Homemade Toothpaste

I have a molar in the back of my mouth that looked (and felt) like it needed a crown or root canal. My dentist tried to save it by filling it instead. He stated that he didn't know how long it would last, could be one month, one year, ten years, he didn't know. At the time he was filling it, I had thought he was doing a root canal and not just filling it. Seemed for the amount of time I sat there to endure the misery, I would have preferred getting it over with instead of wondering how long it would be before having it worked on again.

I always brush my teeth twice a day along with flossing. On the recommendation from my dentist, I purchased the electric toothbrush and the waterpik and use them faithfully. My teeth are sensitive to cold and sweets; therefore, I used to use a sensitive toothpaste for months until it no longer seemed to work. Then I switched to a non-sensitive toothpaste for a couple months and then back to the sensitive paste again, repeating this throughout the year.

As time went on, it seemed like I read a lot of negative comments on fluoride and how it does not protect your teeth from cavities nor is it good for your health. Then I came across an article that claimed you could rebuild your teeth naturally. There's even a book called, "Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition" by Ramiel Nagel which I would love to get my hands on and read.

There are different recipes for homemade toothpaste over the internet which use ingredients that I don't have on hand. A few of them I wouldn't even know where to find. The two ingredients I did have on hand were baking soda and coconut oil. I started tossing the idea around of making my own toothpaste. What did I have to lose (besides my tooth)?

First I pulled out the Arm & Hammer baking soda and my favorite brand of coconut oil, Tropical Traditions.

I put a couple of spoonfuls of the coconut oil in a cup and poured some baking soda over the top. I then mixed it thoroughly until the baking soda was saturated with the coconut oil. I mixed and added more until it became the consistency of a paste. Note: The ratio really depends on how soft the coconut oil is whether you will need more of the coconut oil or more of the baking soda.

Once it is thoroughly mixed, place it in a jar. I transferred the mixture into this one that I found at Wal-mart and placed it in my bathroom. Now whenever I need to brush my teeth I just wet my toothbrush and dip it into the jar.

I have been using this mixture for a few months now and what I have noticed is that my tooth was not as sore as when I was using the regular toothpaste. When I went on my North Carolina trip I took a small tube of toothpaste thinking they might not allow this mixture on my flight. I was in North Carolina for a little over a week and found that my teeth started to feel sensitive again. So I was thankful to get back to using the coconut oil and baking soda mixture again. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I think my teeth look whiter using this concoction, too. Now that's a reason to smile!

Update:  So I shared this recipe with my older brother, Alan. He also shared with me. He asked if I gargled with Listerine? Yes, my dentist recommended that I gargle specifically with Listerine. Alan said if you want to improve your gums (I do!), then quit. He stated that he quit because gargling with Listerine kills not only the bad bacteria in your mouth, but it also kills the good bacteria in your mouth. His gums improved. And! And, he said as an extra bonus, his acid reflux disappeared! Really? Hmmm. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?


Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Makeshift Hot Iron

A week ago I was down visiting my son, Jesse, and his family in North Carolina. Jesse is training for the Special Forces. While there, he was gathering items from a required list of things he needed. One of the items on the list was his uniform tie. When he looked, there were wrinkles in the linen material. His wife, Melissa, came to me asking if I knew how to remove the wrinkles. They didn't own an iron and it was important that it be looking like new. Here is the tie showing the wrinkles.

As I thought about it, I wondered if you couldn't flatten it with a heavy book or weight, but he didn't have the time. He needed it taken care of soon. The more I thought, I wondered if you couldn't heat a clean pan on the stove and run that over the material. So I placed a linen towel on top of a cutting board and laid the tie down as flat as possible on the edge of the linen dish towel.

I folded the other side of the towel over the tie. Next, I ran the pan over the tie hoping for the best.

That spot on the towel was from the bottom of the pan. I'm thankful I folded the towel over the top of the tie before using the pan as the makeshift iron.

The tie came out pretty flat. Nice save.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!