Remineralizing Tooth Powder For a Healthier Mouth

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Remedies » Remineralizing Tooth Powder For a Healthier Mouth

My remineralizing toothpaste is one of the most visited posts at Wellness Mama. Over the years I’ve had a lot of emails from people who’ve switched and love it. After I remineralized my teeth and reversed cavities, I became a convert to natural toothpaste!

The only downfall to my homemade toothpaste is that it can leave residue on sinks. Plus there’s some concern with the coconut oil if you have a septic system (like we do). I also wanted to figure out how to incorporate the benefits of healing clays into our oral health regimen. However, there were some definite texture issues with the clays and coconut oil.

What resulted was this remineralizing tooth powder and I couldn’t be happier with the results. It’s even easier to make than homemade toothpaste. Plus you can use ground herbs and spices instead of essential oils if preferred.

Choosing a Natural Toothpaste

Over the past decade, more and more natural toothpastes have come on the market. They advertise fluoride-free, sulfate-free, and natural ingredients. Some are certainly better than others, but there are some good ones on the market. I compare different natural toothpastes in this article. Or you can find the toothpaste I helped develop here (we have tooth whitening toothpaste plus a kid’s strawberry flavor!).

You’ll still find DIY products in my bathroom though because I love being able to customize my oral care products.

Why Tooth Powder?

Natural tooth powder is less messy than a tube of toothpaste. This makes it easier to travel with or take camping. I don’t have to worry about toothpaste all over my clothes if it accidentally gets squished in my suitcase. And it has a much longer shelf life since we’re not introducing any liquids.

The main ingredient in this homemade tooth powder is bentonite clay. Years ago I became a big fan of bentonite clay for its amazing health properties. Not only does it bind and draw out heavy metals and toxins (a big plus for the mouth!), but it’s also mineral rich.

You can take bentonite internally to help remove toxins, so it’s safe to use in the mouth. Be sure to get food-grade bentonite clay though! The one I have linked in the recipe below is safe to use internally. In recent years there’s been talk about the lead naturally found in bentonite clay. While there is a tiny amount of lead (like many things), it’s bound within the clay and not bioavailable. You can read more about that here.

Bentonite is also rich in calcium, magnesium, and silica to help nourish teeth. So how does it work? Bentonite clay is unique because once mixed with water the molecules develop an electrical charge. This charge attracts and soaks up toxins, drawing them into the inside of the clay structure and holding them there.

To put it another way…

Bentonite is a swelling clay. When it becomes mixed with water it rapidly swells open like a highly porous sponge that traps toxins. It’s also very gentle and has a milder taste. I use it for facial masks, healing poultices, and even my hair.

Healthy Tooth Powder Ingredients

The other tooth powder ingredients also support a healthy oral microbiome. The blend of herbs and minerals fights bad breath and leaves your mouth feeling squeaky clean. For a pure mint flavor you can use more mint and omit the cinnamon and clove. You can adjust the amount of powder to your preferences. Personally, I love the balanced blend of organic peppermint powder, cinnamon, and refreshing clove.

  • Baking soda – Helps remove stains and whiten teeth but it’s gentle enough that it won’t harm enamel. Helps remove plaque and reduces gum bleeding and inflammation. Because it’s alkaline it supports a healthy mouth pH to discourage harmful bacteria.
  • Calcium Carbonate powder – Provides the calcium needed for strong enamel and can help reduce tooth sensitivity.
  • Ground cloves – Naturally antioxidant and a broad spectrum antimicrobial. Clove freshens breath, increases circulation for healthier gums, soothes inflammation, and can reduce the pain of sensitive teeth. It also gives the tooth powder a yummy taste.
  • Cinnamon – Also antimicrobial and antifungal (especially against candida). Tastes great and helps discourage bacterial growth in the mouth for fresh breath. Reduces gum inflammation and increases circulation.
  • Mint – Tastes great and soothes the gums. Mint is antimicrobial, helps relieve tooth pain, and freshens breath. There’s also some evidence it can help fight the virus that causes cold sores.
  • Xylitol – This sweetener adds to the tooth powder flavor but also has some impressive oral health benefits. Studies show it helps fight plaque and gingivitis inflammation. It also helps prevent cavities and binds with calcium to help remineralize teeth.

Adding Essential Oils

It’s completely optional, but you can add some essential oils to your tooth powder. They’re a potent way to increase the oral health benefits. Most antimicrobial essential oils are strong so a little goes a long way. When I add essential oils to this recipe, I just add a few drops total per batch.

Here are some essential oils to try in your DIY tooth powder!

