Comments on: Using baking soda for brushing teeth

By: michelleh

michelleh — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:29:11 +0000

Hi–I recently tarnished my new porcelain crowns a bit by using oral minerals. Can I use baking soda or peroxide on my crowns without fear of taking off the glaze? If not, does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!

By: Chris L

Chris L — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Try baking soda as deoderant. It works so good I can get away with using it every other day. Just mix a teaspoon with 2-3 drops of water and rub it on. Wipe off the excess so it doesn’t chafe and never over apply (for the chaffing). I’ll never switch back and never smell. Did I mention that I can skip days. It neutralizes the odor so much that it took me months to get used to not smelling anymore. Give yourself 2 weeks to measure the results though….at first you;re going to be fighting with your old stick on stuff that clogged up your pores and didn’t really work anyway (can you read marketing induced dependency).

By: dwarsco

dwarsco — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:50:57 +0000

try some lime juice on your baking soda (i mix the two in a cup). really good!!!! and also +1 on the flossing.

By: Thrifty

Thrifty — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:48:21 +0000

@DJ,
My kid at 21 month refuses to brush, let along floss. Do you have any suggestions on saving her dental bill? Her teeth looked worth than mine and sometimes she have gum inflammation. All my dentist tells me is keep trying and wait till she’s 2.5 years old so they can operate on her.

By: DJ

DJ — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:57:01 +0000

@Jacob- First, a disclaimer. I went to dental school 20 years ago. Many of the continueing eduaction classes I have taken since then have dealt with children’s dentistry rather than adults. Adults are so borring…

If my memory is correct, the plaque needs more than 24 hours to get to the point where it’s damaging to your periodontal health. (Adults should be more concerned with perio than cavities.) I floss twice a day.

About not getting another cavity- You can do that if your existing fillings are small. If they are big, they will wear out more quickly and need replacement. Some day, you may need a crown.

I’m 50 and haven’t had a new cavity since I was a teen. I do have two crowns because my teeth cracked. Those teeth had been weakened by mid-sized fillings placed many years ago.

You might be wondering why a 50-year-old guy is reading a blog about early retirement. I have been “retired” for most of my career. Simple living allows me to do the work I want, when I want, and in the quantity I want. I like working with low income children, so that’s what I do in my “retirement.”

By: Jacob

Jacob — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:33:52 +0000

@moneymonk - wash clothes with baking soda?

@gamma - table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl), baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). I think it’s the sodium that acts in the biochemical system but I don’t know much. However, as long as you spit it out the effect has to be smaller?

@DJ - I suppose that’s why the hydrogenperoxide works as well? Actually I’m quite interested in how it works. All my dentists ever tell me is what to do. Not why. For instance, is it better to do a shoddy job at cleaning right after eating or a better job several hours after eating? What’s the “incubation” time of the damaging bacteria so to speak? Where do they live - mainly, is a tongue scraper worthwhile. Actually, the million dollar question - what can people do to never have a cavity again? Another thing I’d like to know … do dentists (and people in the industry) have significantly better mouth health than the rest of the population?

By: DJ

DJ — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:14:50 +0000

Dental plaque is mostly made up of anaerobic bacteria. Flossing breaks up the plaque and allows oxygen in so it can kill the anaerobes.

I’m probably telling you more than you wanted to know. It doesn’t take much to get a dentist excited…

By: doubleourmoney

doubleourmoney — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:20:28 +0000

Wow, how can one go wrong with a recommendation by a dentist…flossing is one thing you should do for your teeth.

By: DJ

DJ — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:53:13 +0000

I’m a dentist. I think you are completely right about not needing toothpaste. Mechanical cleaning is what’s important. Flossing is far more important than brushing. Do them both, but if you only did one thing for your teeth, it should be flossing.

A lot of “competing” brands of toothpaste are made by the same companies. The strategy seems to be putting a lot of brands on the shelf so you are more likely to pick one that is made by that company.

By: Gamma

Gamma — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:15:18 +0000

I also use baking soda to brush my teeth. It leaves my mouth feeling fresher than 95% of the toothpastes on the market.

My only concern – and one that I haven’t been able to find an answer to yet – is that I’m supposed to eliminate salt due to high blood pressure and baking soda is sodium, correct?