Comments on: Confession: I just bought a tube of toothpaste!

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Also, I agree with Steve and Paula about glycerine. It can also be tricky for vegans to find vegetable glycerine/toothpaste. I find that coconut oil (or another oil mixed with cornstarch) does just fine and leaves my teeth feeling great.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:15:00 +0000

I have found that calcium carbonate is much less abrasive than baking soda and makes a great toothpaste. (It's also the main ingredient in a lot of the natural toothpastes available)

I use:
2parts Calcium Carbonate
1part Baking Soda
1-3 parts Organic Coconut Oil
a drop or two of Spearmint/Peppermint oil and a pinch of stevia to sweeten

I usually just add as I go to get the consistency I like. My 6yr old will even use it, although it isn't as sweet tasting as store bought toothpaste!

And now that you have that tube as a backup, you can try out some new recipes and not "have to" use them if they turn out awful! :)

By: Steve and Paula

Steve and Paula — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:05:00 +0000

just wandering through. Did you know flouride is a poisen?
You can actually heal cavities and prevent all possible future ones by taking high vitamin cod liver oil with high vitamin butter oil?
The reason we avoid comercial toothpaste is because of the glycerine in it. It coats the teeth, and prevents remineralization of the enamal.
Just some thoughts.
Paula
check out http://www.westonaprice.org

By: Mardi

Mardi — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:56:00 +0000

I came across your blog in the results for a search for tooth powder recipes. I gave up commercial toothpaste (Tom’s) after learning that the peppermint, cinnamon and spearmint oils were irritating my salivary glands. I’ve been using baking soda and salt tooth powder without a problem for several months now. It’s nice to know the other benefits – I can carry it on airplanes and reduce my plastic consumption.

By: Beany

Beany — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:19:00 +0000

I went back to using toothpaste too. Even though I didn’t experience anything negative from using baking soda…I got a bit nervous and decided to use toothpaste. I bought Tom’s.

By: Stretch Mark Mama

Stretch Mark Mama — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 07:14:00 +0000

I tried Tom’s toothpaste as well, but got frustrated over the aluminum (is that what it is?) package. Great that it is recyclable and not plastic, but boy, was it ever messy. Maybe that’s because I had two boys putting the paste on their own brushes, what do I know?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:32:00 +0000

Thanks for this Beth. I am a bicarb + mint EO fan myself - nothing gets my teeth cleaner and, strange as it might sound, the skin inside my mouth reacts to almost every toothpaste on the market - it literally starts 'tearing off' 5 minutes after brushing (sounds gross, but it doesn't hurt or anything). I only know 1 other person this happens to.

Now, I've always had a little concern that I'm brushing away my tooth enamel with the straight bicarb, so I like the sound of that home-made toothpaste recipe ... I'll give it a go.

The other thing worth mentioning is that a really soft toothbrush is supposed to be the best. I was wondering if your gums were hurting from the toothbrush rather than the bicarb? Just a thought...

Anyway, thanks again Beth. Great column!

Dee

By: Condo Blues

Condo Blues — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:28:00 +0000

I like your comments about using what we have to buy less. I think one point we should embrace is change to as many green practises we can change (even if it isn’t always the easist way to do things) and use as little of the non-green options that we cannont change because unfortunately we are not a totally plastic free society (yet.)

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one that still hasn't found the perfect toothpaste solution! After reading that even FPF bought toothpaste and reading all these comments, I feel better. I have been feeling so quilty thinking everyone else has moved to baking soda/salt/homemade mixes and when I try that I have a bad taste in my mouth that makes me think I have bad breath.

This TJ's toothpaste is the same one I bought recently. I have been using it at night and still using Colgate in the morning (still scared of bad breath). You'll have to let us know, Beth, if you think this is working for you, maybe the bad breath is all in my head.

By: Clif

Clif — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:58:00 +0000

I always buy the cheapest variation of Colgate at Target, provided it has fluoride and "tartar control"

At first I thought tartar control was just another marketing ploy but it isn't.

For years when I would visit the dentist for a cleaning, the hygienist would scrape off a hard crust of plaque at the gumline (I floss, by the way). In fact, the way I knew it was time for a cleaning was in the buildup of this crust. Once I started using tartar control toothpaste the crust has never come back.

As for using less of everything, in my dreams our president speaks to the nation and says: "Good evening, my fellow Americans. Want lower gas prices? Use less gas. Want less CO2 increase in the atmosphere? Use less of everything. Thank you, good night" This shortest presidential address of all time would play to GWB's lack of skill with English!