I remember getting a lot of dental work done in during my time in Texas (over four years ago). Multiple crowns, a root canal and many cleanings.
After each cleaning they would give me a high-concentration fluoride treatment. I accepted this thinking it would help my teeth.
However, after the first treatment, after I was back at my apartment, I had a depressive episode. Basically, I would uncharacteristically lay down on the carpet feeling strange.
After the second fluoride treatment, probably half-a-year later, this reoccurred. This time I made the connection. Fluoride was messing with my mental health. I would always later deny this high-strength application to my teeth at the dental office and the symptoms did not reoccur.
So, obviously, I would not have fluoride in my toothpaste. I may have stopped using it sooner than this as part of my leaning towards natural products for better health.
All that I cared for in a toothpaste was that it would prevent plaque for me.
Search for a more natural toothpaste
About a year ago I started to have problems with brushing. I was using Trader Joe’s Antiplaque Toothpaste with Fennel, Propolis & Myrrh toothpaste. It was fine for years. However, for some reason during brushing, I would start to feal nausea and begin to vomit. This would happen toward the end of the routine. Sometimes I would be able to stop it from happening sometimes I would not.
What I believe happens is that the toothpaste sprays into my throat during brushing and for some reason my body feels that it is toxic and tries to expel it. This problem would not go away, so I started to look for a more “natural” toothpaste.
I did some research and chose Uncle Harry’s Remineralizing Organic Toothpaste. It was more expensive than the former one, but I thought it is worth it. It has more natural ingredients and better reviews than the Trader Joe’s, so I felt that I had a good shot of it working for me.
So, I started with it. I had no problems with it initially. Finally, I thought, I have found the solution. It has clay in it, so it is fairly abrasive.
But after a few months, the same problem started to happen again. Somehow my body became even more sensitive to toxins and this toothpaste was not passing the bar.
So, with no other choice, I started to look for even more natural toothpaste. I found one that had about two ingredients, coconut oil and a flavor enhancer. So effectively it was coconut oil. It was expensive enough that I decided to just use the coconut oil that was in our house.
I started brushing with coconut oil. Fortunately, it was during this winter, so it stayed hard in our house. I did this for a while with no problems.
Ultimate solution
I happened to do some reading and came across an article that in passing mentioned that you can brush your teeth with just a toothbrush itself – no toothpaste.
I decided to do that since I could see little benefit brushing with oil.
There are several benefits of using tap water with a toothbrush over coconut oil. Tap water has fluoride and disinfectants. They are in low concentrations but better than nothing.
I was all this time monitoring if I was developing any plaque. I am checking for plaque by rubbing my tongue over my teeth and sensing if they are smooth or not. Sometimes I sense plaque and improve my brushing routine. I have been able to improve it to a point that I don’t have it happening again.
I have been brushing with tap water for months now, with no problems. I mean really, what negative reactions could you have with tap water?
However, today I did a careful visual inspection of my teeth for plaque for the first time probably ever, and there are two teeth that have plaque. I attribute it to thoughtless brushing over the years. I will improve it to hit those areas. I have discovered that without toothpaste, longer brushing is necessary to fully remove the plaque.
The level of plaque is probably not that bad since I have not been to a dentist in years.
With dentists and doctors, I have been avoiding them due to my fragile health. Once I am stronger, I plan to visit them regularly.
But this is not over. Despite the toothpastes and tap water choice, I have always had a problem with brushing a deep region in my mouth. If I brush there too long, it triggers a gag reaction. Today though this is showing up in another area of my mouth for the first time ever. This is causing me worry and even to resort to prayer. I am worrying that I won’t be able to properly brush those teeth and plaque will start to build up. I have a remedy to this though: brush very slowly there and this seems less likely to trigger it.
One benefit that I can see not using a toothpaste, is that a brush alone is less abrasive to teeth. The toothbrush being plastic is a lot less abrasive to teeth than for example backing soda or clay (both can scratch metal). If plaque can be kept off, which from my experience is possible with proper “naked brush” brushing, this for me is an important benefit because once the enamel wears off, the teeth don’t restore it on their own and sensitivity becomes a lifelong problem.
So ultimately does this mean that I am getting sicker? The problem with the toothpastes, I think, means that my body is getting more sensitive to toxins – which I think is healthy.
To suggest my point, I read an article that women who experience morning sickness (nausea and vomiting) during pregnancy are significantly less likely to have miscarriage than women who don’t. The correlation is that the ones who have stronger reactions are the least likely to have a miscarriage.
So, I see nausea as my body’s signal that I am doing something unhealthy for it.
I plan on continuing brushing with tap water and to keep on improving my brushing technique. I believe that this will be enough to keep my teeth healthy and me. And I also expect to eventually see a dentist.
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