Based on the recommendations of these folks, and the availability of things around me, I developed a tooth cleaning product for myself! It leaves my mouth feeling very clean for a very long time, and I think it may have even gotten my teeth a couple of shades whiter.
Here’s the recipe that I’ve been using for a few months. Maybe it’s not so much of a recipe as a set of guidelines and suggestions. I haven’t measured things out in exact proportions before, so all the amounts are approximate. Experiment! You will educate yourself in the process!
50 drops of clove essential oil
50 drops or more of another essential oil for flavour, like sweet orange or spearmint
20 drops of neem oil. Go slowly with this. Neem is powerfully antibacterial, and you don’t want to use so much that you overpower the healthy bacteria in your oral environment… It also stinks, so you don’t want it to overpower the taste!
¼ cup to ½ cup of clay powder, like Kaolinite or
¼ tsp. or more sea salt. If you can handle the taste of more salt, then use more.
1 tsp. or more baking soda (optional, for extra cleaning power)
Olive or coconut oil (optional, for a smoother paste)
Stevia liquid or powder extract (optional, for taste)
Mix all the ingredients together in a small glass bowl and then transfer them to a jar with a lid. You’ll then need a small spoon to get it from the jar onto your brush. (Be sure to cover tightly between uses, or your essential oils might just evaporate!)
The consistency will probably be that of a very thick paste, more crumbly than spreadable. If really want it to have a consistency more like conventional toothpaste, try adding some oil like olive oil or coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil has the added advantage of being anti-bacterial, but remember that it is solid at normal room temperature.
I’ve decided not to use glycerin, though many natural toothpastes do. Some people say that glycerin film remains on your teeth after you brush them, preventing your saliva from re-enamelizing your teeth. This ability is crucial to the health of your teeth, I’m told. There’s some controversy over whether glycerin actually does remain on your teeth, but I’m playing it on the safe side. And it seems to be working just fine without it! I also love the tingly sensation the clove oil gives my gums.
Anyhow, with a few things from your kitchen and an investment of about $30, you’ll have enough ingredients for about a year’s worth of toothpaste. That’s pretty cheap if you consider that a store bought brand with comparably natural ingredients will run you about $8 a tube. If one person goes through that in about a month, that’s easily $80 a year spent on toothpaste.
I highly encourage everyone to check out some of the links above to learn how they can move towards dental self-sufficiency. There's something fishy going on when Denmark, Norway and Sweden all but mercury amalgam fillings, but the Canadian Dental Association can acknowledge that mercury is toxic, that "Very small amounts of mercury vapour are released from amalgam with chewing" (from their website), but still insist that they are safe to use... What gives? Maybe they are worried that if they admit the things are dangerous, everyone who has had them in their mouths for decades will take legal recourse...?
