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Baking soda is one of those household items that can be used for just about any task. It has the power to ease the distress of indigestion, it can get stains out of your clothes, and it can even tenderize beef. Baking soda has been praised on it’s ability to clean and whiten teeth. Many toothpastes on the market include baking soda in their ingredients. But is it safe to brush your teeth with baking soda?

Baking soda has been used as a tooth cleaning agent since the turn of the 18th century. People would combine hydrogen peroxide with baking soda to turn it into a “paste”, which was very effective as a tooth cleaner. Baking soda has abrasive properties which can scrub stains from the tooth enamel. Tobacco, tea, and coffee products can all leave to dark stains on teeth. When baking soda is used, these stains are scraped away by the abrasiveness of the baking soda.

One way to use baking soda to brush your teeth is to use it all by itself. Put about one fourth of a teaspoon of baking soda into a bowl. That amount is plenty, you can even use less if you want. Run your tooth brush under the water to get the bristles wet. Dampening the bristles will make it easier for the baking soda to stick to your tooth brush. Once the bristles are wet, put the tooth brush into the bowl of baking soda. Get as much of it onto the brush as you can. Brush your teeth the way you normally do. It will feel a little gritty, and may taste bad, but it will leave your teeth feeling fresh and clean afterward. Be sure to rinse your mouth out thoroughly with water.

Another way to use baking soda as a toothpaste, is to sprinkle a tiny amount of it onto your normal toothpaste. By itself, baking soda has an undesirable taste. By adding it to regular toothpaste, you can get the abrasive action of the baking soda, and still get the minty flavor of regular toothpaste. Since baking soda is an abrasive, it’s best to brush very lightly on your teeth, especially around the gum line.

There are conflicting answers to the question “Is it safe to brush your teeth with baking soda?”. Everyone’s teeth are different. Some teeth have weak enamel, and others have very strong enamel. There was one instance where an older couple used baking soda as a toothpaste every day and had no problems. When they passed away, well into their 90’s, they both still had all of their teeth, and their tooth enamel was strong and intact. On the other hand, there have been instances of people having very sensitive reactions to the baking soda. Even when the baking soda is mixed in with regular toothpaste, their teeth were still sensitive.

In the end, it’s up to the individual person to determine the answer to the “Is it safe to brush your teeth with baking soda?” question. The best way to determine whether it’s right or not for you, is to give it a try. If you feel any pain or discomfort using baking soda as a toothpaste, then stop immediately, and switch back to your normal toothpaste. If you feel no pain, then use it as often as you’d like. Because baking soda is an abrasive, you might not want to use it every day. However, if you want to get tough tea or coffee stains off of your teeth, then baking soda is a good option. Just remember to brush gently, especially along the gum line.

Photo by eli santana

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