How to make a homemade probiotic toothpaste to help keep decay-causing bacteria at bay. This really simple DIY toothpaste not only helps to clean teeth naturally, but may help to populate the oral microbiota with beneficial bacteria.

When I started moving towards a more natural, toxin-free, zero-waste lifestyle, one of the first areas I made changes to were my personal care products. I started making my own toothpastes, soaps, hair care, and body care products to help minimise my exposure to harmful toxins often found in these products.

Conventional toothpastes are filled with toxic ingredients like fluoride, triclosan, glycerin, sweeteners, artificial colours and dyes, surfactants, and more, which can all impact our health over the long-term.

Furthermore, most pre-made toothpastes are sold in not just the tube, but a box as well. While the box is recyclable, the tube is very difficult, nearly impossible, to recycle and will likely end up in landfill.

According to Kate Nelson (a.k.a Plastic Free Mermaid), ‘toothpaste tubes are made of ‘mixed materials,’ a.k.a lots different materials stuck together, which makes them impossible to recycle no matter how many “recyclable” symbols are printed on them.’

By making your own toothpaste, you can keep the toothpaste in a glass jar that can be washed and reused over and over again. No plastic tube. No rubbish.

Recipe Tutorial Video

The Questionable Ingredients Found in Conventional Toothpastes

While I’m no dentist or doctor, what made me switch to a natural toothpaste was reading up on the ingredients found in most store-bought toothpastes.

The questionable ingredients I came across included:

• Fluoride: A very controversial ingredient. I personally don’t use fluoride toothpaste, and I also try and filter it out as much as possible from my tap water. It’s been found that excessive exposure to fluoride has been linked to a number of health issues, such as dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, thyroid problems, and neurological problems.
• Glycerine: This controversial ingredient can be found in many natural toothpastes. Some research suggests that it can coat teeth and prevent them from benefiting from the minerals in saliva.
• Triclosan: This antimicrobial chemical has been linked to a number of health and environmental problems (dioxins leak into the water supply, and when mixed with sunlight, can have severe impacts on the environment). This chemical is often found in things like antibacterial soaps and products. Triclosan is believed to contribute to health problems like hormonal issues, allergies, and cancer. According to Dr. Axe, ‘triclosan is a major player when it comes to the problem of antibiotic resistance.’
• Surfactants: A chemical often found in conventional shampoos, many toothpastes contain surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. These chemicals are added to toothpaste to make it foam. Some research has found that SLS can cause mouth ulcers (canker sores) and stomach issues.
• Sweeteners: Ingredients like sodium saccharin, sorbitol, aspartame, saccharin and other artificial sweeteners are commonly used in toothpaste to improve the taste, yet there’s no evidence to show that these sweeteners are even safe to use in the mouth. Xylitol has been shown to contain some positive benefits for oral health; this sweetener kills bacteria after they ingest it as they aren’t able to metabolise it (bacteria are attracted to xylitol because it’s a sugar-alcohol). I rarely use xylitol in my recipes, and prefer to sweeten my toothpaste using natural pure ground stevia leaf, or herbs like clove, mint and sage (all naturally antibacterial).
• Artificial colours and dyes: FD&C Blue 1 is just one example, and is a synthetic dye produced from petroleum, which can accumulate in the body over time, causing an array of health issues.

Before we get started in learning how to make this probiotic toothpaste, if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!

Homemade Natural Probiotic Toothpaste

Brushing with a probiotic toothpaste can help to add good bacteria to the mouth to assist in dislodging and removing decay-and disease-causing bacteria which inhabit the mouth. Plus, when you make your own toothpaste at home, you ensure it is free from the toxic ingredients that have no place anywhere near the mouth.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp of baking soda
• 1-2 tbsp bentonite clay
• 1 capsule of organic probiotics
• 1 capsule of prebiotics
• 2 tsp of ground stevia (or 1 1/2 tsp xylitol)
• 1/2 tsp clove powder (can blend dried cloves to a fine powder)
• 1/2 tsp ground dried sage (can source fresh and just dry and grind into a powder)
• 2 tsp ground dried mint (can source fresh and just dry and grind into a powder) or use 15-20 drops of peppermint essential oil
• 1/4 cup fractionated coconut oil

To Make:

1. To make this natural probiotic toothpaste recipe, start by combining the dry ingredients, including the baking soda, bentonite clay, organic probiotics and prebiotics, clove powder, ground dried sage, and either the ground dried mint or peppermint essential oil, together in a large bowl and stir well to ensure the ingredients are incorporated properly. Avoid using any metal utensils as it can interact with the bentonite clay. I used a plastic spatula to mix the ingredients. 
2. When it came to the probiotics and prebiotics, I used a supplement powder that contained both probiotics and prebiotics in the one formula.
3. Once the dry ingredients are well combined, add the fractionated coconut oil, then stir again to combine the ingredients to form a paste. 
4. Transfer the toothpaste mixture to a small glass jar and store the paste at room temperature.
5. To use this toothpaste, dip a clean toothbrush into the paste, or scoop some out onto your toothbrush. Brush your teeth as normal, swirling the mix around the mouth for 30 seconds to one minute, then spit and rinse.

This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at the user’s own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Have you made your own toothpaste before? How was it? Share in the comments below.

Lots of love,

Vanessa