Lush Toothy Tabs

Price: $4.95 at Lush.

Lush has many great products and a few busts.  Their toothy tabs are basically solid toothpaste in the shape that is most similar to Altoid mints.  If you look up reviews of this product, it's really polarizing.  People either love them or they want to burn them in a pit filled with rage.  To find out the pros and cons of this product, keep reading.

Let's get a quick look at the packaging.  Above, you saw the outer packaging and inside of it is a little box filled with these toothy tabs.  The packaging is wonderful for environmentally aware people because they're easily recyclable and you know you're going to use all of the product, unlike toothpaste tubes where there will always be a little bit of residue left (basically throwing away your money).

My Lush sales associate told me exactly what you read above.  The fact that I'd use all of the product was great.  After using it for a few weeks, I don't find that to be entirely true.  Some of the tabs seem to have broken in transport and I have a lot of dust and crumbled tabs falling out.  It's not an obnoxious amount, but I don't feel like I can use 100% of the product that was packaged.  A tip I do have is to keep the box away from your sink.  You don't want to get the box wet and, as a result, getting the toothy tabs wet.  You'll find out why in a moment.

How to use: you crunch a tab in between your teeth and wet your toothbrush, then brush as normal.  I liked to crunch it between my front teeth and push the tab forward to lay between my teeth and my lips.  When you first crunch into the tab, you get a bitter taste.  Pushing it forward limits that, if not eliminating it.  

The thing I noticed right away was that it foams...a lot.  It's basically baking soda so when you add the water, it foams like crazy.  I have a relatively strong gag reflex, so I didn't know if this would work out for me.  I've found using half a tab or spitting out some of the foam halfway through works wonders.  The taste after it starts to foam is wonderful.  I got the Atomic toothy tab which is spicy.  It's supposed to be coffee, clove, and ginger.  To me, it tastes like an earthier version of cinnamon which is what I wanted from the beginning.  

I started using this product when a different toothpaste ruined my mouth.  I got a minor chemical burn or had an allergic reaction to a whitening toothpaste.  It was making my cheeks peal, gums swell, and even caused a rash on the skin around my lips.  I needed a more natural product to clean my teeth and allow my mouth to heal.  I did not intend to keep purchasing these products from the beginning, but my opinion has definitely changed.  I've had a coffee stain on one tooth for the past 4-5 years.  I've had whitening treatments, used whitening toothpaste, and gone in for my cleanings regularly but the stain always remained.  After using toothy tabs twice, the stain reduced from taking up half my tooth to only being visible by the gums with a thickness of a fingernail.  My coffee browned tooth looks like a healthy tooth now.  

One con that is brought up is that these products do not include fluoride.  That, to some people, is amazing.  To others, it's a serious concern.  I fall into the second group.  As my mouth has healed, I needed to make a decision for the long-term health of my teeth.  what I've found has worked for me is using a fluoride toothpaste at night, and the toothy tabs in the morning.  I also use Act mouthwash which is a mouthwash that includes fluoride.  Also, that mouthwash comes in cinnamon flavor which compliments the Atomic toothy tab flavor.

If you do not want spice-flavored toothpaste, you aren't alone.  Many people feel that their teeth don't feel clean unless they're minty.  Lush also has mint flavors, with Dirty being the most similar to toothpaste.  From what I've heard, it's best to start with Dirty.  The thing I've found most different between regular toothpaste and toothy tabs (other than the sheer whitening power) is that I feel like my breath seems to have a higher level of freshness with the toothy tabs.  This is why I  use the toothy tabs in the morning because it just eliminates morning breath.

Pros:

Amazing whitening power

Fresh Breath

Great for traveling

Really cleans teeth

No fluoride (if you don't like fluoride)

Cons: 

Foaming

Bitter starting taste

No fluoride (if you love fluoride)

Final verdict for me is that I'll continue buying it, but it won't be my only toothpaste.  When I travel, I'll only bring toothy tabs since I won't need to worry about what is and is not allowed on an airplane.  I honestly love the Atomic flavor so I'll probably stick with that, but I may switch to Breath of God which sounds good as well (vanilla, mmmmmm).