Using soap to brush teeth

Goldiegirl

It has never crossed my mind to brush my teeth with soap, and now the thought is there, the answer is 'no, never in a million years'

gayleygoo

Apollonia wrote: »

Where did you get this information from? It's the opposite of the truth.*
*I agree with Stephen Fry who once said on QI that any fact that begins with the word 'apparently' is likely to be nonsense.

I agree, which is why I'll be asking my dentist for more information, (although I expect she'll tell me to go back to using flouride toothpaste!) and do more research myself. The info came from a member on the soapmaking forum who claimed her dentist told her that. Of course I don't just blindly believe everything I read on the internet, nor do I believe that the government puts flouride in the water to kill us all or other such nonsense that gets bandied about. I may have got caught up in the hippy "your teeth do it all themselves" argument but if soaps cleans the teeth I'm happy enough.

Just_a_Girl_2

Judi wrote: »

I can see the benefits of the bicarbonate of of soda JAG (blimey its been years since I last called you that) but what benefit is the coconut oil?

Oh, are you from 'the bag'? Who were you there?

Coconut oil is fantastic for so many uses as it has antifungal and antibacterial properties. Because of it's antibacterial properties, it kills bacteria (which causes tooth decay, mouth ulcers, gum disease, etc) that are stuck to teeth & gums.

I used to oil pull with coconut oil for 10-20 minutes in the mornings but don't really get time these days, which is a shame as I noticed my teeth naturally whitened pretty quickly once I started!

I love coconut oil as it can be used for so many different things and has so many healing properties. The stuff is amazing

System

Oh, are you from 'the bag'? Who were you there?

I posted mainly on the beauty boards. You probably wouldn't remember me as I left a long time ago (when they started messing around with the boards). Anyway, my username was Carousel. Daft name I know but it amused me at the time.

Toothsmith

Apollonia wrote: »

Where did you get this information from? It's the opposite of the truth.*

Fluoride is required for remineralisation of early carious lesions. (Along with calcium and phosphate.) The application of fluoride, calcium and phosphate is generally easiest by means of a toothpaste.

Try googling 'white spot lesion therapy' or even just 'remineralisation of teeth'. There are lots of academic articles out there.


*I agree with Stephen Fry who once said on QI that any fact that begins with the word 'apparently' is likely to be nonsense.

+1 to this.

Whatever your views on fluoride in the water supply - the case for fluoride in toothpaste is overwhelming.

FairyPrincessk

fwiw, my OH and I tried out Ald! toothpaste. I believe it is about 45p or 49p a tube but haven't bought any in a few weeks. We were looking to downgrade and as we do our weekly shop there it made sense. However, before we made the swap, I ran this past my dentist, and asked if it mattered as I'd always been asked in the past what I used to brush with. Since I'd always used major brands I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't have an ill effect (I've never had a cavity or anything other problems) She said "it can be as cheap you want, just check to make sure it has at least 1450ppm of flouride in it" The Ald! stuff does, although incidentally I bought a well known brand in a fancy formulation as a one off one month and it didn't! Obviously, double check with your dentist as this is not medical advice, but I would suggest from her response that brushing with soap probably isn't an advisable alternative. In the long run if you end up paying for more dental work then saving a quid or two a year in toothpaste is a false economy.

DigForVictory

My grandmother used soap on sons who annoyed her (her daughters learned by example).
For herself, she used seasalt. Aged 82, in hospital after a splendidly successful hip replacement, she was inclined to be a bit peeved with medical students who appeared not at all interested in the hip & fascinated by the perfect teeth!

System

We have fluoride in our water so i'm presuming toothpaste without fluoride isn't so important.

Just_a_Girl_2

Thankfully, our water isn't fluoridated

SailorSam

I can remember when i was little being told i was going to get my mouth washed in soap and water but i didn't think it was to clean my teeth.