People are always asking the Fertilitybitch, For someone who drinks so much coffee and tea, you shore have some purty choppers--what's your secret, Crest Whitestrips?"Puh-leeze. FertilityBitch is big on simplifying and keeping her hard earned moolah from the corporate maw. In the Korea of my parents, the toothbrush and toothpaste consisted of the index finger and a dish of sea or bamboo salt. So you didn't even need some toothbrush holder cluttering up the place.
I do consider myself a bit more modern and do use a commercially manufactured toothbrush of whatever free sample I happen to get from my (mercury-free) dentist. The magic toothpaste is called ARM & HAMMER BAKING SODA. Keeps the pearly whites pearly, bicarb balances the saliva pH. And, at 42, FertilityBitch boasts nary a cavity nor gum disease of any sort.
Toothpaste is not JUST another of those things corporations convince you that you need that you don't--it can actually be hazardous to your health. There are and can be all sorts of disgusting industrial chemicals in it. Let me just concentrate on one, to make my point.
Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS, and its cousins, sodium laureth sulfate, etc.) is an industrial chemical that makes things nice and frothy. Start looking at labels and you'll say, "But it's in almost everything! How can it be bad?" Well, check out the chemical/pesticide registrations web page and see out of all these countries, which ones register SLS for use in products toothpaste related and otherwise (hint: only one, can you guess which???), as the other countries (including Burkina Faso) seem to recognize that SLS belongs in a class of chemicals called nitrosamating agents, which are becoming well known for their ability to cause cancer!
FertilityBitch finds toothpaste generally unnecessary and STRONGLY suggests skipping even "natural" toothpastes for the sake of your health and the health of your loved ones and use that $ to buy a head of organic kale or something. Look what's in Tom's of Maine so-called Natural Toothpaste For Children, Silly Strawberry:
Glycerin, Water, Calcium Carbonate, Hydrated Silica, Carrageenan, Fruit Extracts, ***Sodium Lauryl Sulfate***, Sodium Bicarbonate
Feel free to do your own Google search on SLS and "toxic" and see what comes up--look especially hard at all the stuff from Europe, where they seem to worry a bit more about what all these chemicals eventually do to people...
Pour moi, I give that Tom's "Natural" a nice radioactive TOXIC SKULL
and suggest you buy yourself a nice big box of baking soda (here's a bunch of other things you can do with baking soda, thanks to the excellent Eco-Chick site) AND you can use your old toothpaste to polish your silver jewelry and stuff--it's just the right amount of abrasive to do the job without scratching.
79 comments:
Excellent. How long before I should notice a diference?
Hi Dan,
You may notice some subtle lightening in a few days, but give it a few weeks at the very least, I'd say. I've been brushing my teeth like this for over a year.
For quickest results add a swig of USP (food grade) hydrogen peroxide to the mix.
I also walk around and do other ablutions while the stuff is happily fizzing away in my mouth--very refreshing
Also, if you have a microfiber cloth (e.g., for facial exfoliation), rub the cloth pretty vigorously on your teeth to remove stains--I saw my teeth getting dull and it turned out it was just coffee stain...I could see it come off on towel. Geez!
Good luck, Smiley!
Do you just brush your teeth with baking soda and a regular toothbrush?
Yep! That's where the whiteness comes from. Thanks for stopping by!
hi, i was just wondereing how much hydrogen peroxide you add?
just enough to make a paste...
Do you brush your teeth with baking soda everyday? How many times a day?
Yes, I just use it when I brush, approx 3 times/day
I always dreamed of having whiter teeth, thank you very much!
it does not work, why?.....
it works for me!
Hi, I have been experimenting with this, but my breath still smells pretty funny! What are your recommended solutions for this?
My family has dubbed me "organic girl." But it just makes sense that any man made chemical hurts the body.
I do remember my grandma telling me to use baking soda though... Smart grammy!
2 questions:what is baking soda made of? And I just read that I can add peppermint oil for a more familiar taste and odor. If I mix baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and pepermint oil, will my bathroom blow up?
It's made from sodium bicarbonate, which I think is naturally occurring. You can mix all those things together...it'll get very fizzy and refreshing. Just do'nt go too nuts on the ppermint oil--it can be caustic. Good luck!
Does the baking soda & hyrdogen peroxide wear away enamel at all? Do you have any recommendations for non toxic makeup?
Thanks!!
I've been using this combo for years and have no cavities.
