How To Best Take Care Of Teeth

I've always had pretty white teeth, but I'm a little paranoid they're not as blinding as they used to be. All I really do is brush and floss every day, but I'm wondering if I could do something more? I've heard of rinsing with bicarbonate of soda - does one just add a teaspoon to water and rinse?

I drink juice and coffee every day. Does coffee stain the teeth, and should I start drinking juice through a straw?

Thanks

I don't think juice would stain your teeth, but there's a chance you could get calcium deposits around your gums. That's what happened to me when I combined being too lazy to brush my teeth, and lots of orange juice. This was even with baking soda in the juice, maybe the CO2 is at fault. Now I'm not sure what to do, I have these hard white masses where the teeth touch the gums, and brushing doesn't get them off. My dentist just told me to brush, but they aren't fading, and my gums bleed too. He said I should "toughen" my gums, but they bleed every time.

Best way to whiten teeth is to use activated charcoal, it's even better than baking soda. Keep in mind to have a moist mouth when brushing with charcoal (or baking soda), as you don't want to the charcoal to be scraping your teeth which might wear out the enamel. It's also best to brush very gently to protect your enamel. I brush my teeth with charcoal in the shower, so I don't have to worry about charcoal getting everywhere. I have a friend who doesn't believe in brushing much, but when he takes activated charcoal right before bed a couple of times a week, instead of just swallowing, he first swishes it in his mouth with water for a couple of min. By morning all the charcoal has dissapeared, and he's left with pearly whites.

Keep in mind that things like coffee & especially orange juice are very hard on the teeth. A good practice to have is to swish either salt or baking soda in water after you've drank something acidic. This is both to remove possible coffee stains, but more importantly to keep teeth from de-mineralizing (from the acid), which is crucial for maintaining long term healthy teeth.

coffee does stain teeth, but for me tobacco & greens produced heavier stains. If you cannot get into the habit of rinsing your mouth after drinking an acidic beverage, than drinking through a straw will definitely help out your teeth.

What type of activated charcoal do you buy, the type for aquariums, or some other type?

Ben said:

What type of activated charcoal do you buy, the type for aquariums, or some other type?

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For a while I was buying activated charcoal caps (the company I used was nature's way). I would just dump the caps into a small container, then apply a small amount to the tip of a secondary tooth brush I have. Currently I'm using activated charcoal powder that a friend bought in bulk.

regarding your bleeding gums, you may want to look into using essential oil. A couple of years back my gums were bleeding whenever I would floss. I used cinnamon, mint & clove oil (possibly different essential oils) with a pointed gum brush to just massage into my gums. It worked like a charm. This may also help dissolve the buildup you are experiencing on your gum line.

mt_dreams said:

Ben said:

What type of activated charcoal do you buy, the type for aquariums, or some other type?

Click to expand...

For a while I was buying activated charcoal caps (the company I used was nature's way). I would just dump the caps into a small container, then apply a small amount to the tip of a secondary tooth brush I have. Currently I'm using activated charcoal powder that a friend bought in bulk.

regarding your bleeding gums, you may want to look into using essential oil. A couple of years back my gums were bleeding whenever I would floss. I used cinnamon, mint & clove oil (possibly different essential oils) with a pointed gum brush to just massage into my gums. It worked like a charm. This may also help dissolve the buildup you are experiencing on your gum line.

Click to expand...

Do you dilute the essential oils with anything or use undiluted?

Blossom said:

Do you dilute the essential oils with anything or use undiluted?

Click to expand...

I did not have a problem using the oil directly on the gums. If the oil is too strong, a drop of olive oil would probably make things easier. I used an empty essential oil bottle, and just put in the various essential oils like the ones I mentioned earlier as well as some tea tree, and put one drop on a pick bristle brush, and massaged into the gums.

The essential oil I had back then were considered edible essential oils. I doubt you would be ingesting any of the oil, but it's something to keep in mind.

Well this is a coincidence. I have just posted about dental plaque in the General Discussion forum (It seemed to be the appropriate forum). http://www.raypeatforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4502

I make sure to rinse my mouth with water after drinking juice or eating fruit. I had been using bicarbonate of soda but I am sure that it was making my mouth sore.

Try swishing coconut oil around in your mouth for 10-20 mins and then brushing your teeth.

After a week of this my teeth were much whiter.

Thoughts on this product for teeth whitening? Have used for a couple of days. Ingredients aren't bad except for Calcium Bentonite clay? Wonder if that and the organic peppermint are favorable.

Amazon.com: Black Pearl Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening - Organic & All Natural - Remineralizing Tooth Powder - Anti-Bacterial - Made In USA - 2 oz Glass Jar: Health & Personal Care