The Miracle of Baking Soda and Your Overall Health

The write-up below was provided to me by the office of Dr. Thomas MacKinnon, DDS MAGD

My only objection to this is the use of fluoride toothpaste. I am not a dentist and I would not want to go head-to-head in a dental debate with Dr. MacKinnon, but I have not seen any information to suggest that fluoride does anything for adult teeth. On the other hand, I have heard of health problems associated with fluoride ingestion, including interference with normal iodine metabolism/absorption/excretion which is critical to our health. That being said...

Here is the write-up from Dr. MacKinnon:

"I now brush my teeth with baking soda and peroxide. New research on how to clean your mouth and teeth has shown that baking soda does a great job of breaking up the hard to remove oral biofilm. This same research points out the importance of regular visits to the dentist to get your teeth cleaned professionally. The heart of keeping your teeth for life is the mechanical removal of these stubborn deposits that will collect even in the face of the best flossing and brushing...

... The use of baking soda will whiten up your teeth since it can remove stains and it leaves your mouth feeling really clean. There are a lot of way s you can use baking soda. It is well researched as Dr. Keyes has studied it for 40 years. Visit his website for additional ideas about how to use this inexpensive and effective dental cleaning material.

Additional material on this subject can be obtained at the links below:
I use his "powerful antibacterial combination"
http://www.drpaulhkeyes.com/writings/dentifrice-01.html

If you know a young lady that may become pregnant, this is a good site for oral hygiene information. I still see gum disease in some of my pregnant patients and it can lead to real problems like early tooth loss or pregnancy problems:
http://www.baby-place.com/oralhealth.html

This site shows how to use baking soda and is written in a humorous style:
http://www.frugallawstudent.com/2007/06/11/frugall-esperiment
After the author used the baking soda a few times he had bad breath (I didn't experience this) my guess is that he should have used it for a week. He would then have removed the bulk of oral biofilm that caused the bad breath. Using regular toothpaste will also help this during the transition. I still use a fluoride toothpaste once a day."