We do run reviews of non toxic makeup. stay tuned.
you're a moron if people brushed their teeth like you they would have dirty teeth and smelly breath. you give poor people wrong information to benefit your bias views. why don't you show your face loser.
I believe in the cleaning and deodorising power of bicarb. I'd be a bit weary of putting hydrogen peroxide in your mouth. It's a strong bleaching agent. I don't know if a food grade one is available at the store. I don' know what foods it would be used in...??? Better not to do that at home, you could hurr your gums or you swallow it.
But bicarb is great!!
I've been using baking soda as a whitener for a few years now, as well as hydrogen peroxide on and off. I brush with a paste of baking soda and water, and rinse with a solution of 50-50 peroxide and water. Actually the peroxide out of the bottle is already 3% (Topical Solution USP from the grocery store), so it's really a 1.5% solution of peroxide. I mentioned both of these to my dentist and he approved. My father's also been doing this for years.
My greatgrandad used only baking soda and salt all his life and had all his own teeth until he died at age 88. I can't use fluoride because of kidney disease and I'm allergic to SLS, so I've been relying on this mix for a while.
THANKS for the comment--very cool!
I have been using this combination for a while and it worked really well at first but it just doesn't seem to be working as good as it used to... Why is this?
It might not be the baing soda--it could be your saliva. Your pH determines a lot of what goes on in your mouth (e.g., if you will be prone to cavities or not) and that's determined by what you eat, if you're stressed, etc. In general, an alkaline pH is what you're striving for. Check out and see if your diet has changed at all...
This was an extremely effective sollution to my problems, i've always had teeth on the whiter side of things, but found i just wanted that extra brightness... your suggestion showed results on the FIRST day i've tried it! and that was just the baking soda! i dont know about the hydrogen peroxide yet, i'll look into that.
still though, why spend 40 on that whitening strip crap that thins your teeth and makes then sensitive, or put poison in your mouth when baking soda can clean and whiten for you?? Sure, it tastes nasty, but its worth the money and hastle saved.
Sheesh why didnt I think of it earlier ;)
THANKS!
Congratulations!
baking soda will not whiten teeth that have intrinsic stains. no amount of brushing will remedy this condition. DDS
baking soda will not brighten
teeth with intrinsic stains. no amount of brushing will. perhaps people should consult a physican about these issues.dds
It works I used it to douche and my kitty smells like a Carolina pine forest.
Hey, I made a past of ground Mentos and 7up and my teeth are blindingly white. Just swish it around your mouth for 3 minutes.
I think it's great that you are giving people helpful suggestions. So many people are blowing money on all kind of teeth whitening products that are basically sub par to the good'ol baking soda.
Hydrogen peroxide is also very inexpensive and destroys the bacteria (germs) found on toothbrushes. Hydrogen peroxide for brushing kills bacteria in and around gums and teeth, slows bone loss around teeth, helps prevent heart disease caused by dental bacteria. Hydrogen peroxide kills the germs that cause gingivitis.
Brushing with hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria in and around teeth and gums, which stops or slows bone loss around teeth, and helps prevent heart disease caused by dental bacteria spreading to arteries. If you really don’t want to brush with hydrogen peroxide, at least wash and sanitize your toothbrush with hydrogen peroxide every day
omg! genius. and if those are your teeth in the pic then double genius. im going to try this!
Cheers,
Lannah
what about mouthwash,does it help?
things like baking soda and hydrogen peroxide work alright, white strips dont work at all
the best thing ive used is the kits denists use, you can buy them and do it yourself.
i got mine from EasyTeethWhite
white strips definitely work...if they don't work for you then maybe you aren't using them right or your teeth are beyond repair
I have heard that pure baking soda is much too strong for regular use & can actually dissolve your tooth enamel when used too regularly.
@AV
To curb bad breath, add yogurt to your daily diet (plain, unsweetened). The good bacteria in yogurt help combat the bacteria that can cause bad breath.
This worked so amazingly
thanks
You're very welcome!
Its not good to brush with baking soda everyday. Since it can remove stains quite effectivly, means its powerful. Powerful enough to remove the enamel from your teeth. Its best to only use baking soda once every 2 weeks.
As for people who say they still have bad breathe, thats because the main contributor to bad breathe is your tounge. So you should brush your tounge regularly.
I second the statement that baking soda is effective, but the same reason that it is effective is also why it can be harmful. For people like me who have naturally thin teeth, the baking soda makes my teeth sensitive and if used too much can cause them to look bluish - a sign that the enamel is wearing down. Hydrogen peroxide however is not harmful (read Caligirl's comment above.) Just a warning that this solution may not be beneficial for everyone.
