I have been looking at exactly what is in toothpaste recently, and it doesn’t make for good healthy reading. So, I have had a go at making my own with bicarb and a oral herb mix I made myself.
It’s a well-known fact that it is the brushing of your teeth that does the good cleaning work, not the toothpaste. In fact, toothpaste is not really needed at all; it’s just that we like the ‘mouth feel’ of it. The claims made on the packaging are very persuasive, but look more closely and you will find it is trying to sound like it can do something but without quite making a medical claim which would get the manufacturers into trouble. One I just looked at says ‘Fresh Breath, White Teeth’ on it. It’s not saying the toothpaste can give you those, but it is implying it.
Anyway, I thought I would have a go at making something a little more healthy. Here is the recipe:
You can mix a herbal tincture yourself as I did or, if you prefer, buy something like the Weleda, PeriGum or Aloe Dent mouthwash. Simply mix 1 part of your liquid to 2 parts of bicarbonate of soda.
For example, mix 50ml (about 3 tablespoons) mouthwash into 100ml (about 8 tablespoons) of bicarb and combine well. You can adjust it to suit the texture you want but generally that should do it. Store it in a pump or squeezable bottle and use a pea-sized amount as normal to brush.
If you can’t be bothered with that, even easier would be to put some bicarb into a jar and add a few drops of essential oil like peppermint or fennel and store. Then, to brush your teeth, dissolve a little in a small amount of water and keep dipping your brush into the dissolved bicarb mix frequently whilst brushing.
Remember to brush for at least 2 minutes and concentrate on the backs as well as the fronts.
In case you want it, here is the mix I have made for myself because I have genetically poorly gums:
I tablespoon each of the following herb tinctures:
Turmeric
Gotu Kola
Licorice
Hawthorn
Plus about 5-7 drops each of these essential oils:
Peppermint
Clove
Lavender
I then use 1 tsp in half a cup of water daily as a mouthwash and use the same tincture as above to make a tooth ‘paste’ with the bicarb. Do not swallow.
For more oral health ideas, check this earlier post.
I am fortunate enough to be able to use ‘normal’ toothpaste – although I must admit that I do stick the the Green People’s organic offerings (love the fennel and citrus ones…) – but a few year’s ago, John Scott, a regular contributor to the Foodsmatter site also came up with his own recipe as his allergies prevented him using even the purest and most virtuous of the manufactured brands. If you would like to compare notes his recipe is at http://www.foodsmatter.com/environment_chemical_sensitivity/chemical_sensitivity_general/articles/hmade_toothpaste.html
That’s really useful, thanks Michelle. Only thing to watch in John’s recipe is what plant the glycerin comes from. Check. It can come from different grain sources. I am trying to find a ready-made version that is grain free so watch this space.
Interesting post Micki. For years I’ve veered away from commercial brands of toothpaste. Their taste is too strong for one thing. But this last trip to the hygienist had her lecturing me about the worsening state of my gums and telling me that if I didn’t use the Oral B potion she gave me a sample of, it would all get even worse. I hate the thought of using fluoridated tooth paste. I was using Aloe Dent products.
I decided I’d best do as told and see if it helped. My gums were bleeding if she stuck pins in them(!). I used her paste but it contained Cinnomol (spell?) from cinnamon and I have a problem with that. Cinnamon in any concentration makes my mouth go numb and tingly. When it had all been used I replaced it with a different Oral B paste minus that ingredient. But I hate them. They seem to burn and they taste so strong that I won’t use them before bed, preferring my Aloe Dent. Recently I went on holiday and forgot the Oral B so had to use Dave’s Aloe Dent paste and when I got home and used the tiny interment brush the gums bled again where I was rough. So my theory is that Oral B doesn’t cure gum disease as I was lectured, as with many other pharmaceuticals it just masks the symptoms.
I’m not sure what to do now.
When you were looking about did you get a feel for which of the natural products might be the best for health? I’m not sure I could be bothered to make my own because of all the oils needed.
That’s interesting, thanks Sue. I had a similar problem with Chlora-something or other that they used during treatment as a washout. It literally burnt the raw skin where they’d just been working, and was agony! Never again. We have been discussing various toothpastes I think on the TGF Facebook group. In essence, not many of them are any good. Earthpaste Spearmint and Squigle Enamel came up grain free best ones so far. Or maybe try adding some of the herbal or essential oil mix to the Aloe Dent. Once mixed and in your jar, lasts for ages so shouldn’t take a mo.