Baking soda as toothpaste replacement?

Felix · Post by **Felix** » Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:17 am

Hi! I've made a comment to the post on Baking soda as a toothpase replacement and seeing the blog post buried now, I don't see me getting an answer to this anytime soon there, so I'll just ask this here (also recognizing that there were at least two others interested in an answer to this question). It has been recommended to use baking soda as a replacement for toothpaste as a means to kill bacteria and lift the pH value of your saliva, which has been lowered by the bacteria's acid, thus preventing it from harming the enamel.

However, the opposite might also come true (due to dosage problems), namely that you raise your saliva's pH significantly, thus also causing a decay of enamel only now with an alcalic compound (baking soda) instead of an acidic one. In fact I've read several times that brushing your teeth with baking soda is sort of overcompensating, thus pushing your saliva into higher pH categories and attacking irreplacable enamel. So what to do? Dissolve the baking soda a lot, i.e. using only a small bit of the stuff?
I guess it boils down to: How do you accurately choose the dosage of baking soda?
I don't really know. Maybe someone more knowledgeable on this can comment.
Thanks.

veganprimate · Post by **veganprimate** » Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:32 am

I really doubt that baking soda can harm enamel via pH. You might have an argument for abrasiveness, but I doubt the pH is going to be a problem. We're talking baking soda, not lye. You can drink baking soda water. You can put it on your skin. It's not an extreme alkali like lye. If you're worried, just use it a couple days a week, alternating with toothpaste.

Felix · Post by **Felix** » Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:42 pm

Thanks veganprimate. I was thinking along trying it this way. I hoped that someone who does it could give me some hints on dosage.

KevinW · Post by **KevinW** » Wed Nov 24, 2010 8:56 pm

I tweaked the recipe on this page, which I found through Google:

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/teeth1.html
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp glycerin

30 drops wintergreen or peppermint extract
The solid/liquid ratio controls consistency and the amount of extract and salt controls the flavor.

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Thu Nov 25, 2010 4:36 pm

http://www.xenophilia.com/zb0017.htm
This is a really interesting, in-depth article about avoiding and reversing cavities. One thing mentioned is this: after a meal, mix 1 tsp baking soda with 1/2 glass water and rinse your mouth out with it. The idea is to neutralize the acid and give your teeth an environment conducive to re-mineralization.
I don't think brushing with baking soda is a bad idea, but you do give up the benefit of fluoride.

Mo · Post by Mo » Fri Nov 26, 2010 5:37 am

Felix, sorry I can't give you the info you seem to desire regarding pH and enamel. My suspicion is that baking soda applied in the amount one might easily obtain on the end of a standard brush might not change the pH substantially for an extended period of time, but I don't know that for sure-- just a suspicion.
I'm not a dentist, but I've examined a lot of mouths, and pulled a lot of teeth. My experience has been that fluoride seems to offer significant benefits in the prevention of dental disease. I don't have the hard evidence you might like to see on that, but I know that I won't be neglecting fluoride without being exposed to a dramatic reason to do so.

Graybeard · Post by **Graybeard** » Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:57 pm

I'm not sure if this is the place to post this, but I've been using baking soda as a SHAMPOO for the past three months. It leaves my white hair nice and shiny, and I feel like I'm weaning myself from at least one cosmetic-chemical-industrial-complex product. If you Google the topic you'll see that there's a whole "no-poo" movement, mostly among young moms who don't want chemicals around their kids. I'm an older guy, but what the heck!

sky · Post by **sky** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:30 pm

I have brushed my teeth with baking soda for many years. I put the soda in an old plastic vitamin jar with a pop cap. There are no other ingredients added, just a high quality soda, like Arm and Hammer.
When ready to brush my teeth, I wet the brush, open the jar, pour a small amount in the palm of my hand (about a half teaspoon) and pick up the soda with the wet brush. Then toss any remaining soda on your hand into the sink and brush your teeth.
It is important to rinse your mouth with water three times after brushing with soda. Otherwise the soda taste can linger.
I generally brush in the morning and after lunch.
I have no idea about ph effects, but using soda to brush teeth seems to work well for keeping teeth healthy and eliminating bad breath. That has been my experience for many years.

makincaid · Post by **makincaid** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:38 pm

I have been using baking soda for brushing teeth the past two years. So far the results have been great. I have only had one cavity in those two years. Before, I was getting several per year. To be fair though I don't know if the cavity reduction is due to the baking soda, or to dramatic reductions in my stress level.
I also use baking soda for underarm deoderizing and hair washing. (Just be sure that if you wash your hair with baking soda, that you follow up with a vinegar wash.)

Felix · Post by **Felix** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:51 pm

I've been experimenting with this baking soda idea myself now for a while - so far with no problems. Thanks for the support.

JerseyGirl · Post by **JerseyGirl** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:59 pm

When I was a kid we would use baking soda to brush our teeth with, and it worked very well. I used the same method as Sky. Just pour a small amount into your palm and dip the moistened brush into it. A good amount will cling, and just flick the rest into the trash or down the sink.
The taste did not appeal to me as a kid, but I don't object to it now. I find it refreshing, in fact.

Arrrrrgh · Post by **Arrrrrgh** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:34 am

I do the baking soda brushing from time to time and after rinsing my mouth out with water a couple of times, I rinse w/ hydrogen peroxide (just a swig out of the bottle as if it were listerine). Don't have a clue about the pH or enamel things though.

May have to try adding some mint like KevinW stated above to improve the taste a smidge...

Arrrrrgh · Post by **Arrrrrgh** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:35 am

I do the baking soda brushing from time to time and after rinsing my mouth out with water a couple of times, I rinse w/ hydrogen peroxide (just a swig out of the bottle as if it were listerine). Don't have a clue about the pH or enamel things though.

May have to try adding some mint like KevinW stated above to improve the taste a smidge