Thursday, September 12, 2013

Make Your Own Toothpaste (and Why You Should)


I have been buying fluoride-free toothpaste for years, since I learned that it was affecting my thyroid.  But when I started coming across people making their own toothpaste I was excited to try it.  Here I will outline some of the dangers of conventional toothpaste and include two recipes for making your own.  It's remarkably easy and I love the end product.  I'm hooked!


The ingredients in most toothpastes are toxic.  Ever wonder why there are warnings all over your kids toothpaste tube not to take internally?  Half a tube of typical fluoridated toothpaste can kill a child.  And anything that goes in your mouth, even if it isn't swallowed, is absorbed even more quickly than things you apply to your skin.  I'm not trying to be alarmist.  Just stating facts.

The perils of fluoride are real, though dentists still push the party line handed to us back in the 1950s.  If you were like me, you grew up with fluoride rinses, gel treatments, and Crest toothpaste all full of fluoride to make our teeth stronger.  The thing is, much like pharmaceutical drugs like Boniva, it makes the tooth appear stronger on bone scans, but internally it becomes more porous and delicate.  Fluoride is a highly toxic chemical that causes multiple health problems.  Primarily:
  • Gastrointestinal Problems
  • Thyroid Dysfunction/ Endocrine Disruption
  • Arthritis
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Kidney Problems
  • Male Fertility Issues
  • Skeletal Fluorosis
  • Acute Toxicitcy
Fluoride is common in rat poison and the Nazis used to put it in the prisoners' water - because it's known to placate people and make them easier to control.  Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/029140_toothpaste_fluoride.html#ixzz2dnD6UeiX For more information on the risks and dangers of fluoride, how cities around the country and countries around the world are fighting to get fluoride out of our drinking water, check out:  http://www.fluoridealert.org/

So here are two toothpaste recipes that are fast, inexpensive, and effective.  I made them with my eight-year-old daughter and we had lots of fun trying different recipes and flavors including peppermint, lavender, lemon, and cinnamon.  These are the two that we agreed we liked the best.  She liked lemon flavored with glycerine and more stevia and I preferred the cinnamon with coconut oil and less, so I will call these kid and adult recipes respectively.  I really enjoy this toothpaste more than any I've ever bought.  My teeth and mouth always feel great after I use it and a nice side benefit is that my lips are moisturized by the coconut oil!  Even my little girl loves using it. 



I prescribe this supplement to patients with bone density issues. It's also a nice supplement as it combines the important minerals for bone health with several Chinese herbs for the same purpose.  So for tooth re-mineralization, this is a great formula.  It comes in capsules which I emptied into the working mix. 


Kids Lemon Glycerine Toothpaste

6 teaspoon baking soda
1 capsule Bone Density Enhancer with minerals
1/4 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide
1 tablespoon glycerine
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil (more on oil pulling and why coconut oil is so great for your teeth in the next post.)
4 drops lemon essential oil
12 drops concentrated liquid stevia

Put baking soda and calcium and herb powder in a bowl and stir.  Add the wet ingredients and mix until you achieve desired texture. Add a small amount of baking soda if it’s runny; add more coconut oil if it’s too dry. Taste, and add more essential oil if you want a more flavorful paste. We found the Gootube at a local store so we can squeeze it out as needed. 

Grown Up Coconut Oil Cinnamon Toothpaste

6 tsp baking soda
4 capsules calcium and herb powder
1 drop Concentrace minerals
2 tbsp coconut oil
5 drops cinnamon essential oil
8 drops stevia