Meet Our Experts: Bobbi Stanley, DDS, a dentist and owner of Stanley Dentistry in Cary, North Carolina , Lata Stefano, DDS, a dentist and owner of Stefano Dental in Sandusky, Ohio, Colby Broadbent, DDS, chief of clinical affairs at Summer Dental There are so many ways to make homemade toothpaste. We encourage you to find the proportions and ingredients for a toothpaste you’ll love. We even enjoy brushing our teeth with a homemade tooth powder now, that includes special ingredients for extra whitening! You can see the recipe here. We have been making natural dental products since the early 1920s when our original toothpaste and mouthwash were first introduced - both of which are still going strong 100 years later! Today the Weleda oral care range includes five natural toothpastes and a natural mouthwash, developed with dentists, each with different flavours and benefits, and made with organic plant extracts that have been carefully selected for teeth and gums. In fact, the list of things not included in our range is equally, if not more, significant.

That’s it! You’re done. Now go get rid of that bad breath! Homemade Toothpaste FAQs Isn’t baking soda abrasive? Salt has been a part of dental care regime for ages now. Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water is considered a good practice and our grandparents still recommend the same. Salt water mouthwash is given to patients of gum swelling or infections and also after oral surgeries because it is a natural disinfectant. Salt was also one of the key ingredients in ancient tooth cleaning powders as it was considered an effective yet mild abrasive that could remove stains and dirt from teeth. However, it's advised not to rub too much salt on your teeth too often, as that might erode the enamel. Moreover, salt has been known to temporarily increase the pH levels of your mouth, making it difficult for the bacteria to thrive. Triclosan. An antimicrobial chemical linked to numerous health and environmental problems. Don’t even think about using a toothpaste (or anything else) with triclosan in it. The recipe below will work at least as well as a standard commercial toothpaste. You may already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Plus whipping up a batch will cost you a lot less than buying a tube of natural toothpaste at your local health food store. Commercial Toothpaste Ingredients to Avoid

Abrasives: “Toothpastes may also contain calcium carbonate, silicate aluminum carbonates, or aluminum hydroxide; those things are abrasives,” says Dr. Manz. “I think most of the data really indicates that the action of the bristles of the toothbrush on our tooth is what really removes the majority of the plaque in the calculus.” These are cleaning and polishing agents added to toothpaste to remove surface stains and break up bacterial colonies. According to the ADA, toothpaste with a relative dentin abrasion of 250 or below is safe to use for daily brushing with appropriate techniques. Flavors Dentist Fred Dartford, who has specialised in holistic dentistry for over 15 years, appreciates the importance of maintaining a healthy microbiome in the mouth: So if you're considering integrating salt into your oral care routine, keep these three factors in mind to do it safely – and to enjoy a more natural lifestyle! 1. Saltwater Rinses I’ve tried to get better at taking care of my teeth, but being health conscious makes it hard with all the crap on the market that isn’t good for us, or that is straight up poisonous to us, and all the supposed better products being financially unfeasible when raising a family. So, I was grateful to find your recipe yesterday and decided to take a chance. First, fluoride is one of the most toxic substances on earth, on par with arsenic and lead. It has no proven biological use inside the human body (teeth included). There is no minimum daily requirement for fluoride. And second, it is a cumulative poison. Only about half of what we consume is excreted.

I like the idea of some of the ingredients BUT, the only reason we need to brush our teeth is because we no longer chew food. As a species, we used to have larger, straight teeth without cavities because we had larger jaws (more bone). This is achieved by chewing meats and fibers, beginning in very young childhood, before teeth even erupt. Of course, breast feeding is the best developer of strong bones, and muscles of the face. Like all species, we used to chew our food. We did not have smoothies, bananas, avocados, soft bread, soft french fries, fancy waters, the softest meats and cheeses. We actually had to rip and tear and subsequently had strong jaws, straight teeth and no cavities. You don’t need to brush, you just need to chew. Oh, and also to nasal breath. If you haven’t read Breath, by James Nestor, do yourselves a healthy favour and read this book and then pass on the message to the planet. We can literally shut down the dental industry and all have healthy mouths and teeth. Reply I can thank this recipe for all the cavities I had when I was a kid. My parents kept me on a strict no-sugar diet, and made sure I brushed my teeth every day with this same home-made toothpaste (I wasn’t allowed regular toothpaste as a child, just this homemade stuff). I had TONS of cavities growing up. Then, when I was a teenager, I finally got to switch to REAL toothpaste, the kind with fluoride in it, and the cavities tapered off and I stopped getting so many (even though I started eating things with sugar in them!) If you want to replace a normal toothpaste with baking soda or sea salt, you should try. They represent some of the main ingredients which could help you maintain your teeth healthy. These ingredients are common in natural tooth care. Salt increases the production of saliva in your mouth. Therefore, specialists indicate that saliva develops a natural antibacterial protection for your teeth’ enamel.I could go on and on and on. Just google “dangers of flouride”. I don’t want to distract from Matt’s great posting for the homemade recipe, but wanted to give additional information to those who are concerned about it not containing flouride. Diatomaceous earth (DE). These sharp bits of silicon are the remains of the shells of tiny aquatic animals called diatoms. It is a mild abrasive and contains trace minerals. The neurotoxic nature of fluoride is also linked to motor dysfunction, IQ deficits and learning disabilities. In the year 2000, a group of Boston physicians concluded: Baking soda is an alkaline mineral helps to alkalise your saliva. Nevertheless, fluoride toothpaste is very useful in healing cavities. Experts recommend that we should use only sea salt that contains all the trace elements and minerals, without additives. However, salt is corrosive and should not be used to clean teeth with metal fillings or crowns. part sea salt to 6 parts aluminum-free baking soda. So, if you take 6 teaspoons of baking soda, then add 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and put this in a coffee grinder for 30 seconds… which takes away the abrasiveness. The combination of the sea salt and the baking soda kill bacteria by breaking down the cell of the bacteria, and then killing it from within. Also a few drops of essential oils like tea tree oil, clove oil, rosemary, lavender, and others, help to keep the oral cavity clean and healthy. I have not used fluoride toothpaste in over 15 years, and my teeth are healthy now. I spray HP on my toothbrush, and rinse it off, then I use a baby spoon to scoop the tooth powder onto my toothbrush and brush my teeth, the roof of my mouth, the space between my gums and cheeks, and also under my tongue. I also gargle with it, and swish and spit it out. I also use coconut oil to swish and spit out sometimes.