Toothpaste and Nausea

Is it the taste of the toothpaste or having the toothbrush in your mouth that causes it? How long has this been going on? Does this happen with anything else, like if you leave a spoon or fork in your mouth too long? What about gum or mints (or anything that you have to hold in your mouth without chewing).

I feel a gag reflex if I brush too far back or hold too much tooth paste/spit in my mouth without spitting, so maybe yours has become an automatic reaction. You associate brushing your teeth with gagging.

I would suggest brushing slowly and taking deep breaths through your nose while you do. Start at the front of your mouth and slowly progress. When you feel you're about to gag, breathe, take the tooth brush out, and spit. Then resume. Also, use a small toothbrush, even child's size if you have to (or an electric one with a small head) and a small amount of tooth paste to start. If you think it might be an association with the taste of the toothpaste, try switching to another flavor, like cinnamon.

You could also try distracting yourself. Play music or watch tv while you brush. I've also heard that numbing throat sprays (like for sore throats) can calm the gag reflex.

If this persists or happens at other times, you may want to see your doctor. It could be acid reflux or your tonsils/adenoids.

this happens to me, as well. it's not every day, and not with all toothpastes, but i definitely go through phases when it happens every time i brush- morning or evening. like the first writer, i've also been celibate for many years, and pregnancy isn't the cause.
None of the above suggestions would have any bearing on my situation, as it's not a reaction merely to the taste or to the size of the brush. it starts
For me it happens:
-every time i use children's bubblegum flavored toothpaste.
-other bubblegum flavored things do not cause it.
-other flavors of toothpaste DO cause it.
-more often with gel than with paste.
-begins the moment the toothpaste touches my tongue. begins with VERY heavy salivating, and a nausea. -rinsing my mouth doesn't stop it.
-breathing deeply while bent over helps, but doesn't stop it. (salivating the whole time)
-if i do begin to retch, it's a tossup as to whether or not it ends in vomiting.
-in bad cases, my gag reflex will keep up for half an hour. in mild ones, only a couple minutes.
-i've found that quickly gargling with listerine helps to short-circuit the process, if i catch it before the gagging.
the reaction happens whether or not i'm menstruating or at any particular point in cycle.

i'm not on other medications or physical/mental health issues.

I have never come across ANYthing other than toothpaste which trigger this reaction.

Could it be an ingredient in the toothpaste that is causing it? Like fluoride or something? You say it's not with every tooth paste--which ones don't cause it? Have you tried any suggestions I wrote? Have they helped?

Im not sure if this is true or not but I heard that they started putting a chemical in toothpaste to trigger the gag reflex to prevent us from swallowing too much. Also sometimes people who were poor and hungry were eating toothpaste and it can poison you. The chemical is triggered when it reaches the throat area. I'm still trying to look this up and it's something I heard from like 20 years ago. But perhaps they want to keep this a secret because it can be controversial. They might get sued for causing people to throw up. If anyone has any more data on this please share it (post it to Yahoo answers as well). Also I'm not saying I believe 100% that this is true, just something I heard and am trying myself to find out. Thanks.

i had this feeling in when i was pregnant with my little girl as soon as she was born it went awk it was rank

I'm so glad I'm not alone in this.... It has been an issue for me over the last 6-8 months where t never was before! I have tried changing toothpaste from a leading brand with whitener to a supermarket own brand and it has helped a lot to reduce the issue, but it hasn't totally resolved it. I wondered how much of my problem was psychological and how much was an intolerance. Everyone I spoke to thought I was mad, or accused me of using too much or pushing brush down back of my throat. no one would take it seriously.

i am also having this problem it started recently about a year ago and now I cant stop it happens every time....so I heard that brushing your teeth with only water helps and then use Listerine mouth wash afterwards,it seems to help but i have also recently heard that Colgate is using cancerous products in their toothpaste! YIKES!!

I have not brushed for a year but I have not had any cavities. I know how bad it is for me and I tried to brush with a bubblegum gel toothpaste and I gagged. It does not happen if I brush without toothpaste. Plese help me.

I have not brushed for a year but I have not had any cavities. I know how bad it is for me and I tried to brush with a bubblegum gel toothpaste and I gagged. It does not happen if I brush without toothpaste. Plese help me.

It's so strange, but the toothpaste gag reflex has increased so dramatically for me that I can't even bear to have toothpaste in my mouth...now I only put a sliver of toothpaste on the brush and use mouthwash afterwards.

I have been having this issue for years and finally said ENOUGH! I tried an all-natural toothpaste without fluoride from Wholefoods. No more gagging!!!! I then suspected fluoride and found it to be toxic and a silent killer. Two articles I found that might be helpful:

1. http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/dis play.cfm?ID=19990303222823
2. http://thyroid.about.com/od/drsrichkarilee shames/a/fluoridechange_2.htm