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
As a dental hygienist (and nutritional therapist), I like baking soda but it is very abrasive and should be used maybe weekly if that. I believe swishing with coconut oil cleans and whitens the teeth better than anything. Eating more good fat should keep the mouth cleaner and plaque free.
Baking soda is actually less abrasive than any commercial toothpaste.
https://docs.google.com/a/wellnessmama.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:gfU0tNV9spIJ:www.levysmiles.com/docs/Abrasiveness_of_Common_Toothpase.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjeXQoTCCiOTAA0muWMY8qaUzAs0iWZwwjaBHPIfCWRWMNp53HzPJl8O74-vxW7m3nPZRDuvA9jNShXhU3Q2OXibd-_zMweIdPYbmK4gVRjqAb8mistmiJv_-cuM8iYhYjXj9nz&sig=AHIEtbR9cjuersWFml7abAMjFpzCbstJKQ&pli=1
direct link to doc:
Would baking soda be appropriate for someone with dental work, say acrylic work? It’s used as polisher on silver, which is why I ask.
I’ve heard baking soda can be abrasive on weak enamel or teeth that have decalcification. My understanding is animal glycerin is bad, but vegetable is not. Unfortunately, I can’t remember my source. Our two year old has early childhood decay and if I could find information siting that baking soda is not abrasive on teeth such as his, I would use it. Currently trying to find a birch xylitol source without glycerin, but to no avail.
I would find a DDS that does ozone. It will kill the bacteria and allow the oils to help remineralize the teeth. And use the butter oil and cod liver oil from Green Pastures. You do not want invasive treatment in a child that young. I wonder why he has such decay at two. That is unusual. Might want to see a nutritional therapist.
Baking soda is less abrasive than any commercial toothpaste. https://docs.google.com/a/wellnessmama.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:gfU0tNV9spIJ:www.levysmiles.com/docs/Abrasiveness_of_Common_Toothpase.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjeXQoTCCiOTAA0muWMY8qaUzAs0iWZwwjaBHPIfCWRWMNp53HzPJl8O74-vxW7m3nPZRDuvA9jNShXhU3Q2OXibd-_zMweIdPYbmK4gVRjqAb8mistmiJv_-cuM8iYhYjXj9nz&sig=AHIEtbR9cjuersWFml7abAMjFpzCbstJKQ&pli=1
I would scrutinize your son’s diet. Remember fruit juice is bad for dental health. Chewing a xylitol gum daily would help your son’s teeth too. Gum removes plaque and stimulates saliva (which helps to clean teeth), the chewing action strengthens the jaw muscles, xylitol improves dental health too, and kids love to chew gum!
I remember interviewing a dentist for an article once and she told me that toothpaste was NOT necessary. She recommended baking soda with water or nothing at all (i.e. just a naked toothbrush, softened with tap water which contains fluoride). She said that most people don’t want to give up toothpaste because they don’t feel like their teeth are clean without that zesty ‘fresh’ feeling. The friction from the brush is enough to remove bacteria, which you then can swish away with water. If you really crave that refreshing feeling, you can swish with a mouthwash.
Wow. I cannot believe that you made the comment about her dealing with infertility because of drinking soy milk. As someone who has experienced the horrible struggles of this awful disease, no one EVER causes infertility by doing one thing. Yes, diet sometimes *CAN* play role in it but oftentimes nothing you do will make it go away and get pregnant easily. You should be ashamed of yourself for making that low blow comment. While I have learned much from your blog and appreciated all your knowledge, i will no longer be reading because I refuse to give any kind of support to someone who is as insensitive as you about a topic that is so painful in so many people (did you know 1 in 8 couples struggle with this now?) and causes so much heartache. What I find even more ridiculous is that you made this comment in an article about toothpaste.
While what we put into our bodies does play a far larger role than any medical professional will ever tell you, I also found the comment to be callous, unnecessary and unfeeling.
Baking Soda is Sodium Bicarbonate, not to be confused with Washing Soda (Soda Ash) which is Sodium Carbonate which is more caustic and non edible.
I got my first cavity ever using natural flouride free toothpaste. I learned the glycerine in it prevents teeth from remineralizing. Since then I switched to plain baking soda (now I am going to add some salt too) and at my last dental visit she barely had to scrape anything off my teeth and back to no cavities!
If you are going to claim this thing about soy, then reference it with a few credible sources. I personally avoid it as it is a GMO. But as a CMT, I am well-aware of how stress affects fertility as well as those that can let the idea consume them. I’ve had clients finally conceive after they relaxed and just put it ‘out there’ that it will happen. I know it doesn’t work for everyone as there is more going on medically.
Genetics also play a big part in oral care but again, what may be ‘truth’ for you – or anyone else – may not be ‘truth’ for others. That is the beauty of doing your own research for yourself and not to rely on others as ‘face value’.
I beat my Rheumatoid Arthritis into submission with massage & reflexology, but just because I did it, doesn’t mean someone else can because there is always something more to the equation. So that is why I don’t take comments like that at face value -there is SO much more to add into the mix.
“There is so much more to the equation” is at the heart of most medical studies, articles on food and diet, medicine practises, what is bad for you – and so on and so forth. For one to put all of their proverbial eggs into one basket – one opinion or viewpoint, and then act on it, is derilect and dangerous.
We have evolved, as a species, to the point where we no longer really know what is good for humans. Every other species stayed on the straight and narrow path of their respective diets and habits. We humans have veered so far, with processing, and cooking, and blending, and a host of other things, that our modern blueprint, our genetic makeup is vastly different from early man – and we lost that original blueprint, and now everyone is scrambling to come up with what we think is the right way to eat and live etc.
Sorry for the rant. What was the question? 🙂
Meechie – I think those of us finding the comment is poor taste understand that there is much heartache for women dealing with fertility issues. And while I agree diet can influence to a degree, there is much more to the issue. There was no point to even bring up her diet when the article was on dental care. 😉