How to Keep Your Teeth

Live Holistically is a multi-author site.
This post was written by: Carol Webb

Before Dentists

Before dentists were affordable people found ways to clean their teeth without using toothpaste, all sorts of weird and wonderful recipes have been utilised, some with greater success than others. My grandfather used a mix of soot and bicarbonate of soda, and still had most of his teeth when he died.

My father visited the dentist once in his life, an obligation when signing up for the armed forces. The dentist removed a tooth, and so that was it, no more dentist for him! He had all his other teeth when he died.

Status Symbol

I did not fare so well. My mother marched me along to the dentist’s office every 6 months, as by the late 1950s and early 1960s looking after your teeth was advertised in newspapers and magazines as a status symbol. I remember being thrilled when the new high powered drills arrived and the grinding became quick and virtually painless.

At every visit I seemed to need 5 or 6 fillings, often the same ones drilled out and re-done. My parents didn’t question the procedure, as every other child seemed to have the same poor teeth.

Not All Dentists Are Honest

The first alert that we had was a big splash in the local newspaper. These particular dentists were drilling children’s teeth to receive generous payments from The National Health Service (UK). There were no dental fees then, it was all covered by the insurance stamp deducted straight from the pay packet. The dentists were sent back to their own country, but my teeth were ruined.

40 Years On

Move forward 40 years. Receding and bleeding gums, various abscesses, 3 monthly visits, and a dentist who decided to cap my molars with gold. The removal of huge chunks of mercury amalgam stopped the pain and the bleeding, and I decided that 3 monthly visits were no longer a necessity.

Chemicals Don’t Like Me

Vast amounts of research and many brands of toothpaste later, I found that I was sensitive to toothpaste. Dentists of course, do not choose to believe this, as many glazed looks and shaking heads will testify, but between the mercury amalgam and the chemical soup of toothpaste, my teeth were under siege. This is a list of chemicals which are commonly found in toothpaste :

1. triclosan
2. polyethylene glycol
3. poplypropylene glycol
4. tetrasodium pyrophosphate
5. sodium fluoride (sometimes hidden in Water)
6. saccharine
7. titanium dioxide
8. sorbitol
9. glycerol
10. potassium nitrate
11. strontium chloride
12. zinc citrate
13. sodium lauryl sulfate
14. chlorhexidine
15. aluminum trihydrate
16. sodium monofluorophosphate
17. sodium methyl cocoyl taurate
18. hydrated silica
19. allantoin

source: Heinz R. Gisel, Doctors for Vitality Clinics August 2007

Many Suspect Chemicals

Most of these chemicals are suspect, and all household name brands contain some of these highly toxic ingredients. Although all brands claim to be safe, and alone, for a specific product, this may be the case, but in all their calculations they do not take into account any accumulation of toxins by repeat use, or the toxic compounding by use of other cosmetic products containing the same chemicals.

Even In Baby Care Products

Shampoos, hair conditioners, sun screens, chemical soaps, skin care, shaving creams and detergents all contain some of these toxic chemicals, and enter the body through their vapour and inhalations in the shower, and through the skin when used with warm water.

Anyone For Toothpaste

Even if toothpaste isn’t consciously eaten, it will enter the body through saliva, which is involuntarily swallowed. The mucous lining in the mouth has an absorption efficiency of over 90%, with the lips also having excellent absorption properties. This is how toxins reach the bloodstream and end up in organs like: brain, heart, lungs, kidney and liver.

We Have No Idea!

You, the consumer, have no idea what levels of toxins are tolerable to you. You may add up the “other ingredients” on the labels of your commonly used “personal care” and “anti-bacterial” household products, from air freshener to laundry detergent, and be shocked at the result, but in the end it comes down to how much your body will tolerate.

Passionate About Chemicals

If you have read my posts: Free Health Care Veto: Educate Yourself or ADA recommend Chewing Gum or Lose Weight: Heal the World, 1,4-Dioxane in Baby Cleanser, you will know how passionate I am about keeping harmful chemicals out of the body. We have no need of them, all we have to do is change our buying habits and get used to different amounts of suds in our personal products. If we didn’t buy these chemical mixes, you can bet they wouldn’t be promoted.

How To Keep Your Teeth

I want everyone reading this article to go back to using original soaps, it is possible, I only use soap to shower, wash my hair and brush my teeth. With soap you get natural suds, and you don’t need oily conditioners (coconut oil is wonderful here). I hear you recoiling in horror at the thought of brushing your teeth with soap, well bear with me, I have found a special tooth soap.

Tooth Soap

Tooth Soap uses the same oils that I use in my own recipe, and comes in an economical jar, which conserves the essential oils used for flavouring. The first time that you use it will be strange, but when you get used to it, it will conserve your precious teeth, and you won’t be accumulating any toxins.

Make It Yourself

I wouldn’t recommend anything that I didn’t use myself and know to be effective, and the only cheaper way to obtain tooth soap is to make it yourself. If you find that you can get used to brushing your teeth with soap, ask me how to make your own.