At the end of the day, it’s a tough situation and I don’t have a right answer for you. I do not doubt for one second that we can and probably should lower the ppm found in tap — the increase in fluorosis in teeth is well documented these days from over exposure.

However, I still stand that the F- you find in dental products is not that industrial byproduct. If you want extra security, you can use a source such as Stannous fluoride, which is a F- ion linked to tin (i believe), and is patented by crest (if the concept of it being patented gives you mental security).

We use very specific topical fluorides in dental practices as well, and work very hard to minimize ingestion, which is especially true with the varnishes which are largely replacing the old gels of our childhood/teens. That of course have BPA, which is one thing I’m not fond of.

At the end of the day, every medication, EVERY ONE, is toxic. You need to weigh the pros and cons. You can use that same argument to argue against it in the water supply. You could add to it by saying times are different and decay isn’t the epidemic it was then, and some people could argue against that. I think of the poor kids and the negligent parents (increasingly important issue in so many things), as sappy as that is.

BUT THIS ABOUT HOMEMADE PASTE, which is something I think is really cool. The article actually inspired me to try out some homemade rinses of my own – I’ve got extracts of spearmint, peppermint, thyme, and oregano on the way, as well as a half pound of xylitol.

So I guess, my biggest takeaway I’d like to get across is watch out for the abrasive agents. You’re going to put a hurting on yourself with the salt, and it sounds like it with so much baking soda, too. I have no doubt you feel clean after brushing with this stuff, probably super slick like after a hygienist polish — but that’s become you’ve taken off a couple microns of enamel. Also, recession is not fun/pretty once the root surfaces get sensitive, nor is thin enamel. I think you can go without abrasion and use some natural antimicrobial/cleaning agents out there.

If you’re dead set on avoiding fluoride, which from a medical perspective I simply do not agree with (I have to add that), try plain old glycerin with extract from peppermint, spearmint, and/or thyme. You might still add xylitol, or rinse with it, but again, you should look up it’s abrasive rating if available. It might be best left as a rinse ingredient.

Good luck, hope this helps

again, just putting it in perspective — plenty of great things shows about cultures who consume 6+ cups of tea a day

However, it’s plenty now, and since so many drinks, foods, and items are prepared with public water, there is fluoride in everything these days — we call that the “halo effect.” Nevertheless, children still need TOPICAL fluoride on their teeth to promote a specific crystal formulation in the enamel, which is still crystallizing at their age, which is more resistant to acid erosion and cavities. Avoiding fluoride in children all together is reckless and dumb.

Little to no research has backed toxicity in topical dental fluorides and toothpaste or water. The only real research that has ever come out was a study about increased osteosarcoma rates in males on fluoridated water, but later studies found no connection. All 56 or so dental schools in the US back fluoride, as does the CDC, which has re-investigated it several times.

To put things in perspective, fluoride is ALL NATURAL. It’s the 9th most common element on the earth — you don’t get more natural than that. Fluoride STRENGTHENS bones and teeth, this has been proven time and time again in university research. Wikipedia it for yourself, and check the citations, then check the theories on pubmed. Any dentist against fluoride is trying to profit off the holistic movement, and is ethically unsound, in my opinion.

But, I wouldn’t argue that adults these days probably get too much fluoride. Buuuuut, if you still get cavities, then you should stay on fluoridated toothpaste.

Now, the paste recipe. I’d be careful with making it too abrasive or you’ll rub off your gums, basically. When you see toothbrush abrasion on teeth and gums, it’s not actually the brush, but the salts found in the pastes, usually serving as whitening agents.
I would DEFINITELY add xylitol, which is an amazing anti-cavity agent.
I would probably mix spearmint and peppermint extract, as they both have some anti-microbial activity. You could also look in olive leaf extract and oregano for the same reason. I would vary the extracts for the sake of promoting a diversified anti-biotic mechanism.

Lastly, the “you don’t actually need toothpaste” comment some dentist make is…………100% true. We all learned this in D school. It’s the mechanism of the brush bristles and floss. IF YOU FLOSS, you don’t really need toothpaste, but I’d still use some fluoridates paste in children.

If you’re still skeptical about fluoride, then just do this for me, please: avoid it, but make sure your child has a treatment performed by a dentist, which will minimize consumption, every 6 months or so.

Here is some info at http://kingsdaughters21.blogspot.com/2012/01/natures-way.html

Right now I am working on getting more water and milk kifir into the kids… then I am going to try frementing my own foods withthe whey from the milk kefir…. Not sure how that will go over though…

I remember recently withthe BPA in bottles thing for a while ALL bottles were glass. I loved it(even though we don’t bottle feed)… But it was short lived as a year later glass bottles are NOWHERE too be found…

I wish it would it is so bad for you… Petrolium is also USED in food dyes and and additives As well as a starter for many white vinegars including Hinz YUCH I like to use white vinegar for cleaning and I get a natural one if possible as i would rather avoid buying food products made with petrol products….

If people were more informed.