[whitecrow]

I started making my own toothpaste around 20 years ago and have had ZERO dental problems since. Before that I had 5 root canals, 6 or 7 extractions, and my dentist told me I needed to have my gums cut back and my roots planed.

I have actually not seen a dentist in over ten years. No need. I had a filling fall out 4 or 5 years ago and no decay has entered the cavity. My teeth aren't blinding white like the folks on TV but they are healthy and tight. And they are white enough.

Basically I use baking soda and melaleuca (tea tree) oil. Mix enough oil into the soda to make a paste. Doesn't taste great but you get used to it. Over the years I've evolved a more elaborate way of preparing toothpaste, but tea tree oil and baking soda are all you really need.

Here's my method of making really great toothpaste: first I buy a couple ounces of powdered myrrh resin, and dissolve it in alcohol (vodka). This takes a week or so. The saturated alcohol is poured into a bowl of baking soda and allowed to evaporate (or cooked off). Now you have baking soda saturated with myrrh. Mix in enough tea tree oil to make a thick paste, and add enough vegetable glycerin to smooth out the texture. You need a pinch of citric acid for a preservative. This makes real toothpaste that kills germs, buffs your teeth, reduces swelling, eliminates bleeding, and protects your mouth. It isn't the cheapest thing in the world due to the tea tree oil and the vodka, but compared to the equivalent quantity of commercial toothpaste it's about half-price.