If you hate the gritty taste of conventional toothpastes, which can make it feel like you've got sand between your teeth, you can use a paste that's made with medium - chain triglycerides from coconut. (onnit.com)
This made a big difference for me personally, as I realized after switching to natural oral care products that something in conventional toothpaste was causing the gum irritation I'd had since I'd had braces as a child. (wellnessmama.com)
For those of you who don't like the homemade toothpaste recipes but don't want to use conventional toothpaste either, I recommend Ratanhia toothpaste by Weleda as it is free of potentially harmful sodium fluorides, tastes delicious, and comes in recyclable packaging. (mindbodygreen.com)