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The All Natural Way to Healthier Teeth

Of the many ways we can take care of ourselves, paying
attention to our teeth is a major hygienic priority. From
the moment we begin teething as babies, parents, teachers
and dentists drill the idea of proper dental care into our
heads. In general, the key steps to achieving and maintaining
an award-winning smile is to brush and floss daily. Throw in
mouthwash and you?re good to go. Today there are a ton of
products on store shelves to help us improve the health of
our teeth but there are also homemade recipes you can turn
to.

Each year it seems there is a new and improved type of
toothpaste, floss or mouthwash that promises to remove food,
plaque, bad breath and a score of other factors that can
damage our teeth and gums. While many of them are effective
and do the job, the price tags on such items can be pretty
high. If you?re the do-it-yourself type, you?re probably not
too keen on spending so much money on these kinds of products.
Luckily, there are some great DIY recipes that will allow you
to keep your entire family smiling from ear to ear.

The process of making your own homemade toothpaste may seem
complicated in theory but in reality, it?s not that difficult.
DIY types will definitely welcome the challenge and even first
time DIY folks won?t have a hard time putting together the
following recipe for toothpaste. Gather together 5 teaspoons
of vegetable glycerin, 5 teaspoons of baking soda, ¼ teaspoon
of salt and spearmint or peppermint oil. In a medium bowl,
combine all of the ingredients together. You will only need
about 10 drops of the spearmint or peppermint oil. In order
to control the consistency of the homemade toothpaste you can
either add more of or less of the vegetable glycerin. Once
you get the consistency you want, store your homemade
toothpaste in a bottle with a wide mouth. The baking soda
acts as the whitening agent, while the vegetable glycerin
serves as the base and the salt takes care of the antiseptic
and abrasive properties. You can find a score of homemade
toothpaste recipes on the Internet in different flavors if
you don?t care for the spearmint or peppermint flavor.

In addition to making your own toothpaste, you?ll want
mouthwash to go along with it. DIY types will find a ton of
great homemade recipes for mouthwash. The simplest homemade
recipe for mouthwash is to combine ¼ teaspoon of baking soda,
2 ounces of water, 1 drop of tea tree oil and 1 drop of
peppermint oil. After the ingredients have been mixed
together and stored in a plastic bottle, it is ready for use.
Need an even simpler homemade recipe? Fill a glass halfway
with warm water, add 1 teaspoon of regular salt and use it
to gargle with.

Do you have sensitive gums and bleed when you floss often?
One DIY solution is to use sesame oil and massage your gums.
The next day use neem powder to massage over your gums and
alternate this practice a few times a week. The sesame oil
and neem powder will work to nourish your gums and
strengthen them over time, which can make flossing less
uncomfortable.


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