I've been thinking about using hydrogen peroxide, but I hadn't even thought of baking soda until now. Thanks for the info. Oh, and I just wanted to add that I found it funny that an anonymous commenter was saying that you should show your face. Oh the irony.
Hope it works for you Matthew!
how can you use baking soda on you're teeth when the substance its powder?
You (I assume it's you, and that you refer to yourself in the third person for some silly reason) recommend that your readers conduct a Google search, implying that a Google search is a scientific process and that search results are necessarily correct (again, silly). But, just for fun, here is a link that appears on the first results page, which explains how what you're saying here about SLS is nothing more than myth: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/common_ecomyth_sls.php
Oh the irony of the post above me. NOT EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET IS TRUE. You have to research, decide which evidence sways you most and then make up your own mind. THAT'S what she was trying to say; google it, the evidence is there.
For every article saying something gives you cancer, there'll be another one telling you that it prevents heart disease. Life, y'know?
Anyway, I think I might try this bicarb of soda business for myself. Not sure about using it everyday though - wouldn't it wear down your teeth?
We also use a product called tooth soap...stay tuned I'll blog abt it. Our teeth look great.
Is it okay if you use mouth wash after? Or will that just hinder the effect of the baking soda.
Well, I came across this post by accident. I have tried a number of toothpastes over the years and some of them make my mouth peel inside to the point where I can't even eat breakfast and some, particularly the arm and hammer with baking soda made my mouth feel funny, the best way to describe it is the feeling you get when you eat a raw lemon and I did not like the taste either, I could taste it on my tongue a long time after brushing. Anyway, I use Aloe Dent whitening and Sensodyne whitening mixed together and my teeth are pretty white.
I wrote about this in my blog and posted a picture I took with my mobile.
However, I do not smoke (never have), drink tea often but coffee less often. Smoking discolours the teeth pretty badly.
Also use a medium toothbrush not a hard one to keep your gums from receding.
I use Bob's Red Mill aluminum-free--it's natural milled sodium bicarbonate...
hi there!
i am getting my braces removed in a months time, and i have noticed alot of yellowing on my teeth next to my front teeth (the fangs i call them) and say i do this once or twice a week .. will it still whiten my teeth? keep in mind i just want them back to my normal colour. i dont want yellow squares! :)
thanks so much !
That seems pretty weird but i might try it. Does it taste bad? Is it OK for your health? Can you swallow it?
from the comments ive seen so far it looks like this stuff works im gonna try it. but does it also help bad breath and if not do you know of anything that does
Powerful Whitening System Works Teeth Whitening is actually a bleaching process that lightens discolorations of the tooth enamel often caused by aging, tobacco, wine or coffee stains.
Hi, I have been pretty lucky with my teeth. I am 45 and a heavy smoker, but I think for my age they are pretty white. What bothers me is the, what I call Queen Mother effect, with the dark bits appearing near the gums and between the teeth. How do I get rid of these
And thanks, by the way, for enlightening people to the benefits of not being tied to expensive needless products. More power to you.
Hi Bruce, thanks for commenting--floss WELL before you use the baking soda to get rid of the side stuff. Also a microfiber cloth (see comment to Dan) will also help. I drink tons of coffee and tea and have a very white smile--good luck!
Ive found the best way to keep your teeth clean and white is to just look after your teeth from a young age , dont drink coffee and smoke filthy cigarettes , look after your teeth , floss , see a dentist at least once a month , the money i save from not smoking , not drinking coffee , not buying crap full of sugar and anything else that rots your teeth is the the money i spend on trips to the dentist , surface staining of the teeth is one thing but if you drink , smoke and havent looked after your teeth very well then that staining is soaked in to oyur teeth and the only way to make your teeth appear white again is the professional way which clearly costs alot of money and is the price i guess you pay for not looking after your teeth in the first place.
