“Dear DentaLux, Every time I brush, I notice a white, slimy discharge that covers my teeth and sometimes gobs up on my gums and the inside of my cheeks. What is this? What can I do to stop it?”
Like many people, this reader is troubled by a white, mucousy substance that can form on the teeth after brushing. A lot of people will ignore the cause of this problem and simply continue to rinse their mouth out with water, or even result to scraping the mucous off their teeth after each brushing. However, knowing about the cause behind this problem can help you get rid of that white, slimy discharge for good.
The mucous that you’re experiencing on your teeth, gums and inner cheeks is a direct result of the toothpaste that you are using. Some ingredients in toothpastes are too harsh for many mouths, and can actually burn the outer tissue of the oral cavity. This burned, dead tissue then forms into the globs and film of white discharge you find in your mouth anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour after brushing.
To stop this from happening, switch to a toothpaste that does not contain harsh whitening ingredients or peroxide. Silica-based whitening toothpaste should not cause this problem. It may also result from toothpastes with a high concentration of baking soda.
Your best bet is to switch to a toothpaste for people with sensitive teeth, at least for a little while. Mentadent and Sensodyne toothpastes are good recommendations for toothpastes that shouldn’t damage your mouth tissue. Toothpastes that have been known to cause the burning effect are Colgate and Crest Pro Health.
We hope this answer helps! If you have any more questions about toothpastes, mouth problems, or general dentistry feel free to leave a comment below, contact us on Facebook, or give our team of dental professionals a call.
Decided to give Crest Pro Health a try and NEVER AGAIN! Never had so many gobs of this slimy white film gather inside my mouth before… thanks for the post!!
I have only noticed this after using Crest Pro Health and Listerine in tandem.
I thought it was the Listerine that was doing this and then I brushed my teeth with Crest Pro Health alone and still had the same problem. That’s what sent me searching on Google and is how I found this page. Won’t ever be using that toothpaste again – how disgusting!
I suffer from gum disease and i was advised to use corsodyl toothpaste and mouthwash by my dentist. This helped reduce the bleeding a little bit. Then i discovered Listerine for gums, it actually hepled me a lot within the first 2 weeks i saw a huge improvement compared to my 3months use of corsodyl. However, the listerine is so strong that it peels the skin on the inside of my cheeks and creates this sticky substance. it’s a win/lose situation because its doing great for my gum problem but the sticky aftermath is quite irritating.
I’m using Crest Complete that has Scope in it, along with Listerine. GOOD LORD. So much of that slime. It’s all on my gums, cheeks, and it gets on the back of my lips too. I had no idea what it was until just now. I really love Crest toothpaste though.
Can gum issues be caused by hormonal problems? I exercise great oral hygiene but started suffering from gum recession and swollen gums. The only thing besides hormones that I can think of is being too hard while brushing and flossing too deep.
Your brushing technique may be incorrect. The proper way to brush is in a circular motion, following the gum line. You should use a soft bristle brush and hold it at a 45 degree angle. Do not brush hard, it can cause you to literally brush away your gums.
As for the swollen gums, this may be a sign of gingivitis. Areas that are inflamed are in need of the most attention. Gingivitis can be reversed with proper brushing and flossing. Even if the gums bleed after flossing, don’t be alarmed are stop. Do it every day to get the bacteria out.
Remember: brushing only cleans 65% of your teeth. Proper Flossing cleans the remaining 35%.
Look up proper ways to floss.
Hope this helped.
Do certain mouthwash(s) do this also? If so, are there any that don’t do this that also work well? Thanks for the info… so good to know, I had been wondering about this… Now I know to change my toothpaste… :))
Changed from AquaFresh to Sensodydne and it was the Sensodyne that caused mouth slime. Am going back to AquaFresh.
Yeh im on Sensodyne too and im pretty sure it is causing this sticky gooey stuff.
Yep I’m using sensodyn myself and its causing this white thing in my mouth
I use sensodyn myself for years and laterly I am noticing the gooey slime happening. I am not sure what this tooth paste contains these days. Must be harsh chemicals. I have such sensitive teeth that I can’t just switch tooth paste as I like.
Wow… I never knew that whitening toothpaste could irritate the inside of a mouth like that. Great unique information, thank you for the good read.
