Homemade Toothpaste

Commercial store bought toothpaste may not be the best formula for cleaning your teeth. I've read that fluoride is an essential mineral which the body needs to maintain healthy bones and teeth. However I have yet to read anything that tells me about foods in which fluoride occurs naturally. Tap water, tea, cereals, potatoes, citruses - contain fluoride but it's all a result of fluoride being artificially added. Apparently many pesticides contain fluoride so as result, fruits and vegetables that would not naturally contain it, ends up having fluoride in it. If fluoride was something that our bodies naturally need, then I assume that there would be natural sources for intake.

Anyhow, if you have any good, healthy alternatives for commercial toothpaste, then please share your homemade toothpaste recipes here. I use Colgate, but if there was something better for my teeth that was relatively painless to make and use, I would switch.

I think they have xylitol toothpaste though I have no idea how effective it is comparatively.

I've been using plain 'ole baking soda for about a year now. I can't say my teeth are any whiter or any less. I haven't had any problems with cavities but I also haven't been to the dentist in years so who knows? I've grown to like the salty taste of it actually and prefer it over the sweet stuff I grew up on.

I started researching baking soda for teeth and initially this is what I wrote in response:

Okay, so I looked into baking soda, and yes people do use it as an alternative to toothpaste. It's apparently good for whitening your teeth. However, dentists aren't in agreement about whether overall it's good for your teeth or not. Some dentists say it's not good because it's too abrasive and can wear out your teeth enamel. To be honest, this makes sense to me because baking soda can be used to clean grime from toilet bowls - so it has an abrasive element to it. And seeing as out teeth has different layers, the first layer being enamel, which is a protective layer, I don't think it's worth the risk to use an abrasive ingredient on your teeth. I've read that it may also be to abrasive for your gums.

But then I decided to research more and found mixed opinions about whether baking soda is too abrasive or not. BUT THEN, I found an article that basically talked about findings from studies conducted in the past and as recent as 2008, where it was basically concluded that brushing your teeth with TOOTHPASTE is in itself too abrasive - that toothpaste is actually a leading contributor to teeth wear and abrasion. The article also had responses from people who were saying they agree and that they brush with plain water and they have better teeth than people they know who use toothpaste.

In light of this information, I'm of the mind that any chemical that is abrasive is not good for your teeth. Apparently using a hard or soft toothbrush doesn't harm your tooth enamel, but if you brush too vigorously and using too much pressure then you can damage your gums which will in turn damage your teeth.

I'm pretty convinced now that toothpaste is not good for your teeth and I'm not going to use it anymore. I'll just brush with water, floss and use mouthwash. I'll still keep an eye out for other safe solutions - I haven't checked out xylitol toothpaste yet but I will.

Here's the link to an article about toothpaste being bad for you:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzette-standring/too-much-toothpaste-dama
g_b_110419.html

I have tried the baking soda alternative but cannot say that it is to my taste at all. Thus I have been just brushing with water for at least half a year now and my teeth haven't gotten worse (or better for that matter). I have been to the dentist a month ago and he said my teeth are fine so I think I am going to continue like that, but I would still like to find a proper alternative.

Yeah, it's weird for me with brushing with only water - like I can feel my teeth are clean but I am so used to toothpaste that about once a week I end up using it almost as though I need the toothpaste after feeling. It's like you spend your whole life using toothpaste and what your teeth feel like after brushing with toothpaste, that once you eliminate the toothpaste you have to acquaint yourself with the fact that your teeth are clean without the minty toothpaste flavor in your mouth.

You've inspired me though - the fact that you've been using only water for 6 months reinforces the notion in me that brushing with water is the right track!