The great thing about this tooth powder is you can customize the flavor however you want. You can add essential oils to increase the potency or leave them out for a milder taste (that even my kids like).

remineralizing tooth powder
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4.37 from 135 votes

Remineralizing Tooth Powder

This homemade tooth powder uses ingredients that rebuild enamel, freshen breath, and detox your mouth.
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

Instructions

  • Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to mash any clumps and mix in any essential oils (if using).
  • Store in a small glass jar with a lid.
  • To use, place some powder in your palm and dip a wet toothbrush into the powder. Brush and rinse.

Notes

You can customize the powder to your taste and all of the herbal ingredients are optional. Create your own flavor with the herbs and essential oils of your choice.

How to Use Tooth Powder

Dump a little powder into your palm and dip the bristles of a wet toothbrush into the powder. Sometimes I’ll also add a few drops of the OraWellness Brushing Blend. Brush and rinse with cool water. Adults and kids can use this daily (or multiple times a day). Follow it up with some mouthwash or flossing if needed.

Shelf Life and Storage

This tooth powder will last for several years if stored properly. Store away from direct light and heat (like the car in summer). While it doesn’t have any water and the ingredients are antimicrobial, be sure to avoid getting the tooth powder jar wet. Always put a little powder into your palm before applying it to a wet toothbrush. Never dip the brush into the jar of powder as this introduces bacteria.

Oral Health Regimen

My teeth have never been whiter or healthier (according to my dentist) thanks to my oral health regimen. I eat foods that support oral health and use mouth-healthy products. I don’t do the same thing every single day, but here are some of the things I use. I’ve changed it up some since I reversed my cavities and often now I’ll just use Wellnesse toothpaste.

Have you ever had success reversing a cavity? What does your oral health routine look like? Leave a comment and share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

743 responses to “Remineralizing Tooth Powder For a Healthier Mouth”

  1. Dana Avatar

    Thanks for the tip. I’ve been brushing with plain baking soda, but this seems more thorough. 

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      It can, or you could substitute calcium powder too, bentonite is just great for the teeth.

  2. Kirsten Haughey Avatar
    Kirsten Haughey

    I’ve been using this recipe as written (including the OraWellness Brushing Blend) for about two weeks now, but I have noticed a slight brownish tinge on my teeth. Also, after I brush, I find the mint/cinnamon/cloves stuck in my teeth. Any suggestions?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Try using the brushing blend after the tooth powder… you can actually omit the cinnamon and cloves too if you’d prefer..

  3. Daniella Avatar
    Daniella

    So I’ve been using this a couple days and it feels pretty gritty.  Is it supposed to feel that way?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      It will feel slightly gritty on your teeth but should leave them feeling smooth after rinsing…

  4. Holly Avatar

    I LOVE this! My sons and I just finished making this, and the three of us brushed out teeth immediately. All three of us showed improvement right already – after just one brushing! Our teeth feel so much cleaner than with conventional toothpaste. I can’t wait till my hubby gets home from work so he can try it. Thank you for another great recipe! 🙂

  5. Auroone Avatar
    Auroone

    how long did take you and your husband to health your cavities?

      1. Natalie Avatar

        I read earlier in the thread that you are taking supplements as part of healing your cavities. What supplements are you taking? Please advise.

        1. Lynn Doyle Avatar
          Lynn Doyle

          Superhumanradio reccommends:
          1000 mg calcium + Vit D
          one tbs lecithin powder (phosp)
          4 g Vit C (sodium/calcium ascorbate)

  6. Jennie Van Heuit Avatar
    Jennie Van Heuit

    I’m intrigued! It seems like the supplies to try this are going to cost me about $50, though. Does that seem right to you? Thanks!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Unfortunately, the natural ones can be expensive up front, but that will probably make enough powder for a year or more…

  7. Peg O'brien Avatar
    Peg O’brien

    I’ve been using just baking soda and peppermint EO for quite some time now, but will definitely be trying this recipe. I found that dipping a wet toothbrush in the powder wasn’t working very well for me, so now I mist the toothbrush with some peroxide and use a small squeeze bottle to add the powder. Seems to work ok. I did notice that a lot of the elements that are in the Brushing Blend are already in this powder, so I may just add the missing ones and skip the BB.

  8. Crills Avatar

    I want to make this…. I’m ordering from amazon. The calcium magnesium link you have is to a plain calcium citrate? Does it need to be cal-mag citrate powder? Help!?!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Either one will work.. the cal mag was out so the cal citrate was in stock. If you can find cal mag it will work great too.

  9. flanagan Avatar
    flanagan

    I’ve been using this powder, but my family is not fond of the brown-ness because of the cloves and cinnamon powders.  Do you think if I use essential oil clove and cinnamon instead of the powders it would  work just as well?

