Anyone make their own toothpaste?

Legacy_user

I wouldn't use the Colgates, Macleans etc if you paid me too because of SLS, flouride, and their high abrasive ratings.


thinking of something like

20% baking soda
20% glycerin
20% water
20% coconut oil
20% spearmint oil


have no idea though

Toothsmith

Putting baking soda neat into a toothpaste would make it way more abrasive than the vast majority of mainstream brands.

SLS has many scare stories about it on t'interweb which probably aren't true, but a KNOWN side effect of it is that it can cause oral irritation and an increase in oral ulceration in sensitive individuals - so I'm with you there, there is no real need for it in a toothpaste.

Fluoride - you disappoint me! Just when I thought you were coming away from your rather whacky dental ideas of a few years ago, we seem to be back to square one again!

Fluoride in toothpaste is the major cause of the improvement in dental health over the last 40 yrs.

Its done way more than fluoridated water, and tons more than any improvements in dentistry.

Just buy something like Sensodyne Pronamel. Low abrasive, SLS free and plenty of fluoride! You'll never even notice us taking control of your brain!

stepon250

Woah, i have literally never even thought of making my own toothpaste, but i really want to give this a go now!!

j.e.j.

The Moneyless Man used ground wild fennel seeds and cuttlefish bones.. :undecided

Fennel seeds, apparently, leave your breath smelling fresh and kill bacteria which can lead to bad teeth or gums.

but cuttlefish I associate more with budgies :rotfl:

Jei70

I have seen this, but I'm not sure I would go as far as to make a paste:
http://wellnessmama.com/8780/squeezable-homemade-toothpaste/

However, she also has a recipe for a tooth powder, and that looks interesting...


ETA: j.e.j., cuttlefish bone is an excellent source of calcium, and my pet Giant African Land Snails have grown large, strong shells thanks to it!

kerri_dfw

Toothsmith wrote: »

Putting baking soda neat into a toothpaste would make it way more abrasive than the vast majority of mainstream brands.

SLS has many scare stories about it on t'interweb which probably aren't true, but a KNOWN side effect of it is that it can cause oral irritation and an increase in oral ulceration in sensitive individuals - so I'm with you there, there is no real need for it in a toothpaste.

Fluoride - you disappoint me! Just when I thought you were coming away from your rather whacky dental ideas of a few years ago, we seem to be back to square one again!

Fluoride in toothpaste is the major cause of the improvement in dental health over the last 40 yrs.

Its done way more than fluoridated water, and tons more than any improvements in dentistry.

Just buy something like Sensodyne Pronamel. Low abrasive, SLS free and plenty of fluoride! You'll never even notice us taking control of your brain!

Sorry to bring up an old thread but I was looking for a tooth powder recipe and saw this post.

Just in case anyone else comes across it, bicarb soda has a low RDA (relative dental abrasiveness) of 7. If you compare this to mainstream toothpastes Colgate Total's RDA is 70, Sensodyne is 79. So in actual fact bicarb soda is less abrasive than normal toothpaste. Source: http://www.midtowndentalnyc.com/abrasiveness-index-of-common-toothpastes/


Anyway, I wouldn't put glycerin into toothpaste, it adds a layer across your teeth that prevents your teeth from re-mineralizing. You can make a really simple tooth powder with the following recipe:


1tbs bicarb soda (make sure it's aluminium free, something like arm & hammer) - gently polishes & naturally whitens
1tbs bentonite clay - rich in minerals and helps with removing toxins
1/2 tbs pure sea salt - full of minerals and helps heal gums
15-20 drops peppermint essential oil - antibacterial, antiseptic, pain-relieving properties


Don't mix with a metal spoon as the bentonite clay reacts with metals. Wet toothbrush and either dip in the pot or sprinkle on. Rinse mouth with water afterwards. You can also try oil pulling with coconut oil for 20mins first thing in the morning to help remove bad bacteria and toxins from the mouth.

brook2jack

Please do not follow this advice about making toothpaste with bentonite clay (fullers earth).

Apart from the fact it is scientifically useless there have been multiple warnings about the dangers from contaminants in something that is not actually supposed to be a food or toothpaste additive .

There have been warnings in the US by the FDA and in this country by the food agency http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2012/aug/clay-warning#.UlK5_TcTSzY

Use it as cat litter or as an additive to make clay easier to work with but not in your mouth.

Toothsmith

kerri_dfw wrote: »

You can also try oil pulling with coconut oil for 20mins first thing in the morning to help remove bad bacteria and toxins from the mouth.

Virtually everybody with gum problems could improve them themselves if they just increased the time they spent brushing and interdental cleaning their teeth to 5 or 6 minutes.

The problem dentists and hygienists have is getting people to even spend that much time looking after things themselves! They'd often prefer to believe complete myths like 'I build up tartar very quickly' or 'my gums are just soft'.

It amazes me that anybody would spend 20 mins doing 'Woo-Woo' pseudoscience when they can't even be bothered doing a decent 3 or 4 mins doing the right thing!

Gloomendoom

kerri_dfw wrote: »

1tbs bicarb soda (make sure it's aluminium free, something like arm & hammer) - gently polishes & naturally whitens.

Naturally?

Since when has putting industrially produced chemicals in your mouth been natural?

kerri_dfw

brook2jack wrote: »

Use it as cat litter or as an additive to make clay easier to work with but not in your mouth.

Only if you're trying to use sodium bentonite, if you're using calcium bentonite then your cat litter isn't going to be improved because it isn't swelling and doesn't act the same way.


OP - do your own research and don't just listen to people that work in a billion dollar industry and poo-poo alternative treatments that might cost them customers. There's plenty of examples out there where alternatives to the mainstream work.

brook2jack

I would listen to the food standards agency and the FDA in America. There have been repeated warnings about consumption of bentonite and other clays, you see them advertised as food grade but as neither the FDA nor the FSA recognise it as a food there is no regulation of production at all.

Hence the FSA warns against anyone ingesting bentonite clay and particularly pregnant women. If you look some of the more ethical suppliers point out this advice on their sales sites e.g.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bentonite-Clay-Powder-100%25-Pure/dp/B008KHKSIE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381164931&sr=8-1&keywords=bentonite+clay

The food safety agency is not a billion dollar industry it is trying to protect people from real harm. Multiple samples of bentonite clay were sampled and levels of arsenic and lead were over safe levels in all samples ,some over eighty times safe levels.

One of the suppliers even said it is not meant for internal use http://www.beveragedaily.com/Regulation-Safety/Shun-dangerous-clay-based-detox-drinks-FSA-warns-UK-consumers

The Norfolk researchers for trading standards found contamination in every sample and said the list of affected clays was by no means exhaustive.