Note: I am not a healthcare professional and this should not be substituted for professional advice. I am simply sharing my experience as usual. Please consult a professional if you feel you need to before trying anything new.

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Oral health has a lot to do with your overall health. In fact, bad teeth and gums can lead to heart disease when the bacteria from gum inflammation, lead to gingivitis and, if left untreated, this Bacteria enters the bloodstream and travel to the heart’s arteries, causing them to harden. Plaque starts to grow on the arteries’ inner walls, which can restrict blood flow throughout the body.

I wish someone would have taught me this a long time ago because my teeth need lots of work. There is one thing I am proud of about them though. Despite everything that’s wrong with them, there’s a silver lining in that I am thirty years old and have never had a cavity.

I don’t like to use traditional toothpaste much. It’s too sweet and makes me feel like I am brushing my teeth with candy. It’s to the point now that I don’t even think it makes your breath smell good at least. So, sometimes I substitute with Coconut Oil Based Toothpaste I make myself with common items I can always find around the house.

Ingredients

• Coconut Oil
• Baking Soda
• Peroxide
• Mint or essential oil of choice
• Stevia Powder

How it Works:

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

2-3 Tablespoon Baking Soda

2 small packets Stevie powder

One capful peroxide (opt)

10-15 drops essential oil

Melt coconut oil (or slightly soften…I recommend slightly softening. Completely melted doesn’t work well for me).

Mix in the other ingredients per their measurements and stir well.

Let cool completely.

As the coconut oil hits your teeth and gums, microbes are picked up as if being drawn to a powerful magnet. The bacteria hiding under the crevices in the gums and pores within the teeth are sucked out and held firmly in the solution. Brushing with Baking Soda removes stains aroused by tea, coffee, sodas, and smoking. Mixing Baking Soda with water releases free radicals from the mixture. These free radicals break down stain molecules on the enamel that can be scraped off with a toothbrush.

“Hydrogen peroxide is used safely and effectively in dentistry today. While its most common application involves tooth whitening, significant health benefits are documented using hydrogen peroxide to treat gingivitis and periodontitis.” (Jeanne Bosecker, BSN, RDH) However, using peroxide is optional (Learn More Here). You can successfully mimic this mixture without it. If you choose to use peroxide (as I do, it mixes so well with the baking soda), be sure to get the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to be sure its safe for oral use.

The Stevia Powder and essential oils provide a fresh taste and good smell (though I tend to leave the Stevia Power out.) Baking Soda and Peroxide may be good cleaners but the combination doesn’t have a fresh minty smell. Baking Soda is also nasty so the oils help with that taste. I have also found it useful to use mouthwash afterward.

Storage

You can put it in any container in a cool dry place or even put it in a Ziploc bag. You can really get creative with the Ziploc by cutting it at the corner and taking an old toothpaste tube, cut the top part off and then insert and adjust the Ziploc bag.

While I do still use toothpaste because of the abrasiveness of the baking soda on the enamel, I like to use my coconut mixture more and have found it does a better job than traditional toothpaste. It’s not real sweet and makes my mouth feel fresh.

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Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including her soon-to-be released short inspirational guide “Keep Yourself Full.” Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com. Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is her latest novel and is available now on Amazon.com.