One of the most pleasant surprises since adopting a Paleo diet has been the “all clear” at the dentist every 6 months. That may not sound like a big deal to some of you but this girl had cavities every. single. time! I attribute that to years of a low fat vegetarian diets. For healthy teeth, we need nutrient dense foods such grass fed meat, especially liver!, bone broth, pastured egg yolks, and healthy fats. Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist in the thirties, studied traditional cultures and wrote extensively in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration about the detrimental effects on health of foods such as refined flour, sugar and vegetable oils.
Its not uncommon for people who adopt a Paleo, Primal or Weston A Price type diet to reverse cavities. Bet you haven’t heard a PSA on TV with that info, have you!? Instead what we do get is one commercial after another of why this homemade toothpaste is better than that, or why we need this mouthwash in addition to brushing.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you to stop brushing your teeth! Although I will confess that it no longer freaks me out when the kids conk out for the evening having not brushed since all they had for dinner was grass-fed meat and a bunch of veg slathered in coconut oil or pastured bacon fat. (Their dental health is amazing!)
Back to the common store bought toothpaste available (yes, even at the pricey health food store)…. Here’s the thing, if you wouldn’t eat it, or worse, if it says on the package to call poison control if swallowed, you probably shouldn’t be brushing your teeth with it, right?
Ingredients for this easy homemade toothpaste:
- 3 Tbsp of coconut oil (where to buy coconut oil)
- 3 Tbsp of baking soda (where to buy baking soda)
- 8-15drops of essential oil (optional, I love peppermint) (where to buy essential oil)
Directions for making your own toothpaste:
Mix the coconut oil, baking soda, and peppermint oil. Once it is well mixed put into a small glass jar with a lid. We like to use a baby food jar. In order to mix in the winter (under 76 degrees) you may have to warm up the coconut oil on the stove over low heat to bring it to a liquid state. In warm weather the oil and baking soda may separate, so mixing before using might be necessary. You can make a separate one for each family member to avoid sharing germs or simply use a small spoon to apply some “paste” to your brush.
If you think we’ve gone cray crazy and just want to know where you can buy some decent toothpaste that won’t be poisonous, this is an alternative I have tried and liked: An essential oil blend by OraWellness that leaves your mouth clean and minty fresh. Another crazy suggestion, which I often do when I don’t get around to making the above is use a small amount of castile soap. Yes, its a bit soapy but it gets the job done and its great for sensitive teeth. That’s one of the 18 uses they advertise.
For more amazing ideas for tooth care I highly recommend Liz Wolfe’s Skintervention Guide. Click here to learn more.
While we are on the topic of homemade toiletries, check out my recipe for homemade deodorant for sensitive skin.
Looking for more recipes to ditch the chemicals in your beauty products? Check out Mommypotamus’s book with over 50 DIY beauty recipes. You can find it here.
Don’t Have Time to Make Your Own Toothpaste?
I hear you! It’s great to have a store-brand option for when you don’t have time to DIY. Just be careful when choosing “natural” toothpaste brands because many of them actually have toxic ingredients.
I recently learned about a brand of toothpaste called Avistar from a friend. The thing that sets Avistar apart from other natural toothpaste brands is that it is made from high quality ingredients with a smooth feel. Baking soda in Avistar natural toothpaste also helps whiten and remove stains from coffee, tea, and wine.
You can buy Avistar toothpaste HERE.
What is your favorite way to get your teeth clean? Have you seen an improvement in your dental health after adopting a paleo diet?
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As I understand, peppermint has germ-killing properties. Are they also in the essential ol, too?
Last time I went to the dentist, I told him that I was thinking about switching from a brand toothpaste to one that had more natural ingredients. He said that doing that would okay to do, but cautioned me by saying that I should just make sure that I am brushing consistently if I do that. I really do like this very simple, three-ingredients recipe. However, using coconut oil, baking soda, and essential oils sounds like it might have a different texture than regular toothpaste. How can I best modify this recipe so that it can have, a, better taste and, b, a normal texture?
GOOD RECIPE 🙂
I have a quick question about using the homemade toothpaste. Do you have to spit the liquid into the garbage can just as you would with oil pulling? I have been oil pulling and once I’m done I spit the liquid into the garbage can rather than the sink because once the coconut oil solidifies can ruin the pipes.
Hi Jennifer,
It’s quite a bit less quantity than you would use for oil pulling so you don’t *have* to spit in the trash can but if it makes you feel more at ease or if your pipes tend to clog easily, go ahead and use the trash can to be safe. Hope that helps!
Sylvie
I just heard about making coconut oil toothpaste. I made some with these exact ingredients and mine is super salty. Is this supposed to happen? And any suggestions how to cut the saltiness? I just used a regular coconut oil that is not raw or refined so I’m wondering if that would make a difference.
Hi Teresa. I don’t think the coconut oil swap would make a difference in the saltiness. You could cut back on the baking soda or you might want to check out this other toothpaste recipe you might like:
https://hollywoodhomestead.com/remineralizing-toothpaste-recipe/
If you’re new to homemade toothpaste and are used to the super sweat commercial brands it might just take some getting used to…
Hope that helps!
I use half baking soda and half diatomaceous earth (DE) and found that it enormously cut the “saltiness”. I use a tablespoon or two of olive oil and it keeps the coconut oil from getting as solidified. Now with the DE, my teeth actually feel like they do after my 6 month cleaning and polishing. I no longer have them “professionally” polished, just a thorough cleaning and I’m out of there.
Thanks for sharing, Deb! Sounds great!
What a simple and healthy toothpaste recipe! I haven’t consistently used my kitchen cupboard ingredients for toothpaste, but I use them for practically everything else I put on my body. I have been using a tooth powder by EO, and I have really been wanting to try making my own. Thank you for sharing, I am definitely going to try this!
You’re welcome Raine 🙂
How long will the toothpaste last, shelf life?
essentially forever! but if the temperature in your bathroom gets too warm you’ll notice the coconut oil melt a bit which will redistribute things a bit (requiring a bit of mixing). 🙂
Hi, I’ve been a vegetarian for years and have never had any cavities. Always had excellent oral health even til this day. Keep in mind one can be an unhealthy vegetarian or non-vegetarian depending on the foods they choose to consume. I don’t do processed foods or refined sugar (or any type of meat) and my health is superior. Vegetarian diets are great and healthy as long as the food selections are carefully selected and nutritionally balanced. 🙂
I definitely agree that not all vegetarian diets are created equally and some vegetarians that consume large quantities of raw milk, butter, ghee and tons of eggs seem to ok. Vegan diets on the other hand… https://hollywoodhomestead.com/vegan-diet-detrimental-health/
I’m still at the stage of using toothpaste (herbal) but I dip it in baking soda (or we call it bicarbonate soda in Australia) and my teeth feel clean all day long. I did use melted coconut oil on its own too and my teeth were great with it, so the next step is to combine the two. I found I didn’t need the peppermint oil as the baking soda has a nice clean taste to it, but I will use peppermint or spearmint oil at some stage and see if I like it better.