Update on brushing my teeth with soap

As I posted some time ago, I was brushing my teeth with soap instead of toothpaste. It worked great on my teeth and gums. However, I decided to stop a while back.

Because soap is a natural antibacterial, it was apparently disturbing the natural balance of bacteria in my mouth and throat -- to the point where I eventually got a bad case of thrush (yeast overgrowth), which was an unpleasant experience, to say the least.

This may not happen with everyone who brushes with soap; I think I'm sensitive in this area. It may also depend to some degree on the type of soap you use. You could probably also offset the antibacterial effect of soap by having a spoonful of acidophilus yoghurt after you brush.

The toothpaste I'm using now doesn't have sodium lauryl sulphate or fluoride, but it does have glycerin. Even so, I was encouraged at a recent dental hygiene appointment with no gum pocket depths greater than 3mm (5mm is considered the threshold for gum disease).

 

Proper dental care

After reading an article online about it, I decided to try brushing with soap.

I use an organic olive oil based soap.  To my surprise, the taste isn’t unpleasant at all.

Part of the idea behind it is that most toothpastes contain glycerin, which doesn’t easily rinse off completely.  While the teeth still have a film of glycerin on them, they don’t remineralize easily.  With the film removed, they do.

[[MORE]]Another aspect of using soap is that it has a natural antibiotic character to it, which helps limit plaque.

I’ve tried using a variety of conventional toothpastes over the years, and while they’ve kept gum disease and cavities at bay, I still had some slight persistent inflammation at my gum line, with gum pocket depths that were less than ideal.  About two weeks after switching to using bar soap, the inflammation went away—for the first time ever.

I’m a quick plaque/tartar maker, though, and I’ve found that soap alone isn’t quite enough to keep the tartar under control, so I alternate with a baking soda based toothpaste without any additives.  The slight coarseness of the baking soda is enough to remove any built-up tartar.

I think that if we ate food that required much more biting, chewing and natural friction over the tooth surfaces, so that plaque and tartar were naturally removed, that we probably wouldn't need to brush -- but that's not a feature of modern diets, even of the Paleo variety.  I actually see this easily with my dogs; when they have chew toys, bones, etc, their teeth stay healthy.  Without them, the tartar builds up quickly.

To brush with baking soda, I usually pour some dry powder in a small bowl and then scoop it up with a wet toothbrush.  It doesn't take that much.  When I brush with soap, I just rub a wet brush back and forth against a bar several times, and then let the bar dry out before next use.

Another thing about conventional toothpastes: because they tend to be sweet, they can trigger a release of insulin.  One of the goals of Paleo should be to keep your insulin levels low, so they’re incompatible with the diet in that way.

BTW, in case you're not aware, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which is in most toothpastes, can cause outbreaks of canker sores.  This was explained to me by my dentist years ago after I told him I was having regular outbreaks.  Since stopping all toothpastes containing SLS, I haven’t had another sore.  Also, the reason they add SLS in the first place is simply to make the toothpaste foam; it doesn’t improve its ability to clean your teeth in any way.

The soap I use is made near where I live here in New Zealand.  It's called Clean Earth Soap (the Basic Olive Bar):
http://www.cleanearthsoap.co.nz/collections/soaps

If you can't find anything equivalent locally, they do ship overseas.

It's great for skin, too, not just teeth!