Brushing Up On Oral Health

Fourteen years ago I wrote a book about teeth, oral health care and how to help parents better address the everyday symptoms of their teething infants and children with natural medicine. While the natural remedies for teething related symptoms haven’t changed much, there certainly are many new oral health care products on your store shelves today. The question is, which ones are truly natural, toxic free and effective?

I personally have been using natural products for about 30 years now. Funny thing is ... I often forget that a larger percentage of people in the world are still using more traditional toothpaste and mouthwash that contain toxic ingredients such as fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), triclosan, foaming-agents, food coloring dyes known to cause cancer, etc. So I’m really happy to be able to share my relatively new finds that I currently use in my own daily routine!

Mouth Watchers Antimicrobial Toothbrush – I received this incredible toothbrush a year ago (Expo West), but only recently started using it. What was I thinking? It is amazing!

This unique toothbrush has something called antimicrobial Nano silver technology with layered (one-micrometer) extended tips that have Dual Action Flossing Bristles™. The brush is said to eliminate 99.9% of the bacteria that builds up on the bristles. The thought of bacteria living in my toothbrush makes me cringe, so that definitely sounds like a good thing to me. The design also sports harder inner bristles that ensure an even deeper cleaning and gum massage, supporting optimum maintenance for those difficult areas such as grooves and periodontal pockets found along the gum and tooth line. And just a little side note, the silver technology doesn’t eliminate bacteria in the mouth, or protect the user against germs that cause disease. The only answer for that is diligent maintenance and proper oral care.

 In 2012, Mouth Watchers antimicrobial toothbrush was included in the Best Products Evaluated by Clinicians Report, the Consumer Reports for dentists. I started using this brush shortly after my last quarterly teeth cleaning and will let you know what my hygienist has to say about the state of my gums and teeth after my next appointment in mid-April. This manual toothbrush comes in a folding travel size, youth and adult regular size, as well as a battery operated Power Brush. Happy brushing. https://www.mouthwatchers.com/

Unique Toothpaste and Tooth Powder

My Magic Mud® is a raw whitening and detoxifying tooth powder. The first time I used this bizarre tooth powder I had no idea what to expect? I met Justin Arman two years ago at Expo West when he gave me a little sample of his wife’s (then) new product, My Magic Mud®. To my surprise, my teeth felt extra clean after using it. I have enjoyed the benefits of its great cleaning/whiting abilities ever since.

Something I think is important to note here is that the tooth powder is actually black, yes, that’s right – BLACK! You look like someone out of a Halloween movie when you brush. In the beginning it can be a bit messy, yet always fun and entertaining to use … certainly not your normal tooth brushing experience by any means. 

Jessica Arman developed this unique tooth powder for her daughter Allie, whose susceptibility to cavities and tooth sensitivity required special attention. Something Arman was unable to find in her mainstream toothpaste.

After creating the formula, Jessica began documenting the results through her personal Facebook page by posting pictures of Allie’s teeth before, and then after using My Magic Mud® for a few weeks. The post went semi-viral within her network, and soon she was giving the powder away to friends. Interestingly, when her friends ran out of their samples, they began asking for refills … that’s when Jessica knew she might have a winning formula.

This activated charcoal tooth powder has a deep cleansing action that naturally whitens teeth, while detoxifying the gums. The ingredients include activated coconut shell charcoal, bentonite clay (used to detoxify the body and re-mineralize enamel), essential oils and extracts. Believe it or not, this powerful cleanser’s ultra fine food grade (clay) granular powder, is even gentle on enamel.

In the past year the company has also come out with a toothpaste as well in three flavors, which makes brushing much easier for the little ones. It’s still a lot of fun for the kids because the paste is also black, which again is a unique experience and a total blast. For more information visit https://www.mymagicmud.com/

Earthpaste®  - This earthly toothpaste was created by the Redmond Trading Company. You might know the company from their Real Salt® (sea salt) product that comes from their underground salt deposit in Central Utah. This beautiful sea salt is chalked full of beneficial natural minerals. One of their other well known products is their Redmond bentonite clay, which has many uses - from soothing facial masks to helping to remove toxins and relieve pain from bee stings.

