Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Why You Should Brush with Sea Salt and Baking Soda

Whether you’re looking for some bi-weekly TLC to add to your dental discipline or you are justcued in to the health hazards of commercial toothpastes, brushing your pearly whites with some baking soda and/or sea salt is a natural and safe way to ensure strong gums and teeth, protect against bad breath and break down plaque buildup. Either used alone or together, baking soda(sodium bicarbonate) and sea salt are inexpensive, time-tested treatments for tooth care.

Facts About Sea Salt

Magnesium, calcium, silicon, sodium, nickel,phosphorus, iron—just a few of many trace minerals and elements found in sea salt. These nutrients protect against tarter and bad breath, strengthen the gums, and may even whiten your teeth with over time usage. High in iodine, sea salt has antibacterial properties and helps neutralize acids in the mouth. Salt causes you to salivate, so your saliva creates an antibacterial barrier that protects your enamel.

You can choose between dipping a wet toothbrush into a half teaspoon of sea salt and brushing your teeth as you would daily or rinsing with a saltwater solution. Mix four ounces of warm water with a half teaspoon of sea salt. Wait for the salt to dissolve, and then slosh the solution around in your mouth for 30 seconds. Be sure not to swallow and tospit it when you are done! A saltwater rinse helps reduce the  inflamed and swollen gums, and rinses away bacteria in the mouth.

Facts About Baking Soda

A product that has been praised as the natural way to whiter teeth for a long time. It’s gritty enough to clean your teeth of tarter and plaque without the abrasive properties that wear away your tooth enamel.
Sodium bicarbonate is highly alkaline, it is one of the acids that counteracts in the mouth (acids cause tooth decay), combats bad breath and kills bacteria and germs.

Mix water with baking soda into a paste-like consistency and clean your teeth. Or combine saltand baking soda to make your own homemade toothpaste. If you arenot comfortable throwing your traditional toothpaste away, brush with baking soda and sea salt once or twice a week as a supplemental dental care.

Are there any side effects that we should be worried about? According to Dr. Paul H. Keyes D.D.S., clinical investigator at the National Institute of Dental Research, NO!, “Over the years while I was lecturing, I asked thousands of hygienists and dentists to raise their hands if they had ever seen destructive periodontal disease in person[s] who had regularly brushed their teeth with baking soda and/or sea salt. I have never seen anyone raise a hand!And although I have not seen many such cases, the periodontal health in these patients has always been excellent”, said Keyes.