Or, Why I Love My Dental Hygienist.
I’ve been a bad girl. I haven’t had my teeth cleaned in about 3 years. Yes, I know. Bad! So I made an appointment and went in today to see the hygienist.
[See also: a review of three natural toothpaste alternatives]
Good news, bad news. No cavities (I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’m 32 and have never had a filling.), but my gums are looking really rough. I need a full mouth debridement and had to make an appointment to come back. The hygienist first wants me to toughen up my gums with hot salt water rinses. She said the debridement would be painful.
But back to why I like my hygienist. Oh and the “no more cinnamon in my homemade tooth powder” thing.
When I walked in and saw that she sat on an exercise ball chair, I was pretty impressed. So I asked her about it, and we started talking about abs, moms, exercise, yoga, and other stuff. She seemed like a pretty hip and open-minded kind of person for someone in the dental/medical field.
When she looked at my mouth she asked me if I used any oral hygiene products with Sodium Laurel Sulfate. She proceeded to educate me on the evils of SLS. Of course, she was preaching to the choir! I don’t use products with SLS.
She told me to double check everything in my house, even stuff I use on my skin, and get rid of anything with SLS. I’ll do this but I highly doubt anything exists. The fact she even brought it up impressed me. She said that SLS is highly irritating and could cause mouth sores (which I have had lately).
No More Cinnamon in my Homemade Tooth Powder!
She asked me some questions like, “What kind of toothpaste do I use?” I told her that I make my own homemade tooth powder. (I do this because glycerin isn’t good for teeth, it prevents re-mineralization and shouldn’t be used in toothpaste but is nevertheless ubiquitous which is really annoying! The only toothpaste I’ve found without glycerin is EarthPaste
She told me that the baking soda was good, but to leave mouth washes like Listerine or any other alone, they were mostly overkill and could cause more problems.
She asked me what was in my tooth powder, and I told her. “Sea salt, baking soda….”
She asked, “It doesn’t have any peroxide in it does it?”
I said, “No.” I know that peroxide isn’t particularly good for the teeth – at least not for every day usage.
She asked if I ate a lot of cinnamon. Uh-Oh!
I had been putting cinnamon in my tooth powder, because my 7 year old son doesn’t like how “salty” the plain salt/baking soda mix is.
Apparently my mouth doesn’t like cinnamon!
The Trouble with Cinnamon in Homemade Tooth Powder
She told me at length about the recent findings around the “female mouth” and how little we know about it (apparently it’s quite different from the male mouth? who knew?), but how we are learning that many people react badly to cinnamon in their mucus membranes. Cinnamon can lead to the exact problems I was having with my gums.
She encouraged me to do some research on my own (impressive – how often do medical/dental types encourage that kind of rebellious behavior – doing your own research?) and cut down on the cinnamon to see if it helps.
Ok. No more cinnamon in my homemade toothpaste!
So I did some research and was surprised to find some of the following about my beloved spice:
This pdf of the JADA (sorry, the link is no longer valid but you may be able to locate it in Google). JADA is the Journal of the American Dental Association. It says that cinnamon can sensitize and irritate the mouth and is highly caustic.
This site mentioned how cinnamon irritates mucus membranes (and the mouth is a mucus membrane). And this one says that cinnamon leads to inflammation in the mouth – interestingly, it also kills bacteria – but apparently for some, it’s a too much.
So apparently cinnamon, while really good for your health, isn’t so good when applied directly to your gums.
This Hygienist spent more time talking with me about how the “mouth is the window of the body” and “tells you what’s going on before the rest of the body does” than any dentist ever has.
(Update: after writing this post I discovered OraWellness blend, a toothpaste alternative with organic oils. I love it.)
See more: What I notice about oil pulling
How to heal cavities with nutrition: is it possible to cure tooth decay?
Toothpaste alternatives: a review (and my favorite!)
[jazzyoptin]
Oh poop on it all – really? I love cinnamon and my toothpaste is made with Thieves essential oil blend – and of course once of the ingredients in that is cinnamon essential oil. Hmmmmm… but I don’t have mouth issues – just bad teeth! 🙂
Thanks Carrie!
Uh… I have no words. Your entire post has me scratching my head. I wish Carrie was my mom! I’m silently freaking out now about all the things I tell my kiddos to put in their mouth.
