Dental soap

[girlishcharm2004]

I'm very intrigued especially if it works better than commercial toothpaste! Actually, we stopped using commercial toothpaste about a year ago because my husband kept getting so many cavities (sounds counter-intuitive, doesn't it?). We use only baking soda now and he hasn't had a cavity since. I don't feel like my mouth gets clean enough with only baking soda and a saline rinse, though. I'm looking for more -- I hope this fits the bill!

 

[Neve]

So I have to ask, is it safe to use peppermint oil? NDA states that the EOs are for external use only. I have a 100ml bottle of peppermint supreme.

Also, this whole idea of cavities actually regenerating confuses the hell out of me, because I always thought that enamel couldn't regenerate, and my husband insists this is fact. So how can a cavity magically heal up (for whoever it was that posted that this happened)?

Still I MAY try this, although the idea kinda grosses me out. Hell my home made deodorant works much better than the store bought stuff and I wish I had done it years sooner.

 

[girlishcharm2004]

It's amazing that cavities CAN heal. When bacteria eats sugar, it creates an acidic environment which wears away at the enamel. Using baking soda or soap which has a higher pH will at least neutralized the acid and minimize the damage if not get rid of the bad-breath-causing bacteria. It gives your mouth a chance to heal. Also, not feeding the bacteria lots of sugary foods (i.e. candy, soda, etc.) will also help minimize the acidity.

Dr. Bronner's claims that their liquid soap can be used for brushing teeth. One drop of that stuff on my toothbrush sent me heaving into the toilet. My mouth didn't even feel clean (granted, barely even brushed!). Knowing that it's the coconut oil that gives it that terrible taste encourages me to try again, but this time make my own! I just checked the ingredients and Dr. Bronner's DOES have coconut oil in the version I tried. It doesn't sound like the Bronner's even use their own soap for teeth brushing...

 

[nebetmiw]

I really like a salt bar with tea tree oil but the flavor of the coconut oil is so foul, I had to stop using it. Thinking about making a salt bar with no coconut, I know it won't foam but it should still clean.

Most likely the Tea tree oil (which should Not be used for internal use) is more the problem in taste here. It is a very strong EO.

For everyone Info there are alot of thread on tooth soap. Most need to age a year for use to get rid of flavor of soap. They have been around longer than toothpaste which is a new invention.

 

[Lin]

peppermint essential oil is safe to ingest if its therapeutic grade. Problem is anyone can call theirs therapeutic grade even if it isn't. So you have to know the signs to look for quality essential oils. One big one in this case is if it says it cannot be ingested/not for internal use its not therapeutic grade.

I use peppermint essential oil for nausea. I either put it in a bit of water or dilute it with carrier oil and put some under my tongue if I'm too nauseous to drink the bit of water.

 

[seven]

It's amazing that cavities CAN heal. When bacteria eats sugar, it creates an acidic environment which wears away at the enamel. Using baking soda or soap which has a higher pH will at least neutralized the acid and minimize the damage if not get rid of the bad-breath-causing bacteria. It gives your mouth a chance to heal. Also, not feeding the bacteria lots of sugary foods (i.e. candy, soda, etc.) will also help minimize the acidity.

this sounds really promising. i'm waiting for my tooth soap to cure, cant wait to try it. added some xylitol, a dash of baking soda, and a few drops of peppermint oil.

 

[kryse13]

so if you were to make a 90% OO and 10% cocoa butter, super fat 1-3% Could you HP it and use it sooner? Also, I know clove oil is use for tooth pain. Could that be incorporated into this soap? Could you also incorporate Baking Soda into a batch of HP tooth soap?

For me my sensitivity is caused by my 'not flossing' attitude and the tooth where it meets the gum leaves the nerve open for pain when I do floss.

I really would like to give this a try. so my formulating of a recipe is starting to look like this

90% OO
10% Cocoa butter
1% superfat

peppermint EO 3% PPO
Xylitol (have to research how much)

maybe add Baking Soda and clove oil?

