5 Natural Alternatives to Your Regular Toothpaste | Yogic Blogging

Are you using the right toothpaste? Is it safe? 

In this fast-paced world, no one has time to concentrate on their oral health which leads to many health issues. Oral health plays a crucial role in maintaining our overall health.

Our oral health is mostly determined by the toothpaste that we are using. These days the markets are filled with toxic toothpaste, they may give you a refreshing minty taste & an instant shine but do you know that they might be damaging your teeth from inside.

Most of toothpaste contain harmful chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) the same chemical which is added in detergents & shampoos. Daily use of toothpaste containing sodium lauryl sulphate may cause skin irritation & mouth ulcers. If you use an SLS based toothpaste daily it may lead to its deposition in different internal organs of the body such as lungs, liver, heart & brain.

Another harmful chemical added in the toothpaste is fluoride. Many experts claim this chemical to be safe, however there are certain studies which claim fluoride to be unsafe. It is so much poisonous that Ingesting just 2.5 grams of fluoride can kill a 50 kg adult.

You may have noticed a warning label in toothpaste which says ‘Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. In case of accidental ingestion seek professional help immediately’. We must keep in mind that our mouth is highly absorbent so the chemicals present in the toothpaste gets released into the blood stream immediately. Especially for children who swallow a decent amount of toothpaste because of its sweet flavor & taste.

It is recommended that you stay away from these extremely harmful & toxic toothpastes as much as possible and start replacing your conventional toothpaste with a healthy alternative.       

So, is there any alternative solution to your regular toothpaste? Thankfully there are many natural healthy alternatives such as twigs, herbal tooth powders, oil pulling and much more. Read more to know

                                                                

1  1. Tooth powder

There are multiple benefits of using a tooth powder. Tooth powder is a traditional ayurvedic recipe made with a blend of natural spices & herbs like black pepper, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, rock salt & much more. There are a variety of tooth powders made using different recipes.

Tooth powders are alkaline in nature thereby it helps to maintain the pH levels and prevent bacterial growth inside the mouth. Regular use of tooth powder prevents bad breath, whitens the teeth, makes gums strong, promotes circulation making the teeth strong & healthy. Daily use of tooth powders also reduces dental problems such as gingivitis, cavities, plaque & swollen gums.

How to use tooth powders?  

Take sufficient quantity about (5 -10 grams) of tooth powder in your hands. Mix it with mustard oil & make it into a paste or simply massage it with your index finger all over the gums & teeth for 10 minutes. Rinse it out with warm water or normal tap water. You can alternatively use a toothbrush & repeat the same process.

                                   

2  2. Twigs

From increasing the flow of saliva to improving the digestion, chewing twigs has numerous benefits. Before the toothbrushes & toothpaste came into market people used to chew twigs to clean their teeth.

Twigs were commonly used by the ancient Indians, even now it is used by the people of rural India. This age-old ancient formula is unbeatable. Chewing twigs increases the blood flow & makes the teeth strong.

There are a variety of twigs available such as neem, babool, mango, arjun, bael, peepal, pomegranate & guava. All these twigs have absolutely no side effects and can-do wonders if you chew them regularly. Chewing twigs whitens the teeth, strengthens the gums, eliminates bad odor, keeps bacteria at bay, prevents mouth ulcers and improves taste.

How to use twigs?

Take about 1 inch of a twig, keep chewing on one end of the twig until it becomes like brush. Keep brushing it all over the teeth until its essence gets released. Rinse out with tap water. For effective results brush it for a minimum of 10 minutes.   

                           

3  3. Coconut oil

Nowadays, many people are replacing coconut oil with their traditional toothpaste due to its antifungal & antibacterial properties. Brushing with coconut oil has a lot of benefits. Coconut oil being rich in lauric acid reduces the bacteria which causes bad breath & tooth decay. Compared to harmful chemicals added in toothpaste such as sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), triclosan & fluoride makes coconut oil a much better option. It is recommended to buy the cold pressed version of coconut oil. Cold pressing is a technique in which the oil is directly extracted from the raw coconut without involving heating process, so it retains the maximum nutritional properties of the oil.                        

 

4  4.  Oil pulling

Oil pulling is a very basic and simple process of removing harmful toxins from your body. Oil pulling can be done by anyone, it does not have any age limit. It is basically swishing a small quantity of oil in your mouth between 10 -15 minutes. This makes it a great alternative to your regular toothpaste.

Adopting oil pulling into your regular routine offers tremendous benefits from reducing bad breath to treating diseases like migraine, PCOD, asthma, constipation and arthritis. Oil pulling has a solution for all your problems. You can use any organic cold pressed oil- be it mustard oil, sesame oil or coconut oil to practice oil pulling. Use of oils like refined oil or palm oil or any other vegetable oil is not recommended to do oil pulling. 

Take one teaspoon about (10 -20) ml of sesame, coconut or mustard oil put it into your mouth and start swishing. Keep it swishing all around your mouth for about 10-15 min or until the oil turns slightly milky white and then spit it out. After doing the process it is advised to thoroughly swish your mouth with normal tap water or lukewarm water so that the vicious oil gets washed out of your mouth completely.

I have written a detailed article on oil pulling if you want to read more about this process you can check that also.  

 

5  5. Natural toothpaste

If you can’t get twigs, tooth powders or coconut oil due to certain reasons. Consider using a natural toothpaste, though not the best option but still it is better to switch to a natural toxin free toothpaste rather than using the regular toothpaste.

There are many good brands which manufacture good quality organic vegan toothpaste that does not contain any harmful chemicals. They are mostly made from coconut oil, extracts of spices such us cinnamon, essential oils like peppermint, spearmint & clove though a little expensive but considering the ingredients it is worth the price.  

 

Conclusion

Don’t use toothpaste that contain harmful chemicals such as SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate), fluoride or triclosan. Always look at the ingredient label of the toothpaste that you are buying & ensure that they are free from these chemicals.

If you can get twigs, tooth powder & coconut oil for brushing then it is the best. If you don’t have enough time or can’t get these products prefer using an organic toothpaste that doesn’t have any toxic chemicals.