Can Homemade Toothpastes Be Better Than Commercial Ones?

As far as flossing’s concerned the jury’s out: some dentists swear by the necessity for it; others maintain that it does more harm than good. Ecologically, it’s not at all favoured – but nor is much about commercial oral care products.
In reducing the risk of cavities and gum disease, it’s hardly surprising that the fundamentals of dental hygiene work.
According to dentists, in the name of oral health there’s more we can do.
And equally – there’s less.
Less forceful brushing, for one. In general, people tend to brush too hard, and choose toothbrushes with bristles that are far too harsh.
Brushes need always be soft-bristled; and to ensure that the process is done lightly – as strange as it sounds – a toothbrush should held as you would a pen.
Singularly and in combination, using a medium or hard bristle brush and brushing too hard can damage tooth enamel. Since dental enamel doesn’t rejuvenate, anything that wears it away isn’t something you ever want to be doing. Hard brushing can also cause gum recession, and create tooth lesions.
One simple indicator of using too much pressure is if your toothbrush bristles splay while you brush.
For those who find it challenging to brush gently, electric toothbrushes are helpful. Many have pressure sensors that beep, alter vibration, flash, or even turn off with aggressive brushing.
Rinsing with water immediately after consuming anything helps neutralise acidity in the mouth; as well as removing residual sugars and bacteria that cause cavities and bad breath. Waiting at least half-an-hour after eating or drinking to brush is imperative: that hard, crystalline tissue of tooth enamel that covers and protects teeth, is temporarily softened by the acids necessary for digestion.
The physical action of brushing easily erodes it in this modified state.
Preserving the structural integrity of tooth enamel is a priority in the maintenance of good oral health.
At an atomic level, it’s incredibly complex; consisting of tightly packed, oblong-shaped mineral crystals, a thousand times finer than a strand of hair.
In 1812, German chemist and mineralogist Carl Friedrich Mohs (1773-1839) developed a scale of mineral hardness from 1 to 10.
According to the Mohs Hardness Scale, tooth enamel is a 5. Diamonds – being the hardest substance on earth – rank a 10; and it proves dental enamel is harder than steel.
Although it is the hardest and most highly mineralised substance the human body produces (and only once), it’s also very vulnerable to damage. Which is precisely what makes the use and effectiveness of commercial and homemade toothpastes a complex subject.
Over a lifetime, we will use about 76 litres of toothpaste.
With that in mind, it’s useful to know that the inside of the cheek and under the tongue (referred to as the buccal, and sublingual routes) are 4,000 times more permeable than the skin – meaning that the mouth is almost as direct a way for chemicals to enter the body as an injection. It’s on that basis that it’s important to understand what we’re putting in our mouth on a regular basis.
To counter bad breath and whiten teeth, tooth powders were first sold in Britain in the 19th century.
Many were actually damaging to teeth because of the way they deteriorated tooth enamel.
Applied to teeth with small brushes, powdered chalk, crushed brick or charcoal, salt, burnt alum, peroxide and cinnamon were all used in early versions. In the 1870s, inspired by the paint tubes of Parisian artists, toothpaste gradually replaced powders.
Alarmingly, those collapsible tubes contained so much tin and lead they were recycled during WWII to make lead bullets. It was the 20th century that also brought hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to be included as toothpaste ingredients; and later, more controversially, fluoride.
Certainly, whitening toothpastes don’t change the colour of your teeth – with the goal of removing discolouration, they’re just more abrasive than standard choices. While it’s true that removing a little enamel can have a temporary whitening effect, over time that marred enamel stains, cracks, and leads to tooth sensitivity; and more often than not, cavities.
Charcoal-infused brushes and toothpastes can seem effective whiteners, but there’s a high cost: essentially they sand off the outer layer of tooth enamel.
Truly, the best way to achieve whiter teeth is to consult your dentist. It carries the least risk, and garners the greatest result.
In the realm of homemade toothpaste, the internet makes it possible to make just about anything with basic pantry ingredients. Some homemade toothpaste trends have dentists concerned.
Motivation for making your own, ranges from discomfort with the ingredients and packaging waste of commercial products, to wanting to save money; as well as it simply being a satisfying creative outlet. Bloggers, grass roots advocates and frugal anti-waste warriors promise products that are better for the environment, better for you, and financially beneficial.
However, natural doesn’t necessarily mean harmless.
Recipes that contain lemon juice, baking soda, salt, hydrogen peroxide, charcoal and apple cider vinegar may cause irreversible harm to the teeth and soft tissue of the mouth. The absence of fluoride is also a hot topic among clinicians – it has both its advocates, and its detractors.
Assuming there is no monetary value put on your time, whether or not homemade is economical, depends on how much you make.
The cost and shelf life of the raw ingredients designate whether the end product can be bought in bulk, and made in bulk.
Aside from coconut oil, bicarb soda and charcoal, typical ingredients for handmade toothpastes include bentonite clay, xylitol, tea tree oil for its antibacterial effect, and a variety of essential oils for flavour and oral health benefits.
There is some debate about the effectiveness of many of these ingredients, essential oils can be dangerous if swallowed.
An Indian study compared the removal of plaque via homemade toothpaste and commercial toothpaste in children. It suggests that “the use of the homemade toothpaste containing coconut could be a useful aid to obtaining a significant reduction for plaque index compared to commercial toothpaste”.
The research examined the efficacy of oil infused toothpaste with oil pulling. For the study, teeth were brushed with a toothpaste containing calcium carbonate, bentonite clay, baking soda, distilled water, peppermint oil, and coconut oil.
It found that “the efficiency of oil pulling is achieved through the use of oil infused toothpaste”.
In its conclusion, “the regular use of oil infused toothpaste clinically shows similar, or to say far superior results when compared to that of oil pulling: like reduced gingival inflammation, plaque index and salivary pH. Thus it can be concisely said that the choice of oil infused toothpaste along with an efficient mechanical cleansing modality – even in the absence of other supplementary oral hygiene techniques – can be related to decreased incidence of plaque accumulation thereby leading to reduced incidence of gingivitis”.
It added that “further investigations like bacterial counts before and after the use of toothpaste to prove the standards of this oil infused toothpaste is required”.
One salient issue with homemade toothpaste is the risk of microbial contamination.
Any product that contains water, and kept in a warm, humid environment – such as a bathroom – is a bacterial, fungal and yeast breeding ground. Because of its inconvenience, it’s unlikely homemade toothpaste would be stored in the fridge even if it’s the safer option. Cross-contamination through toothbrush dipping into the container rather than using a clean spatula every time is also a health consideration.
It all poses a tough decision to make.
With microbeads, microplastics and non-biodegradable packaging, commercial toothpastes have an incredibly negative impact on the environment alone.
Ending up as billions of tonnes of landfill worldwide, it ultimately contaminates watercourses and ocean ecosystems. Marine plastic waste pollution is one of our most urgent global issues: polluting drinking water, accumulating in the food chain, and releasing toxic, disease causing chemicals responsible for many ailments including certain cancers. Commercial toothpastes contribute to the 78,000-to-211,000 microplastic particles we each absorb into our body every single year of our life.
No matter how coarse, or how acidic homemade oral care ingredients may be, nothing, but nothing, is as abrasive as that.
Disclaimer: The material posted is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Results vary with each patient. Any dental procedure carries risks and benefits. If you have any specific questions about any dental and/or medical matter, you should consult your dentist, physician or other professional healthcare providers.
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