 

[Lin]

I'm getting interested in trying this, I was going to try a homemade tooth 'paste' recipe thats supposed to be remineralizing. I'll probably do that first still. I'm curious about the possibility of remineralizing and also wanting to avoid the harsher surfactants and abrasives in most toothpastes. I have a connective tissue disorder and so my gums are weaker than normal and tear or split easily. Its not unsual to bleed when I brush my teeth, and if I floss too frequently it causes bleeding as well. I get incredibly frustrated with going to the dentist and the hygenist telling me I need to floss more often so my gums are stronger. No, it doesn't work that way for me! And I've had a lot of cavities and enamel loss from vomiting due to health issues as well. I've had dentists ask me if I drink too much soda, and I very rarely drink soda! Anyway, I'm hoping a gentler toothpaste could improve my dental health and not be so harsh to my mouth.. I currently use sensitive teeth toothpaste, but maybe with something better my teeth wouldn't be so sensitive!

 

[dudeitsashley]

so if you were to make a 90% OO and 10% cocoa butter, super fat 1-3% Could you HP it and use it sooner? Also, I know clove oil is use for tooth pain. Could that be incorporated into this soap? Could you also incorporate Baking Soda into a batch of HP tooth soap?

For me my sensitivity is caused by my 'not flossing' attitude and the tooth where it meets the gum leaves the nerve open for pain when I do floss.

I really would like to give this a try. so my formulating of a recipe is starting to look like this

90% OO
10% Cocoa butter
1% superfat

peppermint EO 3% PPO
Xylitol (have to research how much)

maybe add Baking Soda and clove oil?

I was also thinking about using clove and baking soda. Please keep us updated on how your batch turns out.

 

[girlishcharm2004]

I currently use sensitive teeth toothpaste, but maybe with something better my teeth wouldn't be so sensitive!

I was surprised where Sensodyne falls in the abrasive category. If your toothpaste is too abrasive, it'll make it difficult for your teeth to heal! I know a lot of people who brush really hard with whitening toothpaste to make their teeth white, but the opposite is true. Full enamel is whiter than the yellow pulp underneath (which is more visible from thin enamel).

 

[Lin]

Mine isn't sensodyne, I can't remember what brand off the top of my head but sensodyne is too expensive!

 

[kryse13]

Medication can also affect the saliva in your mouth (so my dentist has said) and tried to give me a special paste thing to use once a week.

 

[Lin]

yup, dehydration reduces saliva and causes cavities plus many meds have dry mouth as a side effect.

 

[Yooper]

so if you were to make a 90% OO and 10% cocoa butter, super fat 1-3% Could you HP it and use it sooner? Also, I know clove oil is use for tooth pain. Could that be incorporated into this soap? Could you also incorporate Baking Soda into a batch of HP tooth soap?

For me my sensitivity is caused by my 'not flossing' attitude and the tooth where it meets the gum leaves the nerve open for pain when I do floss.

I really would like to give this a try. so my formulating of a recipe is starting to look like this

90% OO
10% Cocoa butter
1% superfat

peppermint EO 3% PPO
Xylitol (have to research how much)

maybe add Baking Soda and clove oil?

Maybe HP could be faster than the CP I did- but I was using it in a couple of days. Since it doesn't have to get rock hard, and I did discount the water, I didn't find that it was an issue using it a couple of days old.

I don't have a sweet tooth, so I don't care about sweetening it but I will use more peppermint EO next time.

One thing really interesting that I recently heard is that cocoa (pure cocoa) remineralizes teeth. I wonder if a pepperment/cocoa added tooth soap would be healing as well as not objectionable in flavor.

The one I'm using has basically no flavor at all, so it's not bad but it's not "minty" like a commercial minty toothpaste. It doesn't taste soapy either. It's just bland.

One thing I have done for a while is use a Waterpik at least once per day, usually twice, and my dentist commented back in July how wonderful my mouth looks. I haven't had a cavity since childhood. He commented in July that my gums looked especially good, and asked what was different. I told him then about the waterpik, and had been using it for a couple of weeks at that time.

I've combined this tooth soap, brushing twice a day and using the waterpick now, and I go back to the dentist for my 6 month cleaning/check up and I'll try to remember to report back on the results.

 

[Neve]

What is a Waterpick? Is that a toothpick?

I am going to start with small steps and try baking soda I don't have any CO free year old soap anyway.

 

[Lin]

OOoooo I want a waterpik! Also last summer my dog ate my sonicare toothbrush. I'm really upset about that still. But there's just no way I can afford to replace it, I paid 80 for it back in 2005. So $1 toothbrushes for me now...