Earthpaste® only has five ingredients – Redmond bentonite clay, water, Real Salt®, essential oils and xylitol. And if any for any reason the ingredient xylitol isn’t your thing, the company also offers a Spearmint flavor that is unsweetened. Earthpaste® comes in five delicious flavors – cinnamon, lemon twist, peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen.

The company also just launched their new Earthpowder® tooth powder in the past few weeks, which is currently available exclusively through their website for now. There are five flavors – Black Licorice, or peppermint with activated charcoal (for extra whiting power), splashin’ citrus, and an unsweetened spearmint flavor (which I actually really like, but others might prefer the sweetened choices … lol). The two flavors with activated charcoal give the Earthpowder® a black color (similar to the My Magic Mud® identified above).

For detailed info about Earthpaste® and to see their very cute video visit http://www.earthpaste.com/

For more information about Redmond’s other products please visit http://redmond.life

David’s Toothpaste – Nature + America + You

I met Eric ‘David’ Buss a few years ago at the Green Festival and decided to give David’s toothpaste a try. How could I go wrong with an all-natural, made in America toothpaste that contains nothing but simple clean ingredients (all ingredients are sourced in America)? So I took it for a test brush … and it passed with flying colors. It has just the right amount of beautifully crafted essential oils (a hint of mint) and sweetness with a smooth consistency that got the job done in a flash … well two minutes to be exact.

This toothpaste has the same type of consistency and texture as traditional toothpaste, but without all the harsh chemicals. So if the different textures and colors of the first two toothpaste/powders mentioned above are too weird for your family, this is probably a good choice.

David’s has also earned a #1 rating on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website for consumer safety, which is a coveted rating. The tube also comes with an old fashioned metal turnkey that goes on the bottom of the tube to help you get every last drop of the paste out of the tube ... hence no waste. The outer package is made from forests managed and protected by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) packaging in a 100% wind powered facility. That’s pretty cool stuff, right … why would anyone choose to use toxic mainstream products when there are products like all of these that are safe and effective? Good question … for more info visit https://davids-usa.com/

Mouthwash/rinse

With regard to Mouthwash products unfortunately there are only two products I’ve found that don’t contain polysorbate-20 or 80 – Nature’s Answer PerioBrite® (my personal favorite http://naturesanswer.com/) and Essential Oxygen™ Brushing Rinse (this one doesn’t have glycerin either – https://essentialoxygen.com/), which makes these two products definitely the cleanest products on our radar. However, I would also like to also include Desert Essence® Ultra Care mouthwash and Estrella’s HerbalBrite™ because I have found them to be next in the line of natural products and wanted to offer our readers a little more variety to choose from.

And be sure to remember the Neem Dental Floss …

TheraNeem® Naturals by Organix™ (http://organixsouth.com) or Desert Essence Neem dental floss – both have been coated in extracts of Neem Leaf and Bark. Neem trees are native to India and have been used for thousands of years for their medicinal properties including supporting healthy teeth and gums. The different parts of the tree are used for a wide variety of things medicinally, as well as the tree itself having a great impact on our environment. It doesn’t need a lot of water; it improves soil quality and its roots go deep into the earth to help prevent erosion. Some of its nicknames include “tree of life”, “village pharmacy”, “miracle tree” – I want one of these trees!

Special Editor Book Offer:

In celebration of 25 years in publishing, The Complete Teething Guide - From Birth to Adolescence  is currently being offered to readers on a 'Pay What You Want' option. That's right you decide how much you want to pay for the book. Happy reading. 

To check out the offer please visit http://wholeplanetproductions.com/teething-guide.html