What you need to know about natural toothpaste

Dental health is really important for us. But the fact is that we don’t usually take care of our teeth with the highest quality products like we do our skin, for example. A lot of people aren’t aware of natural toothpaste and what it can do for your dental health.

Two of the big concerns today is the degradation of the environment, the safety of industrial foods and products we consume daily, as well as the negative effects that two phenomena have on our health. As a result of that, the trend of natural products are becoming bigger and bigger, and there isn’t any sign of it slowing down. Every product seem like they can be made from natural ingredients, even natural toothpaste.

Natural toothpaste can get rid of bacteria in your mouth, those that give you gingivitis (swollen, purple gums that are painful to touch, usually bleed after brushing) and bad breath. Natural toothpaste is made totally from natural ingredients, making it safer for you compare to normal toothpaste.

Why is natural toothpaste better for you?

• • Natural toothpaste helps you avoid fluoride. Yes, Fluoride kills cavities but they are toxic in high doses. It is used in our in water, commercial toothpaste… It is said to fight cavities, but the result of many types of research shown that it is detrimental to your health if consumed in high doses. The fluoride present in our water is more than enough for us. With it, in toothpaste, it will give us a higher risk of causing mottled teeth. Excess fluoride can contribute to many health problems such as acne or other skin problems, high blood pressure, cardiac insufficiency, heart failure, lower fertility and early puberty in women… So, decrease the fluoride intake can help you avoid quite some diseases.
  • Other than fluoride, natural toothpaste is friendly, because there are no chemicals with can harm your health such as
    • Saccharin: A sweetener substance, presented in a lot of toothpaste and mouthwashes. It is forbidden to be used in foods because it has shown to cause kidney cancer in lab rats.
    • Sodium lauryl sulfate: is a detergent used in toothpaste to make foam which can damage eyes, irritate skin, lead to laboured breathing and make canker sores
    • Triclosan: a pesticide; Propylene Glycol: a synthetic ingredient that irritates,…. and other scary chemicals
    • Titanium dioxide: This product is to help make the toothpaste white. Like Fluoride titanium dioxide when ingested in high about is toxic for us.

• • In contrast, natural toothpaste is made from natural ingredients like mint and other herbs. These ingredients are safe for you and don’t lead you down to the road of diseases like the chemicals mentioned above. Since cleaning your teeth is mostly the act of physically brushing anyway, these natural breath fresheners are more than capable of protecting your dental health
  • Studies have shown that those who have sensitive teeth will love natural toothpaste since it is much more gentle and doesn’t contain substances that irritate your teeth.
  • Using natural toothpaste is a way you can protect the environment. Because your toothpaste will be in glass jars which can be recycled and reused. The absence of chemicals ingredients also means that less harmful substances will be injected into the environment.
  • If you are still hesitated about switching to natural toothpaste because its industrial counterpart is a way to conventional, let it be known that natural toothpaste is easy to make: the ingredients you need are so common and easy to find such as chocolate, mint, turmeric. They are always available in the market, and you can get them whenever you want.

You will need a lot of ingredients to make your natural toothpaste at home, but some of the basic ones you’ll find in many recipes are:

• Xylitol is a sugar alcohol. It improves the taste of your toothpaste since you won’t be motivated to brush if you can’t stand the taste of your toothpaste. And even more important, it can replace fluoride as an agent to prevent tooth decay by up to 60%. Xylitol and other sugar alcohols also support mineralisation.

• • Bentonite clay has a lot of powerful antibacterial properties. It removes bacteria and harmful substances around the teeth, on the tongue and gums. People often mix it with water for a daily rinse.
  • Essential oils can fill several different roles in homemade toothpaste, depending on which oils you select. It is used mostly for flavour though, as too many essential oils can harm the mouth’s microbiome.

In details, there are many perfect combinations of flavour and difference main ingredients for you to make your natural toothpaste at home, in this article, let’s take a look at some of those.