On a more personal note… I’m sorry to hear about your marriage. 🙁
I got the impression from her that it’s not bad for everyone – and from what I read, cinnamon has so many benefits, even for the mouth.
But for some people it’s too irritating and causes more harm than good. I wonder how many people with gum issues or who have mouth sores don’t know about the connection.
wow. she sounds amazing! is the dentist that way as well?
i have to admit that i still use crest sensitive toothpaste. i need to find a natural option. not sure how i feel about the baking soda and sea salt though, but glad to know it’s working well for you. 🙂
What a load of claptrap. Utter rubbish, from start to finish. Cinnamon? Go read a medical journal if you want to know whether Sodium Laurel Sulfate (or is it Sodium Laureth Sulfate?) is good for you or not. This is flakery pure and simple. Simple mostly. Embarrassingly simple.
Jacques, why the hostility? Do you work for a chemical or cosmetic company??
Google “Livestrong sodium-lauryl-sulfate-and-mouth-ulcers” or “natural-health-information-centre sls-JACT-report”
The way the western world is run, where money is power and gets the final say, I don’t trust most mainstream medical journals and studies, likely funded by big pharma.
Cinnamon POWDER or ESSENTIAL OIL or BOTH?
Coumarin, an ingredient of Cinnamon, is toxic to the liver.
I like your report.
I have no Facebook. I don’t even associate with people who have Facebook.
Let’s have respect for privacy.
Wondering which type of cinnamon was being used in this tooth powder, cassia which is what’s typically sold in most stores & can affect the body negatively or ceylon which is “true” cinnamon which has actual health benefits when ingested… maybe one affects the delicate mucous membranes more than the other-?
Oral Wellness Blend has cinnamon in it. Will that irritate gums too?
It’s true that cinnamon can irritate the gums if used at high concentrations, but cinnamon essential oil used at low concentrations as part of a mouth rinse will not. For example, a concentration of approximately 1 drop of cinnamon oil for every 35 to 40 drops of other oils shouldn’t bother you at all, and you’ll still get the same antibacterial properties. So the trick lies in not overdoing the amount of cinnamon used.
I developed gum issues several months ago. My dentist tells me they’re sore. So I’m worried. Also, several years ago, I began with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA).
FFA is relatively new and scientists can’t work out why it’s happening. Recently, a potential correlation was stumbled upon – sunscreens. In particular titanium dioxide nanoparticles used in sunscreens.
So, I researched ‘titanium dioxide’ and was horrified to discover all the negative articles associated with its use, including one piece of research which mentioned titanium dioxide nanoparticles and how they can become absorbed in gum tissues and cause gum irritation.
I quickly checked the ingredients list on my toothpaste, which I’ve used for years, and it contains CI 77891 (titanium dioxide nanoparticles).
The toothpaste industry is playing Russian roulette with our health.
The last few weeks I’ve felt compelled to research all things toothpaste: Essential oils are good. Essential oils are bad (according to one dentist). Fluoride is good. Fluoride is bad. Glycerine is bad. Titanium dioxide is bad. Cinnamon is bad.. It’s endless and exhausting.
I tried making my own toothpaste using baking powder, cocoa powder and coconut oil. It didn’t improve things. I also tried baking soda alone with peppermint essential oil, which made my mouth feel clean but also made me thirsty and running for the toilet throughout the night.
Last night I was just about to purchase some Jason’s toothpaste. But it contains tea tree oil and cinnamon!
So I’m back to square one.
I do not for a minute believe this, first of all many people use poor quality everything thinking they are saving money. Ceylon cinnamon is so great for so many things. Cinnamon is recommended for diabetics. There is a cheaper cinnamon, Cassia, I would never recommend it. It does have all kinds of issues. But, Ceylon cinnamon is amazing and not harmful in any way. Don’t believe everything you read. Check it out for yourself.
Herbs, and spices have been around since the begging of time. They have tremendous healing powers. Much better than commercial synthetic products. I have made my own tooth powder for ages. No cavities, and no gum problems. You will need to experiment with what works for you. Its wonderful to begin taking your health seriously and make your own remedies. The simple things are often the best remedies. Bless, Sharon.
In India and Sri Lanka, there is not one single person who does not uses Cinnamon Powder in their food, Tea, bakeries, and so on, never ever heard of any complaints about the negative effects of using Cinnamon Powder.