CLEAN TEETH

Nobody asked me how we brush our teeth but I am sure it was on all of your minds. In the tooth brushing department at our house we have gained a wealth of knowledge from doing a small bit of research to home remedy type tooth paste. I hope you find it somewhat interesting, I did.

My brother was adopted when he was nine years old from India. I remember him telling me that at the orphanage they made baking soda and peroxide toothpaste for the children to use, they used their fingers as toothbrushes. Although we don't use our fingers we have found that by using baking soda and peroxide we can not only save money but also reap more benefits than regular toothpaste.

For starters baking soda is mildly abrasive, meaning it will scrub your teeth with out doing any damage. It will also kill the micro-organisms that cause gum and mouth disease and lastly it can neutralize acids that cause plaque build up and damage to teeth.Then there is the peroxide which does wonderful things also, it makes you foam at the mouth for starters! The foaming occurs when the peroxide turns into oxygen and water, the foam has a great effect. It accomplishes two things. It breaks down the film on your teeth and then uncovers the hiding places for bacteria making the tooth brushing process much more effective than by just using regular toothpaste.

Now if you try this your kids won't like it just plain, my husband doesn't even like it just plain. We add mint oil and xylatol to give it a better taste. Personally I really do like it better plain though so we have two bottles of it. When I say bottles I mean we really keep our tooth paste in bottles with the screw on tops used for saving milk. It keeps it fresh. We just dip our tooth brushes in and scoop out what we need. You could use anything, we went with the plastic bottles because they won't shatter if they drop.

I mentioned xylatol above, xylatol is a sweetener that is roughly as sweet as sucrose but with two-thirds the food energy. (No sugar high.)It is a safe sweetener for people with diabetes because it does not impact blood insulin levels. Xylatol has been proven to help reduce the development of cavities. We not only add it to the tooth paste but each child gets a spoon full before bed. We have them mix it with their own saliva and coat their teeth with it. Kinda of like a spit and sugar gargle.

Another thing we have recently added is Cod Liver Oil and Clove Oil. We mix a little of the clove with the cod liver, making it not seem so fishy. If you are wondering what your breath smells like after rinsing with Cod Liver Oil don't worry, its not bad at all if you are mixing it with the clove. Clove has so many benefits and ways to use it, one of the main medicinal uses is for teeth because the clove can actually prevent tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath. The Cod Liver oil will help strengthen the enamel and help stop tooth decay.

If it sounds complex, don't worry its not. We have found that is not even as expensive as buying tooth past. ( Unless you are getting the really sugary tooth paste from the dollar store which is not really good for your teeth.) It is well worth the small effort it takes to make. Happy teeth brushing friends!