Well, it's actually tooth powder. This is an excellent substitute for commercial toothpaste. It does a better job, promotes a healthier mouth and costs a whole heck of a lot less! Besides, what will you do when your tube runs empty and you can't buy any more? This is a simple recipe that you can make any time from your kitchen pantry.Homemade Tooth Powder
3 parts baking soda
1 part table salt
optional: add drops of peppermint oil or any other flavor to your liking.
Stir it all together.
Pretty simple. I guess some people really dislike the taste of baking soda. It's never bothered me, but if you find it unpleasant, the flavoring might really help. I added peppermint oil to ours and I really like it. It leaves a cleaner feel and taste in your mouth than any commercial toothpaste I've ever used. Here's a quote from an article by Patrick H. Bellringer that explains pretty well how and why it works so well:
"Baking soda is chemically a base or alkaline substance, the opposite of an acid. When an acid and a base are combined, they react chemically to neautralize each other and form a new substance known as a salt. Baking soda is a weak base and reacts in the baking process to form gas bubbles. The gas bubbles form air pockets in the pastry as the gas dissipates, shich causes the bread/cake to 'rise'. "
"Common table salt is produced by the chemical combination of sodium (Na), a powerful toxic powder, with chlorine (Cl), an extremely toxic gas. The salt produced is known as sodium chloride (NaCl) or common table salt. NaCl is found naturally in nature and is deposited on the floors of evaporating desert lakes. NaCl is required for proper metabolism in all living cells, yet in pure form NaCl can kill all life forms. This is why the salt flats of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, have no life forms living there."
"... Our forefathers used salt and soda as a tooth powder for cleaning their teeth..."
"...the soda will neutralize the organic "food" acids which erode the calcium of the enamel of your teeth and cause cavities. The salt will kill bacteria present in the mouth, and the salt and soda combination will act as an abrasive to clean the plaque and food particles from your teeth. Never will your teeth have been so clean and with no harmful side effects to you..."
Wow! What a great explanation for how the baking soda and salt mixture works. I'll have to try it. Especially with the rising cost of toothpaste.
ReplyDeleteis this recipe for a daily cleaning, or can I mix a week supply at a time?
ReplyDeleteI have done this! I have used baking soda as toothpaste, and it works fine.
ReplyDeleteYep, exactly how I make mine. We love it with peppermint oil or almond oil. :)
ReplyDeleteWe haven't bought tubed toothpaste in years, it has horrible ingredients!
I'm gonna whoop this up! I buy toothpaste, AIM and it's 95 cents a tube, I'm sure it's just wonderful stuff for our health. Doubt I'll get The Paintiff to use it, but I for sure will and I'll work on The Youngun as well! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJohn - The little Tupperware container in the background of the picture is what I mix ours in, with a lid on it. I usually do 3 Tbl soda and 1 Tbl salt with 5 or 6 drops of peppermint. I'd definitely recommend mixing an amount to last a while.
ReplyDeleteI am going to make a small batch, Susan. I have salivary gland damage from radiation treatments, but want to try your recipe. Most commercial toothpastes aggravate the situation more... Arggghhh!!! And thanks for visiting my blog; I'll be posting again soon!
ReplyDeleteI have bought the baking soda toothpaste from the store and it tastes terrible. Maybe by making it yourself you can add more flavoring to mask the baking soda. I do wonder about the salt. I have borderline high blood pressure. I would have to monitor this and see if it changes. All in all I think I'll give it a try. Toothpaste prices are so high! I buy the kind with the teeth whitener, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. I wonder if there is a whitener we can make on our own.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if using low sodium salt would make a difference in how it performs. I use it in my food.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan :D
ReplyDeleteJean Marie - I've never used the low sodium salt. It just needs to still be able to kill the bacteria. I'd be interested to know how it works for you.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, that is so interesting! I've never heard of that and I will try that out, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, so many useful things to find here!
Happy easter from Sweden!
:))
HBFG
Whoa! This alternative is budget friendly, yet it helps clean and whitens teeth! I heard that baking soda tastes bitter. I'm currently teaching my kids to use eco-friendly products and I'd love to try making this one. Do you have a suggestion on what flavor I should use to make the kids love them?
ReplyDelete