How to make basic toothpaste

• Baking soda and coconut oil:
  • If you are aware of natural products, then you surely know about coconut oil and its famous health benefits. Coconut oil naturally fights the fungal infection candida in your mouth. It also helps to reduce the bacteria that cause cavities and boost the microbiome in our gut.
  • Baking Soda is known as one of the most common ingredients found in toothpaste. Its alkalinity helps balance pH in the mouth. It is also a mild abrasive. Baking soda can neutralise acids that lead to dry mouth, cavities and another gum disease. It can also help get rid of surface stains to prevent bacteria. Some people even brush with baking soda and water alone to clean their mouth.
  • How to make it: All you need to do is mix all ingredients until you get the mixture. For one tube of baking soda and coconut oil toothpaste, you’ll need:
    • 2 spoons of baking soda
    • 2 spoons of coconut oil
    • About 10 drops of your favourite essential oil.

 To clean your teeth, let’s use coconut oil and baking soda.

• Sea salt, baking soda and water:
  • Sea salt isn’t used all that often in commercial toothpaste. However, its alkalinity makes it a pretty good ingredient. High mineral salts may also help to remineralise teeth.
  • Water may seem too normal, but we had to mention it in this recipe. Because it is needed to mix ingredients and improve texture.
  • How to make it: Just like the first recipe, mix them until you get the mixture, put it on a tube and use it daily. The number of ingredients you’ll need:
    • A spoon of baking soda.
    • A spoon of sea salt.
    • 5 drops of essential oil.
    • A few drops of water.

Recipe to make remineralising toothpaste

Chocolate:

• You probably never thought of using chocolate to brush your teeth one day right? Fact is chocolate contains antibacterial agents and can fight plaque. It can function as an abrasive and has been shown to remineralise teeth better than fluoride. You should choose the unrefined beans for toothpaste, otherwise known as cacao nibs.

• • How to make it: You’ll need quite a lot of ingredients for this natural toothpaste.
    • 2 tablespoon bentonite clay
    • 4 tablespoon coconut oil
    • 1 tablespoon organic cacao powder
    • 1 tablespoon xylitol powder
    • 3 drops clove essential oil
    • 3 drops vanilla essential oil
    • 3 drops cinnamon essential oil

Mix them well before putting it in a tube for daily use.

Chocolate is also the ingredient to make toothpaste.

Mineral powder:

• Calcium & Magnesium Powder are the obvious choices here. Adding them to your toothpaste can be especially effective. After all, these are the two primary nutrients that remineralisation requires. You can find both in powder form
• Ingredients you need to make natural toothpaste.
• • • 2 tablespoon of bentonite clay
    • 5 tablespoon of coconut oil
    • 1 tablespoon of guar gum ( This is a powder that helps to thicken toothpaste. It also helps keep the ingredients stable and homogenous (well mixed))
    • 1 tablespoon of powdered calcium
    • 1 tablespoon of xylitol powder
    • 20 drops of your favourite essential oil

Recipes to make whitening toothpaste

Turmeric:

• • Turmeric is a wonderful whitening agent. It tends to stain everything it comes in contact with. Because it has surprising whitening abilities despite having only mild abrasiveness, fights gingivitis, it has been used for oral health in India for about thousands of years. It can also contribute to remineralisation. However, its taste is not at pleasant as other kinds of natural toothpaste, so pay attention to that before deciding to try out this recipe.
  • How to make it: To get your natural toothpaste with turmeric, all you need is that mix all ingredients.
    • 4 tablespoon of coconut oil
    • 2 tablespoon of bentonite clay
    • 1 tablespoon of xylitol
    • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon of assorted spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger… )

 Whitening your teeth with turmeric.

Dichotomous Earth  

• Dichotomous Earth is powdered fossils of ancient marine life. It is not very hard. However, the shape of the small particles is sharp, making it more abrasive. It also contains trace minerals that can contribute to the remineralisation process.
• Ingredients you need:
  • 2 tablespoon of bentonite clay
  • 4 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon of diatomaceous earth
  • 1 tablespoon of xylitol
  • 15 drops of your favourite essential oil

Of course, there are a lot of commercial toothpaste on the market that is always available for you to choose. It takes you less time, but you should consider how they affect your health. After all, our smile is one of our most important traits and it’s our first impression to other. So you need to take care of your health carefully against negative effects around you. Natural toothpaste can be a wonderful way to protect your dental health, and maybe it’s time you give it a try.

For more information about natural toothpaste and other natural products, go to our website.