Impressions of another ayurvedic toothpaste:
Dant Kanti is another one of these ayurvedic medicine formula toothpastes that are all quite similar to one another in overall composition. Despite trying many of them, I don't know enough about them to know how they differ, but each one is a little different from the others to keep things interesting. Out of all of them, I think Dant Kanti is my favorite. An Indian friend of mine told me to try it because of its tooth-whitening capabilities. She has perfectly-white teeth, and insists that this is all she's used for years. I thought that meant it had a lot of silica in it and it would be harsh as some of these tend to be, but I'm glad to find that's not the case. It isn't harsh at all.
The overall taste profile is very similar to Dabur Red (my first foray into Indian toothpastes and my favorite till now), just less intense. Very "herbal," with a noticeable clove presence, but mixed in with spicy and fresh-tasting herbs. The cloves provide a slight numbing sensation as the rest of the herbal tastes completely fill your mouth and they utterly obliterate bad breath, food odors, tastes...whatever. Seriously, this is the FRESHEST toothpaste I've ever used. I'm not a smoker, but I imagine that this would take care of smoke, strong foods, coffee, etc. in short order.
For westerners used to the ubiquitous mint and cinnamon flavors of our toothpastes, the taste is an acquired one. It's not bad at all, just a bit herbal and medicinal. It contains mint, but it's pretty far down the list of ingredients. I find it very pleasing, actually. Dabur Red would make my eyes water sometimes because of its spicy nature. This is mild by comparison...its intensity is in its freshening qualities, with other herbal tastes coming to the fore. The entire mouth feels clean in a way I can't really describe, and I've only experienced a few times with conventional American toothpastes, and stays that way for hours. It's really impressive, actually. I'm surprised.
It also cleans the teeth as well as most of these toothpastes do....leaving them squeaky clean and smooth, but not in a harsh way. I have tooth sensitivity issues and I didn't feel anything while brushing, unlike when I use conventional whitening toothpastes (which my dentist warned me against) or when I used Vicco Vajradanti toothpaste, or even Dabur Red on occasion.
It contains fluoride and coconut-derived SLS (which I know are deal-breakers for some people), but to me that's a positive. After my last experience with TheraNeem and the fact that it didn't foam up during brushing, I much prefer this. That may work for some people whose gums are sensitive to SLS, but I found it annoying.
I can't think of any real negatives for Dant Kanti except for lack of availability. It's just over $1 for a huge 200g tube in India, but US prices from Amazon or Ebay vary. If I don't start to feel tooth sensitivity from it over the next few weeks or months, I'm going to consider stocking up on this. I like it very much.
Pros:
+ Cleans and freshens the entire mouth EXTREMELY well
+ Less intense than other ayurvedic toothpastes I've used
+ Pleasant, fresh, strong herbal flavor
+ Not harsh on my sensitive teeth
Cons:
- Taste is an acquired one, foreign to what Americans/Westerners associate with toothpaste. I could see people saying this tastes "weird."
- Cost/availability can be prohibitive
Dant Kanti is another one of these ayurvedic medicine formula toothpastes that are all quite similar to one another in overall composition. Despite trying many of them, I don't know enough about them to know how they differ, but each one is a little different from the others to keep things interesting. Out of all of them, I think Dant Kanti is my favorite. An Indian friend of mine told me to try it because of its tooth-whitening capabilities. She has perfectly-white teeth, and insists that this is all she's used for years. I thought that meant it had a lot of silica in it and it would be harsh as some of these tend to be, but I'm glad to find that's not the case. It isn't harsh at all.
The overall taste profile is very similar to Dabur Red (my first foray into Indian toothpastes and my favorite till now), just less intense. Very "herbal," with a noticeable clove presence, but mixed in with spicy and fresh-tasting herbs. The cloves provide a slight numbing sensation as the rest of the herbal tastes completely fill your mouth and they utterly obliterate bad breath, food odors, tastes...whatever. Seriously, this is the FRESHEST toothpaste I've ever used. I'm not a smoker, but I imagine that this would take care of smoke, strong foods, coffee, etc. in short order.
For westerners used to the ubiquitous mint and cinnamon flavors of our toothpastes, the taste is an acquired one. It's not bad at all, just a bit herbal and medicinal. It contains mint, but it's pretty far down the list of ingredients. I find it very pleasing, actually. Dabur Red would make my eyes water sometimes because of its spicy nature. This is mild by comparison...its intensity is in its freshening qualities, with other herbal tastes coming to the fore. The entire mouth feels clean in a way I can't really describe, and I've only experienced a few times with conventional American toothpastes, and stays that way for hours. It's really impressive, actually. I'm surprised.
It also cleans the teeth as well as most of these toothpastes do....leaving them squeaky clean and smooth, but not in a harsh way. I have tooth sensitivity issues and I didn't feel anything while brushing, unlike when I use conventional whitening toothpastes (which my dentist warned me against) or when I used Vicco Vajradanti toothpaste, or even Dabur Red on occasion.
It contains fluoride and coconut-derived SLS (which I know are deal-breakers for some people), but to me that's a positive. After my last experience with TheraNeem and the fact that it didn't foam up during brushing, I much prefer this. That may work for some people whose gums are sensitive to SLS, but I found it annoying.
I can't think of any real negatives for Dant Kanti except for lack of availability. It's just over $1 for a huge 200g tube in India, but US prices from Amazon or Ebay vary. If I don't start to feel tooth sensitivity from it over the next few weeks or months, I'm going to consider stocking up on this. I like it very much.
Pros:
+ Cleans and freshens the entire mouth EXTREMELY well
+ Less intense than other ayurvedic toothpastes I've used
+ Pleasant, fresh, strong herbal flavor
+ Not harsh on my sensitive teeth
Cons:
- Taste is an acquired one, foreign to what Americans/Westerners associate with toothpaste. I could see people saying this tastes "weird."
- Cost/availability can be prohibitive