A waterpik is sort of like a water flosser, so to speak. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_irrigator Its really flossing, and flossing correctly, that has more to do with gum disease than brushing due to bacteria thats under the gum line. I'm also curious at trying a bass method brush and brushing, especially since they're affordable brushes. My dad has a waterpik and sonicare, when I lose my sonicare charging base he gave me an extra one. Too bad he doesn't have an extra sonicare brush lol. I've also gotten the heads from him before since they're much cheaper to buy in bulk packs.

Yooper, did you state your recipe earlier in the thread? If you didn't can you give it? If you did, I plan to go back and write down the recipes suggested. I'm starting to think I'll HP a tooth soap to try next time I stay at my bfs house. He just got a crock pot for soaping. I'm thinking add some sweetener (xylitol if I can find it cheap enough locally, maybe stevia if I can't... I think that would be fine in tooth soap?) and cinnamon after the cook. Cinnamon is good for teeth as well. Ceylon cinnamon is especially good because of the sweeter flavor and lack of the ingredient (name slips me at the moment) that can act as a blood thinner in large amounts. I believe you pretty much have to eat large amounts of cinnamon regularly for it to reach high enough levels, and even then if you don't have issues where that would be a problem its fine.

I didn't have a single cavity as a kid... Didn't get my first cavities until I was 21, and then I had 7! Though after talking to some other dentists and other people I think the dentist may have taken advantage of me and it wasn't really that bad. One of my roommates had a similar situation where out of nowhere they were told they had 6 cavities. But instead of going back to have them filled, she went to another dentist who said she only had 2. So it seems what is considered a cavity and what needs filling can change from dentist to dentist! But I do have issues with enamel wear and tooth chipping as a result of health problems. Luckily all the chipping has been on teeth that don't show when you smile! I haven't had any cavities filled since those 7, which also made me suspicious since my health is worse now plus I don't think I had the chipping yet at 21. But I also haven't seen a dentist in a few years now, I was 25 I think last time I saw one. Its not intentional its really just because I have so many Drs and Dr appointments I kinda forget to deal with it! It always seems of less importance.

Funny how when I first started reading this thread I thought EWWW NO WAY, and now I want to try it

 

[judymoody]

The first time I made tooth soap I HPed it and used it the next day. It is 90% OO, 10% CB, 3% SF, xylitol (1 T per 1 lb batch) with orange and cinnamon leaf (food safe) EOs. I don't think you need to wait a year.

The stuff lasts forever. A small 1 inch square chunk will last months.

 

[cm4bleenmb]

This is too funny. I just made a fresh batch of my own (supposedly) remineralizing toothpaste on Friday and while I was mixing it up, I was thinking, "I wonder if you could make a soap that would work for teeth . . ." (No worries, there's no chance I will become addicted to soap making like the forums warn you about. LOL)

I use CO, powdered calcium carbonate, baking soda, salt, Xylitol, and EOs for flavor--a smidge of Thieves and lots of sweet fennel, tastes like black licorice. YUM. I also make a sea salt and Xylitol rinse with peppermint and oregano EOs-very little oregano, it's strong stuff. I add about two drops to 16 oz of water. I have always had good teeth but since I've been doing this, my dentist is even happier with my check ups.

I may just have to try pouring a little of a batch off into a small container and dumping the dry stuff I want to try into that. Then if it seizes when I mix it, who cares? It's already in the mold! And if the additives don't work and the soap won't set up, I'm only out one little bar.

 

[neeners]

I haven't been making any soap for a while due to the fact that our stash is really large, but the itch has gotten to me so I declared that this Saturday, I will be making tooth soap. time to go buy some nice EOs!

 

[nframe]

Update

I have just been to see the dentist and want to report what she said. She told me that my teeth were no better and no worse than six months ago when I last saw her. However, she said that it is important to use toothpaste because it contains fluoride and that protects the root of the teeth. I told her that I read that fluoride was bad for you and she said that it is if you ingest it. There is only a small amount in toothpaste. So she recommended that I use my soap in the morning and the toothpaste in the evening without rinsing my mouth so that the fluoride can work.

I thought that I should pass on this information.