Sodium bicarbonate mouthwash for whiter teeth

In this short post I’ll share with you one of my favourite little tips, which is the sodium bicarbonate mouthwash.

It’s a great little recipe/tip that helps remove bad bugs from your oral cavity.

In turn, this may reduce gum diseases like gingivitis as well as freshening your breath.

Let’s take a look at some background on why the sodium bicarbonate mouthwash may be helpful to you.

Oral health and general health

The health of your mouth is very important.

Poor oral health is not just associated with oral symptoms like mouth ulcers, sore or bleeding gums, tongue pain and halitosis (bad breath).

Poor oral health is also quite strongly associated with body-wide, or systemic diseases, including lung cancer, heart disease, diabetes, eye problems, kidney disease and even lower pregnancy success and lower birth weights  in babies.

This post is not the place to go into these complications in detail, but it’s important for me to raise them into your awareness because perhaps you have unexplained health challenges that might just have something to do with your oral health.

By means of a quick example, it’s been shown that reducing gum inflammation can also reduce pain in arthritis patients. 1

Factors affecting your oral health

This is a pretty complex topic and impossible to cover in detail in this post.

However, here’s a basic list of the factors that affect your oral health:

• Diet – a diet low in nutritional value and high in processed food (it’s not just about calcium and teeth, it’s about gum health, which needs other nutrients)
• Nutritional deficiencies – B vitamins, vitamin C, co-enzyme Q10 are all important gum health nutrients; for example, the more vitamin C you have in your blood, the less gum bleeding you’ll suffer 2
• Dysbiosis – this is where too many bad bugs grow, causing gum inflammation (gingivitis) and periodontal disease; some of the key “bad bugs” include
• Amalgam fillings – amalgams are approximately 50% mercury and this can cause major health challenges for people
• Root canals – can get infected and lead to subtle or serious complications
• Extractions – again can get infected
• Other dental materials – some folk have allergies to dental materials

I’ve written about these issues elsewhere, notably in my online members’ area.

I take members through a step-by-step oral health checklist to make sure they know precisely what to do in order to maintain a healthy mouth!

Could H pylori be associated with gum disease?

You may well be receiving this information because you were researching H pylori and H pylori symptoms at some point.

It’s worth noting that H pylori has been found in mouth – in dental plaque and saliva (3) but the importance of this is not clear.

Some people – including dentists – suggest that H pylori can cause symptoms in the mouth.

Others suggest it may hang around in the mouth and then cause reinfection once it has supposedly been eradicated from the stomach.

A review of eight research papers on the topic, which was published in 2014, concluded:

“Based on the systematic review of the available literature on H pylori infection and its presence in the oral cavity, it can be concluded that dental plaque can act as a reservoir, and proper oral hygiene maintenance is essential to prevent reinfection.” 4

There’s little doubt in my mind that H pylori reinfection can happen as a result of poor oral hygiene and a lack of understanding in the medical system about the situation.

H pylori, vitamin C and oral health

On another related note, and just by means of a “heads-up”, research indicates that H pylori infections lead to reduced levels of vitamin C, both in the stomach and in general circulation.

I’ve written about this in my book, H pylori: From Heartburn To Heart Attacks, which you can learn about here.

You can also read research on the topic here.

How can a regular sodium bicarbonate mouthwash help you?

Obviously a sodium bicarbonate mouthwash is not going to address problems such as mercury in infected root canals, amalgam fillings, vitamin C deficiencies, diet and other reasons for poor oral health.

Nor does it substitute for proper oral care and advice from a trained and qualified dentist.

What a sodium bicarbonate mouthwash CAN do is help restore a more favourable oral flora, or microbe balance, and reduce the acidity of your mouth, which is one of the main reasons for tooth decay.

Benefits of a sodium bicarbonate mouthwash

Holistically minded dentists and researchers will tell you that the more acidic your mouth, the more problems you’ll likely have with accelerated tooth decay.

Sodium bicarbonate tends to maintain a pH of 8.1 (7 is neutral, and below 7 becomes progressively more acidic).

Theoretically, sodium bicarbonate helps to increase your oral pH (making it LESS acidic).

Dr. Paul H. Keyes D.D.S., clinical investigator at the National Institute of Dental Research, maintained that regular brushing with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) prevents all destructive periodontal (gum) disease.

He also said that he had “never seen periodontal (gum) problems in patients who used salt or baking soda dentrifice with any degree of regularity.”5

In a paper documenting the problems associated with acidic plaque formation, Laurence Walsh says that acid plaque fermentation can be reduced by rinsing with sodium bicarbonate solution, to both buffer plaque acids. 6

Finally, Camile S Farah, Associate Professor, School of Dentistry and The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research and colleagues state:

“A mouthwash can be prepared by dissolving one teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in a glass of water. It is recommended in patients suffering from xerostomia (dry mouth) or erosion due to its ability to increase salivary pH and suppress the growth of aciduric micro-organisms such as Streptococcus mutans. Sodium bicarbonate can improve taste and it neutralises acids and thus prevents erosion. It is bland and will not irritate the oral mucosa in patients with xerostomia or oral ulcerative disease.”7

Ultimately, the use of a sodium bicarbonate mouthwash may:

• Remove plaque and stains from your teeth
• Reduce tooth decay
• Freshen your breath
• Whiten your teeth
• Improve your taste sensation

Important considerations about the efficacy of a sodium bicarbonate mouthwash

As stated above, using this recipe/technique isn’t designed to replace professional dental care and advice.

I’ve found that the mouthwash does help, but it cannot overhaul problems linked with your diet, nutrient status, toxins, or other complications.

So don’t expect this technique to be a miracle cure for existing dental problems you may have, but do use it as a powerful preventative measure.

How to make your sodium bicarbonate mouthwash

You can grab sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) from supermarkets or pharmacies.

It’s pretty simple:

1. Prepare 1 cup or glass of filtered water.
2. Add ½-1 tsp of sodium bicarbonate
3. Stir the mixture well until the sodium bicarbonate dissolves.
4. Pour the baking soda mouthwash into a bottle or jar that seals.

How to use your sodium bicarbonate mouthwash

Precisely how you use this little technique isn’t set in stone.

I like to use it as a gargle to rinse my mouth out before I brush my teeth in the morning, and before bed.

Here’s a suggested protocol:

• Use twice a day as part of your daily oral health regimen.
• Rinse every 3 to 4 hours if you are having mouth sores (be aware that mouth sores/ulcers have a root cause, which is often infection or nutrient deficiencies, which can easily be avoided/resolved).
• Gargle the mouthwash for 30 seconds and spit out.
• Rinse your mouth with water.
• Do not swallow the mouthwash.
• You can also dip your toothbrush into the solution when brushing.
• Keep the baking soda mouthwash stored in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
• Keep away from small children to avoid accidental ingestion.

How to incorporate the sodium bicarbonate mouthwash into your overall health routine

To get the most out of the mouthwash, I recommend you incorporate it alongside a healthy eating and lifestyle plan like the one in The H Pylori Diet.

Optimising your oral health at the same time as your gut health is an powerful way to overcome gum bleeding, sore gums, oral thrush, mouth ulcers and bad breath.

Remember that H pylori can live in your mouth, so optimal oral health is pretty important in preventing reinfection.

We want your feedback!

Please let us know how you get on with your mouthwash, and feel free to leave any other questions and comments below!

Best,

Dave.