If you give people advice you should not use Google search strings as a reference, unless you search on http://scholar.google.com (the scientific search engine). The internet is loaded with data written in a pseudo-scientific way, and sometimes what happens is that people just propagate unsubstantiated fears because they don't have a rigorous scientific thinking and way of reading. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate works like a soap, so it is a mild cleaning agent. It is not as dangerous as you make it seem, although scientific data suggests that some people are allergic to it while other can develop mouth sores. However it is also proven to kill germs, including some dangerous viruses, and it is added only in very small amounts in the toothpaste, making it very unlikely to have any major detrimental effect. As a disclosure, I don't have any financial interest in any company producing commercial toothpaste, nor do I get a profit in anyway from toothpaste sales.
ive been rinsing my mouth w peroxide since i was about 8 ! seriously its great for your gums and cavaties! however the taste is not the greatest! so...putting peroxide in your mouth wont kill you! wont even make you sick! rinse for about 1 min. then spit it out! duh! if u dont like it ....dont do it it again! ill continue!
Hey there I was wondering is there is a large difference between baking soda and baking powder. I note they both have sodium bicarbonate, but cornstarch, sodium aluminum sulfate, and monocalcium phosphate are also added to powder.
curious if anyone has tried powder, because its all i have right now.
I've never heard of baking powder having any whitening properties--but why don't you try it and report back? Can't hurt...
I notice you totally ignore comments debating the safety/heatlh benifits of your product. If you cant disprove these points you shouldnt really be advising people on this potentially unsafe technique.
Hi Jim,
Thank you for writing. Both making soda and hydrogen peroxide are USP, i.e., food grade and "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA. Thank you for bringing that up.
OK you said "add a swig of USP(food grade) hydrogen peroxide to the mix."
You are referring to 35% hydrogen peroxide? If so, isn't food grade (35%) caustic?
I don't want to fry my mouth...Explain this a bit better.
I have food grade HP in my freezer, but I was always told to be very careful with it because it can kill you.
Have you actually poured 35% HP in your mouth without diluting it first?
My nanny taught us to whiten teeth by using charcoal.. Long ago, before teeth whitening strips on the market
I find baking soda too harsh as it literally scratches my gums. What I use now is a very soft toothbrush & nada... Yes, its the mechanical action of the brush which cleans your teeth. Just dry brush them.
Flick your toothbrush dry into the sink as it gets wet with saliva, and spit out saliva as it forms. You want to keep the brush as dry and effective as possible.
This will get rid of the plaque, if you havent got stains you can then use salt water, or colloidal silver as an anti bacterial swish.
Staining can be removed with a 3% hydrogen peroxide swish twice a day for a few mins.
Thanks, I've tried this in the past. I'm gonna give it another shot. Couldn't hurt. I used to waste money on Tom's, thanks for the insight on that. I'm a richer person for it (ha-ha).
"Anonymous said... 'you're a moron if people brushed their teeth like you they would have dirty teeth and smelly breath. you give poor people wrong information to benefit your bias views. why don't you show your face loser.' 4:28 AM"
№1 VVhy did you post as anonymous, dœs that make you a loser?
№2 The authour of this post is not expressing a biased opinion, but more of a neutral, informational advice.
№3 Do you have any proof that it vvould leave your mouth [teeth] dirty & smelly?
№4 Baking Soda [Sodium bicarbonate] is a folk hygienic vvasher & cleaner, also for personal house cleaning. My mother told me ever since I vvas a child to vvash vvith a small amount of sodium chloride [salt] & sodium bicarbonate to keep my teeth clean [not necessarily vvhite.] & as she promised, my teeth are perfectly vvhite. Just compare my teeth to the colour of baking soda itself.
As I mentioned, my mother also used it to clean the toilet & bath tub [add vinegar or vinegar alone to clean stains & grease.]
:D ~序名三
Awesome, how long before my teeth get as white as yours?
tomgulley@live.com
1letterman@live.com
I have been using sea salt and baking soda.It works better than toothpaste even the so called natural brands.Beware many of the so called natural brands have been boght out by the big toothpaste corporations.
Eeek! I don't think I could go without toothpaste altogether, but the baking soda idea looks interesting. Might give it a go.
Excellent Post.
my teeth looks very yellow and brow i cant laugh in public can baking soda and hydrogen peroxide helps me out
Very interesting and informative blog. Hope we get some updates
I've been brushing with 3% hydrogen peroxide & baking soda for many, many years. I dip my brush in the hp, then the bs. It hasn't harmed my teeth, but also hasn't made them sparkling white. Still, it's a heck of a lot better than toothpaste with lots of unnecessary ingredients & sugars!
wait but then how to you prevent enamel loss? I would imagine that hydrogen peroxide+baking soda is a little strong. Do you have any enamel problems of any sort?
I have zero cavities ~
Interesting article- however, you should definitely talk to your dentist before changing anything up regarding your oral hygiene.
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