of my skull and a change in my voice. Sodium cocoyl glutamate is a form of MSG. A new ingredient that’s being added to many toothpastes—I think, as a softener. The one I bought was Trader Joes’s Antiplaque, Fennel, Propolis & Myrrh. I took it back and made a report but its back on the shelf. Please check for this ingredient and stay away from any product that contains it. It took me about a week and a half of extreme stress to figure out it was the toothpaste. I wonder how many kids and adults are running around crazed from this ingredient.
September 27th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
I also looked this up as a fluke. I always get that horrible throat heartburn as I go to bed. I’ve been watching what I eat & never eat less than 2 hrs before I go to bed. It just hasn’t gotten any better. I’m gonna try switching my toothpaste. I’m done w the crest 3d.
January 22nd, 2011 at 6:27 pm
I just became suspicious of my toothpaste with my reflux – and I’ve been using the Crest 3D like Ashley has for awhile now. Guess what? I’ve had the same symptoms, too. I also have had some issues with bleeding gums so was using a disinfecting rinse (you’re not supposed to swallow it, but you know some of it’s going down the hatch). It wasn’t until I thought back to being given a whitening rinse by a dentist a few years ago and having to stop it after reflux and a sore throat that I clued into that maybe I should check up on this.
I am sure damage has already been done, but at least I can avoid making it any worse. I’m getting new toothpaste today and also clearing out any of my herbal teas that contain mint or peppermint. I’ve been on prescription drugs for the reflux since November and I still have it as well as the sore throat issues. Along with the toothpaste, I am re-examining my diet and how I eat. I have Crohn’s disease and use a gluten-free, dairy-free diet to keep things under control so it may mean figuring out some additional food options that can help both the reflux and stay within the dietary restrictions.
Thanks to all who have posted input. This has been a fantastic discovery!
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Folks I just returned from a doctor’s appointment in which I was told that my Colgate Total toothpaste was the culprit of my acid reflux and migraine headaches. The doctor also told me to eliminate any whitening mouth rinse as well. All of these products slowly eat away at the esophagus and digestive path. It’s like drinking acid. I was thinking I had a sinus infection along with the burning in my chest. Even my teeth were aching like I had been hit in the mouth. YES LET’S GET THE WORD OUT!!!!
February 17th, 2011 at 2:40 am
Hi,
I just came to the same conclusion, but my reflux is actually caused by Tom’s toothpaste. The culprit? Calcium carbonate, a binder. This is a strong base that reduces the acid in your stomach, which, paradoxically, causes more heartburn. Look into it – taking HCl or bitters has cured my chronic heartburn, which is why I knew something was wrong with the actual toothpaste.
Lots of toothpastes have calcium carbonate. Funnily, my aqua fresh never caused me heartburn.
April 27th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Up to a few weeks ago, I have never experienced acid reflux. It was really weird for me because I felt very uncomfortable after eating a big meal. I went to my doctor the next day and he said that it could be heart burn, or acid reflux. So now I am going to consider the different factors you mentioned, and hopefully this will solve my problem. Thanks!
July 14th, 2011 at 6:25 am
I have had acid reflux pretty much lifelong, but it only became a problem later in life and it is treated by omeprazole – for me it appears to cause caughing, particularly when eating certain foods. But I would like to get on to what brought me to this website.
Firstly I don’t use the Colgate Total toothpaste – I used Sensodyne – but, I have found that when I become slightly asthmatic – coughing a lot, slightly wheezy – I can control this by taking an extra dose of omeprazole – but I also discovered that by eating mints (Trebor Softmints) – it seems to ease the reflux – so I assumed that mint might actually dampen down acid reflux – I also find that mint in herbal tea also seems to soothe the refulx and I take it before bed sometimes.
Is there research that links mint to acid reflux? I’m curious now.
July 22nd, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Peter, I wonder if eating the mint is causing you to salivate more. Saliva is alkaline and will neutralize the stomach acid in your throat (this is why some heartburn sufferers chew gum). The link I typically see is that mint worsens acid reflux, but everyone is different and what triggers others may not trigger you in the same way.
This is an old thread but still interesting…I’m going to try switching away from the mint dental products too after heartburn is getting worse. I’ve done everything I can with my diet and nothing seems clear except tomato sauces causing issues. I do recall having heartburn from the Crest Cinnamon whitening formula so we switched to mint; now I wonder if that is starting to bother me too. I will post back if switching mouthwash and toothpaste has any effect.
July 27th, 2011 at 10:12 pm
I recently had the same problem with acid reflux and terrible raw throat/mouth congestion and phlegm. White ropey saliva. I was taking prilosec and elevated my bed at an angle, etc. without much help. I stumbled on a site where people had found the connection between the thick phlegm and whitening toothpaste. I immediately quit using Crest Whitening (with baking soda & peroxide added) and Listerine mouthwash and started feeling much better after a couple of days. Throat is clearing up and reflux is minimal, almost gone. These new toothpastes seem to have very harsh and potentially dangerous combinations of chemicals.
August 4th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
I was having problems with reflux too and no matter what I did it seemed to be getting worse, especially at night, even if I hadn’t eaten for hours before going to bed. One night it occurred to me that the last thing I did at night was to brush my teeth. After I found this thread in mid-June, I went to the bathroom and saw that we had been using Crest Whitening. I switched toothpaste that very day and began improving right away. For some people, it may not be the mint as much as the whitening formula. I am now using Jason “Healthy Mouth”.
December 18th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
I’m amazed at this and off to buy some new toothpaste. I am being treated with omeprazole but it hasn’t helped very much, and every day I find myself dreading cleaning my teeth because it seems to trigger the reflux, so it suddenly occurred to me there may be a link – all this has arisen since I started buying the new much mintier Colgate Total. The doctor really frightened me with the possibility of an endoscopy to look for ’something nasty’ to use her words and I have to go back to see her after Christmas. I’m off to look for a new toothpaste without whitening or mint. Fingers crossed …