Free2Feed aims to educate, teach, mentor, support and encourage women of all ages and in all stages. Our main focus is the Breastfeeding Mom. This week was a great example of how Moms sharpen other Moms in our group…..
A healthy, beautiful smile is important to everyone and as our babies start getting teeth, we start thinking about oral health and the products we use to keep our mouths healthy.
Our F2F Mom Member Karina as well as other F2F Mom Members shared products they use to keep their mouths and their children’s teeth clean and healthy. We also talked a little about the unnatural ingredients in many toothpastes and how we can replace that old tube of toothpaste with many more natural ingredients, we have options.
Aditi uses DoTerra’s OnGuard Toothpaste–costs around $8. This is made with OnGuard oil, and has a great cinnamon flavor and has several oils in it that are natural tooth whiteners. Some even report being able to fight off infections quicker, just from brushing with this tooth toothpaste.
Sarah shared that she likes to use Earth Paste. This costs around $8 and can be purchased at Harmons and Real Foods Market. It’s made from Redmond Clay and sea salt. It doesn’t contain any glycerin, so it doesn’t foam and may take some getting used to if you like a sudsy toothpaste. Glycerin can inhibit the body’s ability to remineralize teeth and that is why more people are choosing toothpaste without it.
Activated Charcoal–this can be purchased in capsules at most health food stores or in bulk online. Katrina recommends brushing once weekly with activated charcoal, as it cleans away toxins and believe it or not, is a natural tooth whitener! Try it!
Laura shared with us how charcoal can pull toxins out of the body and is very beneficial when a person gets food poisoning or other illnesses. Activated charcoal would be a great thing to have on hand for emergencies and also traveling.
Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Tooth and Gum Powder–this an herbal blend that you brush your teeth in place of regular toothpaste. Dip our wet toothbrush in the herbal powder and brush away. A jar runs around $10, but lasts a long time. You can divide the herbal toothpaste into separate smaller containers so that each family member has their own little jar. This can be purchased at Dixie Nutrition, Real Foods, Dr. Mom, or Vitacost.
Oil pulling–this is a great habit to get into on a daily basis. Simply take a spoonful of coconut oil (enough to fill your mouth with comfortably), olive oil can also be used, but coconut is preferred. Once it begins to melt, start swishing. Continue to swish with the oil for 20 min. (if done for less than 20 min. it’s okay, something is better than not at all). When you’re done just make sure you spit it out into the trash and not the sink. Teach your children how to oil pull too by making it a daily habit. Katrina has taught her 4 year old daughter how to oil pull! There are many benefits to oil pulling, not only for oral health, but overall health. Karina uses both the powder and oil pulling techniques, if you have any questions let her know, she is very knowledgable!
We also touched on fermented cod liver and butter oil. These healthy fats can help teeth and cavities to heal and many, especially those to follow a Traditional diet or Weston Price diet tout the benefits of these oils. Real Food Market sells them in a combination capsule for around $45–a pricey supplement, but much less than a bill from the dentist.
For those of you who are motivated, you can even make your own toothpaste and mouth rinse like Karen does. You may have to play around with the recipes, until you get the consistency that suits you best. http://wellnessmama.com/8780/squeezable-homemade-toothpaste/
Natural Mouth Wash:
2 cups water
1-2 tablespoons xylitol (sweetens and kills bacteria)
2 teaspoons sea salt
If desired add a few drops of essential oils (remember peppermint can decrease some moms milk production, so if you are sensitive to peppermint try cinnamon oil, lemon, orange)
