I have a confession to make: I used to be 100% OCD about brushing my teeth. As in, I brushed on average 6x a day. I always thought that I was being extra good about my oral hygiene by doing this. That, and I couldn’t handle ever feeling like I had even a spec of plaque on my teeth. I can see why people visit clinics like Gary Cash DDS regularly, as like me, they realise how important oral hygiene is. I had been seeing the same dentist forever and never realized just how much he could’ve cared less about my mouth situation until I started seeing a new one. If you are like me and realize that your dentist doesn’t really have your best interest at heart, you could always just switch dentists. It could be as easy as doing a quick search into Dentist Vineland for example (or one closer to where you live) so you can feel like you are getting the care you deserve when it comes to your oral hygiene.
The second I sat in my new dentist’s chair, he immediately called out my OCD brushing habit. He said my gums were so bad from such harsh and often brushing that they were already receding. RECEDING at 25! From that day forward I followed the general rule of 2 {maximum 3} times a day of brushing. I thought that was all I needed to change…until I tried out this new toothpaste. I am obsessed {can you tell I get obsessed with things easily?! Yikes!}. Before you try it yourself, I would recommend you check with a professional, like this Dentist in Avon Lake, to make sure that your mouth is suited for these ingredients.
I found this recipe from Lindsay Leigh Bentleys site, and adapted it to what I had on hand/was able to get easily {and cheaply}.
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4 T. baking soda
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2 T. Coconut Oil
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2 T. Xylitol
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20 drops peppermint essential oil {in the photo is a random brand- but for over a year now I have been strictly using Young Living Peppermint Oil, see the bottom for more info}
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1 tsp. fine salt Himalayan Salt {I get mine at Costco for around $4 for that huge bottle}
Then it gets really tricky, I simply measure and dump everything {including the oil} in to a bowl, and mix. Really tough right?!
And there you have it, homemade natural toothpaste!
- I am avoiding all the nasty ingredients in store bought toothpaste {ie- fluoride, artificial colors/sweeteners, etc}
- It tastes amazing {once you get used to tasting something thats not artificial}
- Its helped my mouth in general. My gums are never red or sensitive anymore. I never feel plaque on my teeth, literally ever. I don’t even have a nasty taste in my mouth in the mornings {um hello? No morning breath?!}
- Its super easy and inexpensive to make {the initial purchase of these items does cost more than 1 tube of store bought, but makes a lot of batches}
This is awesome, thanks for sharing! Does the coconut oil in the toothpaste solidify at all? I’m wondering if cooler temps would make the consistency a little thicker. Like with coconut oil deodorant.
Hi Amy,
It does solidify {at certain temps}. I only melt it so its easier to mix everything in together. But it totally solidifies and is easy to use!
This is probably a dumb question, but how do you scoop it out? I’ve used a similar recipe and liked it, but in the winter it was kind of a pain to scrape it out and mash it into my toothbrush. Not a big deal but I just wondered if I was missing an obvious, easy solution.
Mary,
Not dumb at all!! I was interested to see how it all worked at first as well:) I followed the suggestions of others and just use my toothbrush. About once a week I rinse my brush out with hydrogen peroxide. We keep our house at 75/76 degrees and its never been an issue. Hope that helps..
Has your husband jumped on the band wagon as well?
I freaking wish. His excuse is that we still have toothpaste left from a big pack at Costco, so once that runs out, I hope to convert him. He is usually super hesitant about natural stuff, but once he using them he likes them:)
I have to admit I have a major crush on your blog and I absolutely fell in love with Lindsay’s blog when you introduced us to her a few weeks ago. I look forward to your updates daily and I thank you for sharing your home, projects, and personal life with us daily! You really inspire me.
Ashley,
You are so sweet! Thank you so so much. Encouragement like this means the world to me:) Glad you like Lindsays blog as well- shes the best.
A, how do you get the toothpaste on the brush? Do you just dip in the brush? Any concerns about getting “germs” in there? -T
I love that this is made with coconut oil! A refreshing change to plain mint!
got all the ingredients, just waiting on the mezotrace to come in the mail! thanks for the post, i’m sure we’ll like it… or i know who to blame, j/k :)))
This is so interesting to me, because when I had surgery for my receding gums (three times! eep) all my dental folks told me to never, ever, ever again use baking soda toothpaste. So I wonder if that advice isn’t universal, it was just the set of people I was working with?
Thank you….from all the mint haters.. im leaving that component out