I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not believe our government is purposely trying to poison us or that our schools are trying to brainwash our children or that our doctors are purposely trying to make us sick (though I do believe some decisions they make have that side effect but that’s a whole different story!). I do wonder about dentists sometimes though.

While I was growing up I was meticulous about my teeth. I brushed at least twice a day and flossed a few times a week. I thought all my hard work was paying off when my siblings and I went to the dentist and only my sister had cavities. I figured it was because she ate too many candies. Because candies cause cavities, right? My brother didn’t have any in spite of the fact that he was not as meticulous about his dental hygiene as I was. I figured he just got lucky (he figured it was because he chewed a lot of gum).

A few years later, with no change in my dental routine, I came home from the dentist with about 3-4 new fillings. So much for my perfect dental routine! I have since learned that cavities are caused by bacteria, not sugar. Bad bacteria plants itself on your teeth and feeds off sugar to multiply so leaving sugar (natural or artificial) on your teeth certainly isn’t a good thing, but sugar in itself doesn’t cause cavities. With my dental routine I had been fighting the sugar, not the bacteria.

Interesting fact: we are not born with this bacteria. It is given to us through someone else’s spit, usually before our second birthday. Usually by our mother. Not on purpose but through loving actions such as sharing utensils or food or spit cleaning a pacifier. (I can’t remember where I read that but I believe it was in one of Dr. Sear’s books)

So, back to the dentists. I have a theory:

  • Toothpaste is supposed to help prevent cavities.
  • Dentists promote certain brands of toothpaste.
  • Dentists make more money when people have cavities than when their teeth are healthy.
  • It would make no logical sense for a dentist to promote something that would put him/her out of business.
  • Therefore those toothpastes probably don’t do what the advertisements and packaging claims. In fact, they may be part of the problem.

Is it a conspiracy? Maybe not. But it certainly seems like a conflict of interests.

I have eliminated chemicals in a lot of areas of my life so it would make sense that the toothpaste had to go. I haven’t brushed with toothpaste in almost a year. My cavities haven’t magically healed themselves (darn!) but they haven’t gotten any worse either. The good news: my teeth feel great! They seem to stay clean longer and my breath is still fresh. I also don’t have to coax my son to spit out his yummy bubblegum or fruit burst flavoured toothpaste because it is too dangerous to swallow.

Here’s what I use:

  • Coconut Oil: antifungal, antibacterial, and helps stop tooth decay
  • Peppermint Essential Oil: antiseptic and minty fresh
  • Bentonite Clay
    (a recent addition and not neccesary): mild abrasive, detoxing agent, and has been said to help remineralize teeth

I have found many different recipes online but a lot of them are way to complicated for me. I know people use plain baking soda but, to be perfectly honest, it tastes really gross. It’s also quite abrasive and it is not usually recommended for daily use so I certainly don’t want to use it for my little men.

So I have just been using coconut oil with peppermint essential oil. Simple. I like simple. If this is all you have then it will work perfectly fine. Just mix together and dip your toothbrush in to brush. The hardest part is realizing that it is still cleaning, even if it’s not foaming. I also found that I didn’t have to rinse after brushing (helpful when you have little people that want to splash as soon as you turn on the tap!) so you can brush without water.

My recent addition of the Bentonite Clay is because I’m going to try my hand at remineralizing my teeth. I’m taking cell salts (Calc Fluor

and Calc Phos
), in addition to brushing with clay and coconut oil, and I’m hoping it helps. I brushed with it for the first time today and I can’t even explain how good my teeth feel right now. More than just clean. They feel soft actually. The toothpaste felt strange while brushing but I think it is just a new texture to get used too.

So there is a very simple toothpaste recipe that is safe and gentle enough for a child! C will be very happy to brush his teeth tonight because he was looking forward to being done our baking soda mix too.

Linked up at: Frugally Sustainable

Edit: People have been asking me about the quantities of each: I use about two parts oil to 1 part clay. Then essential oil to taste (my jar took about 10 drops). But you can experiment and mix it until it is a consistency that you like.

Also, for the first photo my house was too hot for my coconut oil to be solid. By the time I had mixed it up and moved it to my bathroom the cool night air solidified it again. But because the clay was mixed it I still find that, even at solid state, it is the perfect consistency to use.

Hope that clears some things up!

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