Don’t look for actress Julia Roberts to be pitching toothpaste on TV anytime soon.
In a surprising tidbit of information about her personal care routine, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she does not use toothpaste to maintain the beautiful smile that made her famous.
What’s more, she doesn’t use any of the natural brands of toothpaste that many consumers are switching to as they discover the many dangerous chemicals and other additives contained in conventional toothpaste.
In an interview with InStyle magazine, Ms. Roberts shocked the house by revealing that she uses a humble dollop of baking soda to brush her teeth.
Her reasons?
I brush [my teeth] with baking soda. [My grandfather] would put a big heaping mound of it on his toothbrush. He had only one cavity in his entire life.
What Ms. Roberts may not realize is that her grandfather was onto something. Â Many top holistic dentists recommend baking soda mixed with a bit of sea salt as the best way to keep those pearly whites as well as the gums happy and healthy for life.
My own family uses a baking soda, sea salt, hydrogen peroxide mixture, called  “The Secret” recommended by a well known holistic dentist who discussed it at a seminar on nontoxic dentistry that I attended some years ago. We’ve used it for years with wonderful results!
Natural toothpaste, while nontoxic, frequently contain glycerin which sticks to teeth and inhibits remineralization and therefore actually contributes to cavity formation!
Another option for those who don’t tolerate baking soda and want to avoid toothpaste is a no glycerin, no fluoride tooth gel complete with teeth and gum strengthening herbs. Â This type of gel (find it here) is also safe for those with mercury-based amalgam fillings.
Source
(1) How Baking Soda Fits into Julia Roberts Beauty Routine
the soy comment was a cheap shot. I wish you had been more sensitive about such a sensitive subject. Many women drink soy milk and don’t have fertility issues. Many don’t and do. There’s no direct cause and effect and for you to imply that there was, was irresponsible, judgmental, mean and in bad taste. You certainly had a right to do that, it’s your blog. But your readers expect more… I wanted to share your blog, but I won’t because of this…and because even when someone called you on it, you continue to defend a poor decision. It’s not forever memorialized in print…you can still delete it. Think about it.
Sensitivity is hard to come by on a public forum – there are so many issues that need to be addressed that one is bound to insult or upset or offend someone – you can’t believe it was the host’s intent to malign anyone. You should share the blog because that person you share it with may see it differently and then the info could be useful.
I couldn’t agree more with what you said. While I respect her decision to make her own claims, the fact that she is making these outrageous statements is hurtful. I have never drank soy milk in my life, so why do I have so much trouble getting pregnant?? I think the fact that is that she is incredibly insensitive to this topic and perhaps even thinks that she is being funny by making a “joke” about it.
My dentist recommends baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide for daily use. Works for me. I have not had a canker sore in years.
I’m skeptical about this due to some of the comments here, but I’m willing to give it a try. So, what brand of baking soda do you recommend? Also, should I use it alone or should I add salt or bentonite clay? What is the ratio? Is it safe to use it 3x a day? Sorry for asking too many questions. I just want to make sure I’m doing it right.
Thanks, Sarah, for the post and the link. Very useful information!
I agree with Judith… The blog post was regarding baking soda as a tooth cleaner – bringing up and slamming her use of soy-milk was uncalled for. (as well as the fertility comment)
And sure ~ write what you want, but be prepared that you will loose respect if you feel the need to put others down because they don’t agree with your ideas – whether you are certified on the topic or not. Readers are allowed their opinion, too.
Oh come on, there was no slamming here. It’s OK for Julia to promote something unhealthy like processed soy milk, but it’s not OK for Sarah to make a simple statement about that? You’re accusing Sarah of “putting others down” – I don’t think so. I think a few people expressing a similar opinion about this are overreacting. Good grief.
Meechie – they are taught things a certain way but, there are a lot of them out there that still have a brain and can think for themselves. My Dr is a research Dr. he doesn’t always follow conventional and often thinks outside the box. I’ve seen A LOT of Drs and let me tell you, its RARE to find a Dr. who is like mine. If I had not found him, I would’ve died. Why, because the old Dr was a conventional sheep. I even asked him to do things for me and he said he didn’t because I didn’t have health insurance. So, not ALL mainstream Dr’s are bad, the good ones like mine are just hard to find and I think my Dr fights often with a lot of Dr’s because of this issue. He wont do things unless they really work. Not ALL Dr’s are the same, it’s not fair to assume that. Just like ONE bad cop doesn’t mean the entire police force are bad cops. Just a Dr who considers holistic approach, is like finding a needle in a haystack. Like, for example, I have a bacteria in my lungs that drugs can manage but, not kill, I’ve tried every holistic thing out there and nothing works to get rid of it, I’ve had it for 7 years, yet some Cystic Fibrosis people are trying to inhale carvacol – I don’t have the guts to try it because it’s from Oregano oil – oil and the lungs = bad idea. BUT, the ones who have tried it think it works. So, my Dr looks into it and more than likely is going to try to test it not blow it off or laugh in my face. I also never said baking soda period was bad, I should’ve said by it’s self I don’t think it’s good for your teeth but, if you mix it with something NON acidic or abrasive I’m sure it’s ok. I’m still not 100% sure it’s okay to use alone daily and not everyones teeth are exactly the same – what might be okay for you, might not be okay for me. You might be able to use daily where as for others, it’s bad to use daily.
Conventional medicine used to be holistic – in that it was new and the masses at large weren’t familiar with it. One day, what we now refer to has holisitic may be the norm – and it too will be scorned perhaps.
At the end of the day, drugs at your drugs store or ingested treatments at a holistic center are the same things; Chemical elements. All the things in your holisitic tincture are made from the same things in a pill from CVS – chemical elements. All those chemical elements that we saw in the Periodic Table of elements back in school is what both groups of practitioners use.
It is just a matter one, of combinations of those elements and two, the individuals body. We think holisitic is different because it connotes whole organic entities, but we forget there are many of those “entities” that can do harm and cause sudden death as well as “drugs”. Even a peanut can fell a person – and so many other “natural” things.
One holistic treatment might be good for some but the chemicals in it will cause a negative reaction to someone else.
Oliver Leslie
I’m guessing as an ignorant consumer here that any brand of baking soda should be ok. Yes?
i do understand what you’re trying to say. i get it. but know that i make my living doing what she does. its an easy reach for people outside the industry to take sideswipes at someone because they ‘know’ a little something about them. i drank soy milk for 10 years until my hair began to fall out and discovered i was very sick. i stopped. cold. i’m certain every single one of us here who read your blog have a story like that. you do what you do until you know better. the blog is about toothpaste vs baking soda,right? a little sensitivity towards one another,especially women in this time,is not a bad place to come from. i read plenty of blogs and don’t know the personal opinions of the bloggers. lots of excellent information,which keeps me coming back.
I didn’t read Sarah’s statement about Julia’s fertility issue and soy milk consumption as a swipe or negative comment about her, I saw it as a statement about soy milk – nothing snarky. As Sarah said, she writes and offers her opinions – it is after all her blog. I find Sarah tells it like it is – we need that. Everything is offensive to somebody these days. We seem to be heading to a place where a lot of sensitive people want to stop others from freely speaking. And that, my friend, is more dangerous to all people than a statement about fertility issues and soy milk. These statements are not meant as an attack against you or anyone else, or to be snarky, just giving my two shekels.
Genetics play a huge role in oral health.
@Judith if you write for everyone, you write for no one. A blog that is just information without some of the personal views and observations would be pretty boring. I certainly wouldn’t read a blog like that.