Even the sensodyne is worse dan colgate because its doing same thing to me. I dnt know which paste to use again.
Wow thanx for the info I was worried thinking I have some kind of a infection I loved sensodyne guess I have to leave it and try something else ..mwaaa
I have been using Sensodyne for a long time. Thought it was supposed to be the best for sensitive teeth!! Now realise it may be the whitening elements that’s causing the “white gunk” problem. Will try using something else – any recommendations?
Thank u for your explanation I was worried, I really have a sentive teeth and sensodyne was prescribed for me, but I sometimes use the other paste. I also noticed that some sensodyne has the whitening ingredient u spoke about, I think that type should also be avoided.
I have been experiencing this mucous in my mouth after brushing and I decided to try biotene moisture rinse and to no avail I still have the problem. I do however use toothpaste with whitening ingredients and I will try the toothpaste for sensitive teeth.
I searched for this answer bc I had been getting a slimy glob of stuff in my mouth every time I brushed. Thank you for the article. I use crest prohealth. Never again… it is burning out the lining of my mouth. Crazy!
Wow, that is crazy! Thank you for this information.
I am so glad to know this informations because I get the same thing an I thought it was some form of bacteria!! I am going to switch to pronamal or sensodyne .
I really appreciate this post. I was really worried about this. Will switch right away! Many thanks! SZ
Thank you so much! I bought Crest Pro-Health for the first time a few weeks ago and have recently been experiencing this white mucous, and I didn’t connect the two.
seeing that you recommended sensodyne was surprising for me since i had this problem for the first time because of it. At first i bought the whitening sensodyne thinking that it won’t be as harsh on my teeth as the other toothpastes out there but i kept having this weird white mucous like substance in my inner cheeks and on my gums it acctualy made me hate brushing my teeth as i was worried it’ll be on my teeth when i smile until i switched to another one and everything went back to normal so i really don’t recommened it and if you insist just try it you’ mouth might not react the same as mine
So anyone have an good Toothpastes they recommend that you’ve used and havent had this issue with anymore?
Yes. I started using Tom’s of Maine toothpaste (not the gel) and the white film gunk disappeared. Except I notice my gums are receding a lot. So I’m not sure if it’s the Tom’s of Maine toothpaste receding my gums or I’m brushing too hard.
I used to use Crest 3d whiting and had to switch immediately due to globes of white film in my mouth. I also have sensitive teeth so I decided to give Sensodyne a try. Although the amount of white film decreased, I was still getting a lot!! So, I did some research and read about the toxic fluoride and it freaked me out so I decided to buy Tom’s of Maine toothpaste because of its lack of fluoride. BAD CHOICE!! After about a week of using it, my teeth became so sensitive to the point of crying because I couldn’t eat or drink anything. Once I switched back to Sensodyne my teeth became much better, I also oil pull now and do not have anymore white film. I highly suggest you stop using that toothpaste and look up oil pulling, it helped me tremendously!
I do use sensodyne and I still experience this white gunk that you described. Is there something else that could cause it?
Hi Sydney!
Another good option is Flouridex. It’s a gentle toothpaste (that also comes in a whitening variation) that is known to be more gentle on gums than other brands.
Hope this helps!
DentaLux Team
Listen I have the same problem I get this white jelly like substance on the inside of my cheek , and it’s cockpit reminds me of like jelly and toilet paper substance yet stringy.I scrape my mouth cheek like 2×s them it’s usually gone until the next time. I woke up second day ans had it again only I am using different toothpastes one was pro health and one was normal crest and I only get this once in awhile…:( it is nasty it made me think I had a disease and when I talked to my dr they to said toothpaste. I tHink it may b stress too….u never know anyways my dr is still looking into it as I’m not very happy w her:(((( please help me discouraged In Connecticut
Listen I have the same problem I get this white jelly like substance on the inside of my cheek , and it’s texture reminds me of like jelly and toilet paper substance yet stringy.I scrape my mouth cheek like 2×s them it’s usually gone until the next time. I woke up second day ans had it again only I am using different toothpastes one was pro health and one was normal crest and I only get this once in awhile…:( it is nasty it made me think I had a disease and when I talked to my dr they to said toothpaste. I tHink it may b stress too….u never know anyways my dr is still looking into it as I’m not very happy w her:(((( please help me discouraged In Connecticut
Hi Ashley!
