Many People Are Advocating It, But That Does Not Mean They Are Correct
I know that there are many people, even dental health professionals that extol the virtues of brushing with baking soda.
Now, if you are using a toothpaste that contains baking soda, that is different than what I am talking about here. That is a small amount of baking soda. I'm addressing those who actually dip a wet toothbrush in pure baking soda and proceed to brush their teeth with it!
There are also those who advocate mixing baking soda with hydrogen peroxide and brushing with that. I also believe that is problematic too. I would not personally do either.
Ask The Right Professional If You Cannot Accept What I Am Saying
I'm going to share the subjective and anecdotal evidence I have against the practice. And, I am going to ask you, if you still have any doubts, to ask a periodontist about brushing with baking soda. Specifically ask him if doing so can cause gum recession.
Baking soda is very abrasive and definitely has the ability to erode your gum line (gum recession) as does brushing too hard in general, even without baking soda.
I asked my own periodontist about this and he said he could definitely see how baking soda could cause gum erosion due to its abrasive property.
Subjective But Important Information I Have Collected
I have two stories to relate to you hear. You will make your own choices of course, I am only sharing the information I have heard from two separate sources.1. A Dentist - I know a prevention oriented dentist named Ellie Phillips. You may have heard of her. She sells the Zellies brand of xylitol mints and gums. Has developed the Clean, White Teeth protocol, and has written a book: Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye.
She has over 30 years of real clinical experience behind her. She told me that anytime she has seen a patient with rapid and unexplained (not due to gum disease or other disease) gum recession, they have always been using either hydrogen peroxide or baking soda in their mouths!
Anyone who has noticed this in their practice over a 30 year period, is worth paying attention to, in my opinion.
2. The Second piece of information on this came from one of my customers. I often have lengthy discussions with my customers. On this particular day, probably a couple of years ago, we talked about baking soda.
I explained what Dr. Phillips said in number 1 above. This customer told me that she had tried baking soda but didn't like the taste so she did not continue.
Then she had an epiphany. Her husband had been brushing with baking soda for years. And he DID have an unnatural amount of gum recession. She said compared to the rest of his family he had more recession than they did.
OK, those are my two pieces of information to share.
Again, you are going to make your own choices. I know that!.
But, I feel better knowing that I at least shared what appears to be the truth with you. I understand my evidence is subjective. But that is the best I have to go on.
One thing I often say is this, "It is better to error on the side of caution". This means, "It is better to be safe than sorry."
I hope this information proved to be useful to you.
Sincerely,
David Snape
ToothyGrinsStore.com
1-888-586-6849
PS: Here is one of the top dental tools that I think are worth having. It has helped a lot of people, including me, personally.
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I'm so disappointed, my grandmother always had used baking soda for brushing teeth and I did growing up there on occasion. It did whiten the teeth. Interesting about them being abrasive. What about tooth paste that adds baking soda in?
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people really use and believe in Baking Soda. That's why I kind of put in terms of here is the information I have...
ReplyDeleteBaking Soda in toothpaste is a small amount. I don't think there would be too many problems with that. However, brushing gently is always advisable no matter what toothpaste one uses.
I know a lot of people that still do brush their teeth with baking soda and some of them have gum problems.
ReplyDeletethat makes sense in light of the information above.
Deletehttp://www.levysmiles.com/docs/Abrasiveness_of_Common_Toothpase.pdf
ReplyDeleteBaking soda has an RDA of 7. Toothpaste ranges 35-200. You tell me which is more abrasive.
There is also anecdotal evidence of people who use baking soda and have amazing results over their lifetimes. How can that dentist (or any other) point to baking soda or peroxide as the problem without proper research to find causation, not simply that correlation?
Will, are you brushing with baking soda yourself, personally?
DeleteI don't and I won't - her non-scientific observations are good enough for me. There is something to be said for experience.
Research and data can be manipulated to say a lot of things. But, that doesn't mean it is always right. I'll take common sense whenever in doubt.
