The best way to clean teeth is quite a bold statement, but that’s only in my opinion. The stuff that I am going to tell you about may work differently for you. First, a little bit of background.
I don’t remember the last time I used Crest, Colgate and the like, but basically I quit using any type of store-bought toothpastes a few year ago. The last toothpaste I tried was Earthpaste, very popular brand among health-conscious folks. It is indeed very natural. And doesn’t contain glycerin. However, I think the paste itself is too soft – there is no abrasive character to it of any kind. As a result it is not really good at getting rid of plaque buildup. The thing is, you can’t get away without something abrasive in your toothpaste – the plaque just won’t leave you alone.
Overall, during the last few years of being toothpaste-free I tried various stuff to brush the teeth with – baking soda, a couple different tooth powders, salt, tooth soap, coconut oil, clay… Some worked better than others but none surpass something that I have been using in the last couple months. The tooth powder… from plain chicken eggshells!
But wait, why would you want to avoid even natural toothpastes? They are natural after all! Blame silica and glycerin for that.
The two problems with natural toothpastes – silica and glycerin
I always liked Jason PowerSmile Whitening toothpaste because of one ingredient in it – silica. Silica, being an effective abrasive agent, creates grip, or more accurately, resistance when run against the surface of the teeth which for some reason makes brushing more enjoyable. But most importantly silica due to its abrasive nature is very effective at cleaning and whitening teeth. However, it has one big drawback which I will get to in a minute. Another problem with Jason Whitening toothpaste and majority of other natural toothpastes is it contains glycerin. If you are not yet aware of why you should avoid glycerin, scan through the book written by Dr. Gerard Judd. Basically, glycerin coats the surface of your teeth which prevents the natural process of remineralization. To get it off, you need to rinse your mouth 20-30 times! Did you know that every day your saliva works hard at trying to remineralize your teeth? It supplies calcium, phosphorous and other elements to repair any damage done on enamel, small and big. However, when glycerin reigns on your teeth, this maintenance is not possible.
Okay, so what is the problem with silica…? Silica is a natural compound and found in nature virtually on every step. It is the main constituent of ubiquitous quartz and sand. I am sure you stumbled across quartz many times; this lustrous, semi-transparent mineral is quite hard. And sand, well nearly any sand – pretty hard stuff as well. Silica is also the main ingredient in glass. Take a window glass, for example, it is relatively thin but still can withstand the impact of a flying soccer ball! Long story short: quartz, sand and glass are hard due to silica in them.
However, silica is also much harder than calcium phosphate, the main constituent of enamel of your teeth. When you brush with silica-containing toothpaste, the microscopic scratches are inevitably left on the surface of the teeth! Which, of course, if done regularly can weaken and cause a considerable damage to your enamel. In fact, that’s how the hardness of stuff, say rock samples, is determined – whatever gets scratched is softer than the stuff it is scratched with. So, if you think about it, you need something softer than your enamel, that is, softer than calcium phosphate. Eggshells! Eggshell is softer than your enamel as over 95% of it is composed of calcium carbonate which is softer than calcium phosphate.
You can make the powder out of eggshells and use it to brush teeth. And of course, using the powder, you will automatically avoid glycerin. This stuff is surprisingly good at removing the plaque – you are left with very clean and consequently white teeth. If you run a finger across teeth after brushing with powdered egghshells, you will hear a squeaking sound, that’s how clean they are! Plus, mixing the powder with tea tree oil culminates the whole teeth-brushing procedure in all aspects.
How to make the wondrous tooth powder
You need:
- Organic chicken eggshells
- Lemon essential oil or any citrus essential oil
- Tea tree oil
After pouring the contents of an egg out, rinse it well with hot water so that there is no egg white is left inside and leave on open air to dry. Once dry, put all collected eggshells in a pre-heated oven for a couple minutes to kill any bad microorganisms. Then grind the eggshells in a coffee grinder. The finer the powder the better – you may need 5-7 minutes for that. The resultant powder has a cute pinkish color; transfer it into some glass or metal container with a lid.
For a refreshing flavour and aroma, add several drops of any citrus essential oil – lemon, orange, grapefruit. I use lemon. If you like a minty character, add peppermint or spearmint instead. To drive away bad bacteria and give an ultra cleanse to the whole mouth, add 2-4 drops of tea tree oil.
I want to add one last but definitely not the least thing about eggshells – their connection to remineralization of teeth.
Eggshells can remineralize teeth?
Eggshells, in addition to calcium, contain phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron and 22 other elements. All these elements are in their organic forms. I want to reiterate, organic forms. Elements in inorganic forms such as those in majority of over-the-counter supplements are not absorbed by the body, instead they are deposited in different organs, like kidneys. In fact, there is a link between kidney stones and high doses of inorganic calcium supplements. So, what I am trying to say? I want to say that you need to quit low-quality supplements and preferably get teeth-maintaining from eggshells. As a matter of fact, it has been shown that if you ingest eggshell powder, organic calcium, phosphorous and other elements will contribute to remineralization of your teeth from inside out! This is something worthy to think about and implement! However, whether eggshells contribute to remineralization if you just brush with eggshell powder is not yet known. If they do – great. If they don’t – fine, they are still a superb cleansing substance.
How do you like this new way of cleaning teeth? Let me know please!
And, by the way, have a fascinating 2017!
Main references:
http://www.rexresearch.com/judd/goodteeth.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/news/20151013/calcium-supplements-tied-to-kidney-stone-risk-in-study?page=2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4413151/
http://www.healingteethnaturally.com/dentists-misdiagnoses-quality-reproducibility-treatment-decisions.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_dioxide
https://wellnessmama.com/5252/remineralizing-tooth-powder/https://wellnessmama.com/57729/oral-health-routine/
You indicate that the shells are from uncooked eggs. Do you know if shells from hard-boiled eggs (usually have a lot more of these) will work in the same way?
Hi Mario,
Yes, there should not be a huge difference. Besides, you need to put raw eggshells in the oven for some time anyways (to kill off any pathogenic bacteria).
However, if you find yourself thinking about using the eggshell powder internally, the less the shells are in the heat, the better.