Try Sensodyne or Flouridex. These are gentler toothpastes.
Hope this helps!
DentaLux Team
Sensodyne seems like garbage these days. They must be adding more chemicals to it.
Wow I just tried the Crest Pro Health and within 15 minutes I had this! I was freaking out becauseI had it all over my gums! I will never use that junk again thats for sure!
There is an additive in some toothpastes “sodium laurel sulfate” which was used to clean garage floors, chemicals are harsh enough to chemical burn some of the skin inside your mouth when brushing teeth. Look at the ingredients listed if it has “SLS” or “sodium laurel sulfate” expect the white film / dead skin.
I have had this a lot for the last year or so, it’s becoming impossible to find a good toothpaste that does not do this! But I am glad to see nothing terrifying is happening!
I’ve got it after switching to Oral B, from Colgate Whitening Toothpaste. The Oral B has grains in it, and now after brushing I get the strings. It’s disgusting. Also ‘dentist-recommended’. I’m never using it again.
Sensodyne is the cause in my case. Affeing my gums too, my gums are refraining from my teeth, so sensitive. Am quitting cold turkey right away. #bringbackmycloseup
Awesome , didnt know this and i am using crest pro health but have other toothpaste i can use.
I used Arm and Hammer Sensodyne toothpaste for several months ,and now the skin is peeling from my gums and they are inflamed and very, very painful. Any advice please.
I seem to have this problem any time I try a new toothpaste. The only pastes I can use are Sensodyn and Colgate Total. I recently tried a different Colgate paste and had the same issue. Once on vacation I was stuck using Crest for a few days. That was the worst! My gums were so burned it hurt to eat just about anything.
As a daily user of Synsodyne for over 10 years, I have found the film to form ONLY if I brush for too long or have the toothpaste in my mouth for far too long. Sensodyne contains Potassium Nitrate that, after some days, prevents the pain associated with a sensitive tooth. You need to develop the attitude that Sensodyne is an analgesi product, and not just ordinary toothpaste. Also, a smaller amount of Sensodyne can go further than other tootpastes, and it is this combination of too much Sensodyne in your mouth and the length of time it is in your mouth that can cause the film due to the slightly caustic properties of Potassium Nitrate and that one has a special analgesic toothpaste that has some special considerations with using, just as you would any analgesic. In other words, Synsodyne is a special toothpaste. If one takes the normal, approximately 2 minutes to brush, with proper technique, and promptly rinse, the film never forms because the Sensodyne is not in the mouth long enough to to burn and cause the film. If one brushes or has toothpaste in the mouth for much more than the proximate 2 minutes, then one lack an appreciation of the power of Sensodyne. If used properly, Sensodyne, like any powerful product, can have tremendous benefits, but with good practices.
Thought I was the only who experienced this, my husband doesn’t have this problem and found it to be weird when I told him about it. Thank u dentalux for the information, I will be changing my toothpaste from Colgate to something less harsh! !
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I use sensodyne whitening and SLIME APPEARED! So nope, gotta change my tootjhpaste again. Maybe sensodyne original?
You are awesome! I just started using Crest Pro Health for sensitive teeth, cavities, and whitening and I have been having this gushy white slush on my gums ever since. I am going to stop using this and get something else for my teeth. Thank you for sharing this information.
Thanks much for the clarity given. I was afraid about this white discharge as first time ever seeing. Doctor prescribed me to use crest pro after the teeth cleaning and found this white, thank god I found this info here. Decided to change the paste!
I have used Arm & Hammer for years with no problem. Switched to Crest Pro-Health and immediately the film/tissue/slime started. Seems from many other blogs that the Crest-Pro-Health is the major culprit.
I notice it after I use the colgate mouth wash. Thanks for the info.
I have been using Sensodyne for years and have only recently got this problem occurring. I have Sensodyne whitening at the moment so it is likely the whitening is the cause by the sounds of things, so hopefully I can still use Sensodyne without the whitening product.
Will this cause any great damage to the tissue? I would like to know since I can’t seem to find any brand of toothpaste that doesn’t create the film.
I too noticed this after using crest pro health it did although help my gums but the gooey slim is just weird !