Was that an attempt at an ad hominem? I am on the fence about it and I've seen a lot of conflicting information about using baking soda on your teeth. Using baking soda would be much less expensive than toothpaste if the risks are a fiction. I very much want to find the truth in this confusing, frustrating controversy.
DeleteAlways trust in good scientific/empirical evidence. Studies absolutely can be botched and faked, but finding out who funded the study, how it was funded, and who stood to gain from the results can help steer you clear from the obviously wrong ones.
Something everyone must remember, and most people seem to forget, is that correlation does not mean causation! Experience is well and good, but in this situation, it will not tell you specifically what is causing harm. A proper (independent, objective, and unbiased) scientific study, either observational or experimental, on the efficacy of baking soda would be quite helpful here. The only one I have found was favorable of baking soda, but used only fifteen people! Fifteen is not a statistically significant number, and so that study is pretty much worthless.
That RDA index I linked is from ADA research. Being an organization with ties to the pharmaceutical industry, it is without a doubt corrupt and biased in some ways. But I do not understand how publishing information favoring baking soda, one that contradicts the abrasiveness assertion, would favor them or the companies of the toothpaste products they promote. If you were implying that this data was manipulated, I don't see how or where, or even why it would be.
There is misinformation and lies about the use of baking soda for oral hygiene spread throughout the internet. The proof of that is in the many different opinions you can find. Maybe one day we'll find out the truth.
Not at all, my comments are strictly about the subject of brushing with baking soda. As I said before, common sense is often the best path to take. And since the question exists, why not error on the side of caution?
Deletethe reason I asked the question was to see where you are truly at on the subject. Are you someone who has doubts before you try it or someone who has been doing it for a long time and feels the need to defend the practice. A peron's starting point is very important. My question is not an attack, just trying to see where the starting point of your perspective was. As I mentioned above, I believe that when someone with 30 years of clinical experience says that she has noticed something, I'm willing to pay attention. I also said it is better to 'error on the side of caution".
DeleteI am on the fence about switching to straight baking soda. I've been using baking soda with castile soap for about six months as something of a personal experiment to see if I could do without commercial toothpaste and have seen no harm come to my gums. I have noticed no change in my gum line myself, and I have seen an orthodontist for an unrelated issue and he had nothing to say on the matter.
DeleteI have, however, noticed staining on my teeth, which I cannot attribute to baking soda itself. I used straight castile soap the previous six months and my teeth got stained in a similar manner.
Now for some compelling anecdotal evidence from my own experience. Last night, while writing my earlier response, I treated these stains with three applications of baking soda paste and rinsing with a baking soda solution. While they are not completely gone, I have noticed significant improvement. I did not expect to see such a change with a simple home remedy.
If I continue to see results like this, I will only stop using baking soda if and when I experience pain or sensitivity. That's enough caution for me personally, because those are the first signs of gum or enamel damage.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us Will. Whatever happens, good or bad, I hope you will come back here and share what you have found with us. I think that would be beneficial to others who have the same question on this topic.
DeleteBrushing with a fluoride toothpaste is essential so you cannot substitute toothpaste for baking soda. I tried dipping my toothpaste on the brush in baking soda and loved the way it made my teeth feel really clean and they looked instantly whiter with none of the pain and inconvenience of whitening products. But now I am worried about damage. I wonder if it would be ok to brush with baking soda for say a two week period once or twice a year to whiten?
ReplyDeleteHi Laura, it would be difficult to say. I can tell you that my own periodontist told me that he can definitely see how the abrasive nature of baking soda could cause gum erosion. So, I think you need to be very careful about using it. Maybe you should talk it over with your dentist or hygienist. I guess I would say the safest thing to do is not use it at all.
Deleteyoyo wats up pple I just wanted to know is there anything else rather than baking soda you COULD use??
ReplyDeleteIt is bad to brush continually with it, but once every two weeks or three times a month isn't bad. Just be sure to use enamel strengthening products as a safety measure.
ReplyDelete