Tag Archives: Dentist

5 Alternatives To Toothpaste

10 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Bad Breath, General Dentistry, Tooth Paste

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The other morning, I was awoken by my dog licking my face. His hope was to get me to throw his ball at 6 in the morning. He is lucky he’s really cute. What was not cute? His breath. Which, in turn made me realize my breath wasn’t much better. So I moseyed on up to my bathroom sink and found that my wife had used the last of our toothpaste the night before. Sigh… What is a dragon to do?

What did people do before the invention of toothpaste? Well, toothpastes, in one form or another has been used for thousands of years. In fact, ancient Egyptians are believed to have started using a paste to clean their teeth around 5000BC. Well before the first toothbrush was invented.

In 1850 a more traditional paste in a jar was introduced call Crème Dentifrice. Colgate introduced the first toothpaste tub in the 1890’s. Pastes made before 1945 contained soap. I can only imagine kids cursed a lot more back then and this made it easier for their mothers to wash their mouths out. Today’s modern toothpastes are less harsh, have better flavors and are developed to help more specific diseases, such as tooth sensitivity and tartar. Leaving the washing of foul-mouths to bars of soap.

But what is one to do if there is no toothpaste?

Here are 5 alternatives to toothpaste if your significant other has used it all and you want to get rid of the awful breath you have:

  1. Baking Soda

Mix half a teaspoon of baking soda with a few drops of water to make a paste. Spread the paste over your teeth and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then brush your teeth like you normally would. Rinse the baking soda out of your mouth and you’re finished.

  1. Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is used as a natural teeth whitener. You can either use it as a rinse or make a paste by adding it to baking soda.

To make a rinse, mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide with water (½ cup hydrogen peroxide to ½ cup of water) and swish the concoction around your mouth for a minute. Try not to swallow any of the mixture.

To make a paste, mix a couple teaspoons of baking soda with a half-teaspoon of peroxide Mix together to make a paste and brush as normal. Thoroughly rise afterwards.

  1. Salt

Salt has long been used as an antibacterial and is an ingredient in a lot of toothpastes. Just dab your toothbrush in salt and brush. This can be a bit abrasive and is not recommended if you have sensitive teeth. You can also dilute the salt in water and use the solution to brush your teeth for a less abrasive paste.

  1. Coconut Oil

A lot of people think coconut oil is a healthy catchall. Others think it’s poison. Some people use it as an alternative to toothpaste by adding baking soda and essential oils, like mint. Figure out where you stand on coconut oil and then give it a try.

  1. Flossing and Dry Brushing

This is what I ended up doing. Of course I floss every night, as one should do. (And no, I do not mean the dance.) So I just grabbed some floss and got to work. Then I ran my toothbrush under water, brushed my teeth for the mandatory 2 minutes and then brushed my tongue.

My bad breath went away and I felt ready for my day of grocery shopping… for more toothpaste.

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The Dentist Innovators

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in DentistUSA.com, Innovations, Smile

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Dentists are constantly innovating procedures and techniques to help make your visit more comfortable. Sometimes, these innovations take a step outside of the dental chair and lead to inventions that are used everyday. Here are some of those inventions, ranging from what you’d expect a dentist to invent to the more… bizarre…

Levi Spear Parmly – Inventor of Dental Floss

It’s no wonder a dentist is credited with inventing dental floss. Although, people have been picking at their teeth since the beginning of mankind, it wasn’t until 1819, that New Orleans dentist Levi Spear Parmly published a book called A Practical Guide to the Management of the Teeth. In the book, he recommended that people floss with waxed silk thread “to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove, and which is the real source of disease.”

Dr. William Morrison – Inventor of Cotton Candy

Some people might cry “FOUL” when they learn dentist William Morrison created Cotton Candy. Yes, the air spun, sugary treat, that has been found guilty of many a cavity, was developed by a dentist. To add insult to injury, Dr. Morrison first called his sweet treat, “Fairy Floss.” Was this to make people use sugar as they would dental floss or did he get the recipe from some real hyper fairies? No one will ever know. At least the sugary confection has lead to millions of smiles throughout amusement parks around the world… and probably a few more dental appointments.

Dr. Bob Smith – Inventor of the Modern Snow Goggles

Dentist Bob Smith was an avid skier and was tired of his goggles constantly fogging up. So he did what any normal dentist would do: innovate the first double-pane goggle with a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam, to dramatically reduced foggy goggles on the slopes. Once he got a patent for the open-cell foam used for venting, he produced the goggles by hand with his wife and friends using dental tools and employed dental students to glue the pieces together.

Dr. Alfred P. Southwick – Inventor of the Electric Chair

This invention is definitely on the bizarre side. Dentist Alfred Southwick saw a drunken man accidentally shock himself to death in 1881. This inspired him to invent the electric chair, which he figured would be a better alternative to hanging because it would be quick and painless (insert “going to the dentist” pun).

Is your dentist an inventor? You should ask. If you don’t have a dentist to ask, use DentistUSA to find one! Your smile will be happy and you’ll probably get an interesting conversation.

The Tooth Friendly Kitchen – The Milkshake

03 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by in Chocolate, DentistUSA.com, General Dentistry, Tooth Friendly Recipe, What To Eat

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Is there anything more quintessentially American than the milkshake? Sure, there is the apple pie, but how many people eat a burger at their local drive thru and wash it down with an apple pie. Not too many, I would think. You can’t stick two straws in an apple pie on a date. Well, you could, but I doubt that date would last too much longer after having done so.

So my vote goes to the milkshake.

 

 

But are milkshakes tooth friendly? Milk has calcium, that’s good for teeth, right?

Well, although calcium is good for your teeth, that calcium rich milkshake is also made with sugar-loaded ice cream. And, of course, sugar is the arch-nemesis of a healthy smile. But don’t fret, here is a recipe to help you keep your smile and eat your shake too.

Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Milk (Almond, soy or coconut milk works for our non-dairy friends)
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon unprocessed honey (Manuka honey* is best)

How To:

  • Let the strawberries thaw slightly. (Just a couple of minutes out of the freezer)
  • Place everything in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth
  • Pour into glass with two straws
  • Throw away apple pie

Prefer a chocolate shake? Replace the strawberries with two frozen bananas and add 2-3 teaspoons of cocoa powder (depending on how chocolaty a shake you like.)

*We’ve talked about Manuka honey in the past. It is an unprocessed, raw honey from New Zealand that has anti-bacterial properties and helps suppress microorganism growth. Microorganisms that eat sugar and produce acid that leads to dental caries!