C’mon. You can’t really clean you teeth with tooth powder…can you? The resounding answer is YES!
Tooth powder has been a great way to get rid of those horrid commercial toothpastes. Even as a child, I never liked the sickeningly sweet taste of artificial sweeteners.
These sweeteners, cleansers, chemical byproduct fluoride, flavors, colors (why would you color something blue, red, or green - don’t get me started on the sparkles – that is supposed to make your teeth clean and white?), and sundry other ingredients is an absolutely unnecessary way to clean your teeth.
The carcinogens in them certainly don’t help keep your body clean.
And cavity protection? Nope.
Oral health is a reflection of overall health and the amount of nutrients the body receives and processes. The only way to increase your mouth health is through nutrition. Bad breath? It stems from the gut. Cavities? Nutrient depletion, often over generations. Bad gums? That’s often caused by the very products that are supposed to help.
“So now what?” you may ask.
Make your own tooth powder! You know all of the ingredients going in; it’s sooper dooper schmooper easy; and it’s much more cost effective unless you are one of the couponers who seem to get everything for free. How do those people do that?
I used a combination of baking soda, coconut oil, and Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Soap
I usually like to pull oil (oil pulling) before I brush my teeth as a detoxing agent and to loosen stuck on yuck. Then I dropped a teeny amount of liquid soap on or rub my toothbrush on the bar of soap, and dipped it in aluminum-free baking soda because I’m fancy like that.
Depending on how my teeth feel that day and how rushed I am, I sometimes skip one of the cleaners. Okay, I’ll be honest, sometimes it even depends on how long it has been between brushings (shhhhhhhhh, don’t share that!).
Lately, I have had some ‘tooth cleaner’ complaints. My teeth and gums have been sensitive when I use baking soda. The aftertaste of the soap is particularly unpleasant and lasting. I’ve also had trouble getting my teeth clean. The past week I started using a cotton swab to wipe off what was missed.
I was ready for something new.
Enter an online ad for Earthpaste, a clay-based natural toothpaste. ::light bulb moment:: I can make that!! I searched around for some recipes online, and in my usual fashion, made my own when I couldn’t find what I wanted. I ended up with tooth powder instead of toothpaste.
It was easier to make and had less ingredients, read: fast and easy.
We can’t use herbs and spices every day regardless of how beneficial they are to mouth health, so I kept it simple. We need to rotate them like all of our foods to avoid allergic reactions.
I mixed up my concoction, and Katie and I ran in to grab our toothbrushes and try it. We wet the toothbrushes, dipped into the tooth powder for a light coating along the flat edge of the brush, and brushed away.
[Update: A reader noted that she grew up with tapping a little of the powder into her hand and then dipped her toothbrush into that. We're now doing it too! I like that idea to keep things clean, and so I can make larger batches of the powder.]
Admittedly, it feels weird when you first start brushing. The clay gets stiff when initially wet, but the feeling quickly disappears and it’s just like brushing your teeth with toothpaste sans mouth full of foam. It may take a little getting used to for some people, but we didn’t mind.
I could not stop licking my teeth once I was finished. They were so smooth. I’m pretty sure they were a shade whiter.
Katie’s were also significantly whiter. Hers have been somewhat neglected while we heal her cavities. It used to hurt to brush them, so I didn’t push the issue too often. Now that the pain is gone and they are healing, she is fine with brushing again.
Such gut friendly ingredients as bentonite clay and Celtic sea salt give me peace of mind that there is nothing detrimental going into our bodies during such simple every day cleaning tasks like brushing our teeth.
This thousand watt smile is worth every effort spent to make us healthy.
Homemade Tooth Powder
Here’s the breakdown (seriously you can’t screw this up):
8 parts* Redmond Clay
1 part* fine ground Celtic sea salt
2-3 drops food-grade essential oil
*part as in I took a baby spoon and scooped the clay 8 times and the salt once. It was all very scientific.
Stir all the ingredients with a spoon and voila! You have tooth powder.
Do you have a favorite toothpaste or tooth powder recipe? Any positive or negative results with homemade tooth cleaners? I’m going to start working on my mother-in-law’s periodontal disease next with a myrrh version.
Further Readings on Healing Cavities
You’ll also find quite a few blog posts from other mamas who have healed or are healing their children’s' cavities. Mommypotamus has a great post on it. Eventually, we’ll have one too.
This post was featured at Thank Your Body Thursday.
This post is part of GAPS Friendly Fridays, Monday Mania, Homemaking Link-up, Simple Lives Thursday, Make Your Own! Monday Link Up, Thank Your Body Thursday
I was wondering if you could replace the Celtic sea salt with Redmond's Salt seeing that I have the Celtic sea salt but it's the wet course ground and I don't want to grind "1 part" to add to tooth powder. Or does the sea salt have a special purpose?
You can definitely swap out the sea salt for any other salt. I find Celtic sea salt tastes the best to us, so that's what I use. The salt is mainly for an abrasive but I also like to add it for the extra minerals and it makes the clay a little less bland.
Thanks for sharing on GAPS Friendly Fridays! I had never seen your blog before and am very happy to have found you
I feel the same way! I checked out your blog and Facebook page and can’t wait to start reading. You have put together some wonderful content.
I made some, and I love it! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad Yolanda!
I’ve been searching for a recipe and hoping I can stick to a more natural “tooth paste”. I have decided not to buy any of the so-called natural toothpastes from the store because of the glycerin in the ingredients. Thank you
Hi there, AWESOME & thanks for sharing!
Just thinking maybe a mention to be careful with essential oil choice if breastfeeding or pregnant? I think clove oil needs to be avoided in pregnancy?
That’s a good point Mish. Any dealing with serious medical conditions or is pregnant and/or nursing should check contraindications of essential oils before using them.
I use a recipe that has baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and peppermint oil.
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Saph, I love the addition of ginger. It sounds like a good way to wake up your mouth in the morning! Depending on the efficacy of the powder, it would also be cleansing and stimulating to the gums.
Hmm, thanks for the reminder. Forgot about that fact. I probably actually need to get some fresh ginger powder. The one in our cupboards is pretty old.
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Hi, this looks great! Any ideas on how to fly with this tooth powder. Since often powders are frowned upon when flying?
Good question! You should have no problem as long as it is in your checked baggage and not your carry-on. If you need to carry any with you, I would contact TSA directly and ask them about the size limitations. They should allow a small amount in a carry-on.
Just made this for the first time today! I really like it! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us! My mouth has never felt fresher! I hated that minty sweet film regular toothpaste left, so it’s nice to leave that, along with all those chemicals, behind!
I went ahead and took some creative liberties with my mix. I’m starting in small batches to see what I like. I generously added ground cinnamon and clove spices in place of essential oils, and I love the flavor!! I may have to add some ginger too as another reader suggested! I have sensitive gums so I ground the salt into a powder with my mortar and pestle. It was still too harsh so I will have to either cut back on the salt or cut it out entirely for my next batches. I also want to try and make it into paste by mixing the powder into some virgin coconut oil! We’ll see how it goes!
Also,
I love your additions to the recipe Kristen! I have done the same thing when I get bored with the base recipe. Having fun with it is the best part of making your own. If you are working on a nutrient-dense healing protocol that focuses on the fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K2, your gum sensitivities should disappear over time. You can definitely leave the salt out for now. I would also look into oil pulling for gum health (20somethingallergies.com/oil-pulling-how-to-guide/).