This is my latest realization of what is best for my gums and teeth.
I don't use fluoride toothpaste, it makes me feel tired and cold. In the Relative Dentine Abrasivity (RDA) index regular toothpastes have on average a score of 125 because of silica (quartz) content. Calculus is made of calcium phosphate so I don't use enamel repair toothpastes either because it feels like they contribute to the tartar.
What I use is a mix of water-sodium bicarbonate at a ratio of 98% water and 2% sodium bicarbonate.
A) I swish my mouth before (acidic) meal and after meal. It acts as a powerful buffer which stops almost all acid attacks. I don't swallow because it can have a counter effect on stomach acid. This leads to enamel having a chance to remineralize itself. It also slows down calculus formation because the bad bacteria uses acidic environment to produce the polysaccharide plaque. Sodium bicarbonate also disrupts and files the plaque and food rests slides off the teeth more easily because of less sticky plaque. Starch or debris on the teeth dissolves by itself quicker. When my mouth feels acidic by itself it may be a sign that plaque is forming and it is helpful to rinse with the mix to neutralize the acidity and help remineralization.
Bad bacteria grows more in acidic environment, Streptococcus mutans grows most effectively and makes plaque at a pH of around 4.5 to 5.0, so swish with the mix to raise the pH when mouth feels acidic.
B) I dip my toothbrush in this mix, not in pure powder because it is abrasive (2.5 Mohs scale, RDA 7. https://capitolpremi...e-toothpastes/)
C) I bring with me a small travel bottle with the mix for rinsing.
The efficacy of sodium bicarbonate is mentioned in several research papers.
This paper shows that sodium bicarbonate containing toothpaste was 67% better than regular toothpastes for reducing gingivitis and plaque. https://www.haleonhe...Claim_Study.pdf
This paper confirms the efficacy, "Putt et al.6 showed that dentifrices containing 20–65% NaHCO3 exerted a superior and significant cleaning effect following a single, timed brushing compared with both sodium fluoride/silica-based and triclosan/copolymer-based dentifrices." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC5986814/
"Antibacterial activity of baking soda", https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/12017929/
Baking soda disrupts biofilms etc. https://www.todaysrd...oda-toothpaste/
I also used my beard trimmer on my manual toothbrush as a lawn mower to make the surface like a rugged mat, now it is more effective at cleaning my teeth. Think default slippery nylon pipe vs rugged rope, the latter catches more effectively onto dirt.
My mouth and teeth feel very clean and my gums are much healthier now. I think this is the golden solution to teeth and gum problems. I will update if it doesn't work in the long run.
Edited by freddie, 12 November 2024 - 11:47 PM.