  10. Sherry Avatar

    I have a question about using the bentonite clay when you have amalgam fillings. Could this detox effect  make one sick with these type fillings? I have been using your previous recipe with coconut oil, calcium, stevia, etc but it gets very hard in bathroom with a/c on.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      It shouldn’t be able to move enough mercury to cause a detox reaction and should bind to it rather than releasing into the body, but I’d consult a holistic dentist if you’re worried about it.

      1. Marcia Avatar

        This is where I’m completely confused. If bentonite absorbs toxins as you said above…

        ““Bentonite is a swelling clay. When it becomes mixed with water it rapidly swells open like a highly porous sponge. From here the toxins are drawn into the sponge through electrical attraction and once there, they are bound.”

        …and BINDS them, then why would it be safe to use it as a source of calcium, magnesium, etc., for remineralizing teeth?

        1. Tami Avatar

          That’s what the calcium powder is for (in my case, I use a mixture of Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Carbonate (separate and then mixed together)) – as well as Concentrace Mineral Drops if desired.

  11. Phillip Avatar
    Phillip

    Could you add coconut oil to this recipe to make it into a paste like your earlier recipe?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Yep, sure could. Or even water if you made it in smaller amounts since the clay absorbs water and forms a paste.

  12. Loe Avatar

    You don’t mention flossing? Don’t you floss at all? Why/why not?!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I do occasionally but notice that things like diet, supplements and the toothpaste make a much bigger difference in oral health for me.

  13. Jenny P Avatar
    Jenny P

    I tried this recipe and I must have chosen wrong on the soap because it tasted horrible!  I made it like you said but had some Dr. Bonners peppermint scented soap that I used for the castile soap (I honestly thought it would work fine.)  But I can’t get over the taste.  Was I wrong in my thinking?  I hope so and I hope you’ll tell me that plain castile soap is not as bad as I really need to do something for my teeth! 

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Did you make this recipe as the powder or the paste? What ingredients did you use?

      1. Jenny P Avatar
        Jenny P

        I’m sorry, I meant to comment on your paste recipe instead of this one.  I used 5 parts Calcium Carbonate, 2 parts Baking Soda, 3 parts Xylitol, 1 part Dr. Bonners Peppermint castille soap, and 5 parts coconut oil.  I understand that stuff like this probably won’t be the best tasting stuff in the world, but it was so bad I don’t think I can get over it.  So I was hoping you’ll tell me that the Dr. Bonners stuff was the problem (that seemed to be the taste I was troubled by most.)  But I could always try the your dry tooth powder too.

        1. Wellness Mama Avatar
          Wellness Mama

          You can definitely leave out the Dr. Bronners if you don’t like the taste. Your teeth will still get very clean with the polishing action of the calcium and baking soda. You could also try to add some essential oils or more Xylitol to help cover the taste…

          1. Jenny P Avatar
            Jenny P

            Ok, thanks for the reply.  I’ll try that since I still have everything. 

    2. Jenny P Avatar
      Jenny P

      Sorry, I meant to comment on your other recipe.  Never mind 🙂

  14. flanagan Avatar
    flanagan

    Sorry for yet another question about Calcium!  What about Calcium Carbonate instead of the Mag?

  15. Gracia Avatar

    The link for the calcium magnesium takes me to Now Foods Calcium Citrate on Amazon. Is it the same?

  16. Gabrielle Avatar
    Gabrielle

    Thanks for the recipes! I was wondering about Calcium Citrate–it’s the calcium salt of citric acid and an acidic form of calcium so I’m worried that it would have an negative impact on enamel (like lemon juice). What do you think? Thanks a lot!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      It still has an alkalizing effect in the mouth, but any other calcium or cal mag with an -ate ending is fine…

      1. Gabrielle Avatar
        Gabrielle

        Awesome! Thanks! There’s just to much info out there it’s kind of overwhelming!

  17. kathy Avatar

    im confuse. there is this recipe and the one for toothpaste. do they both do the same thing?  if so does one work better than the other. if this is all i can do will it still work without the diet changes ? thanks

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      They both work similarly, but this one doesn’t need the liquid. They will help some by themselves but you really need the dietary changes if you want to see a big difference.

      1. Stephanie b Avatar
        Stephanie b

        What dietary difference did you make?
        Is there a link on your site for that ..
        I must’ve overlooked it!

  18. Liz poch Avatar
    Liz poch

    I have a question about the calcium magnesium powder you mentioned for the recipe.  The link took me to to amazon for a calcium citrate product.  Is this correct?  Or should I be ordering a calcium magnesium citrate for this recipe?   Can’t wait to try it!!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Either one would work. There is a calcium magnesium on Amazon as well that works great.

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