The Illusion of Knowing

Lately, I’ve been finding myself in these quiet little moments, realizing how much I really don’t know. Or maybe, more honestly, how often I thought I knew—when actually, I was just holding onto this one tiny part of a much bigger picture.

It’s funny, but for me, this realization started with something as ordinary as toothpaste. Growing up, I always thought fluoride was just... a given. Dentists used it to prevent cavities, every toothpaste I’d ever used had it—it just felt like, “That’s what makes toothpaste toothpaste.”

So when I first started looking into plastic-free products and came across toothpaste tablets, I was shocked to find that most of them didn’t have fluoride. I remember thinking, kind of indignantly, “Wait, how can that be toothpaste without fluoride?” At the time, I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. That’s actually why the very first product I launched with Tidalove had fluoride—it felt like the only real, complete choice.

But over time, I started having more conversations with our customers, and slowly, my thinking started to shift. People were asking for fluoride-free options, or mentioning ingredients like hydroxyapatite (nHAp). At first, I didn’t really get it. But I kept listening. Some people were sensitive to fluoride. Others had long-term concerns. And some just preferred something more natural, something that fit better with their lifestyle.

So I started reading more. I opened myself up to perspectives I hadn’t really considered before. And I realized—I’d been looking at things too narrowly. Fluoride can be a great option, but it’s not the only option.

It made me think about how we live online, too. Instagram, YouTube, all these algorithms—they just keep showing us what we already like, what we already believe. And after a while, we stop even noticing there’s a whole other side to things. It starts to feel like everyone agrees with us, when really, we’re just caught in our own little bubble.

That’s why this moment feels meaningful. We’re now launching a fluoride-free version of our toothpaste tablets, right alongside our original one. Because both matter. Both meet real needs. And both are completely valid.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers—not anymore. But I do know this: the moment we admit that our way isn’t the only way, something in us softens. The world feels bigger. And maybe, just maybe, we get a little more kind—with ourselves, and with each other.

Have you ever had one of those moments? When you realized there was more to the story than you thought? If so, maybe you felt it too—that quiet, humbling gift. That gentle opening of the heart.

With Love,

Penny, founder of Tidalove