Homemade Remineralizing Toothpaste Recipe (Natural + Simple)

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I’ve mentioned before how I stopped tooth decay and helped remineralize teeth. For healthy tooth enamel, it’s important to focus on good nutrition and have a great oral care routine. If you’re dealing with sensitive teeth, this homemade remineralizing toothpaste helps reverse and prevent demineralization!

When I was actively working on my cavities I used a two-part approach. First, I addressed my mineral levels through what I ate and drank. I also used a natural remineralizing toothpaste for enamel repair. I’ve since noticed a huge improvement in tooth sensitivity and no new caries!

A Remineralizing Toothpaste

There’s a lot of information about tooth remineralization, a process many dental health professionals previously thought impossible. This article details the science behind tooth remineralization and which foods to eat (and avoid!) for success. You’ll also learn why most toothpaste ingredients, even those with natural ingredients, aren’t the best.

Conventional formulations like Sensodyne reduce tooth sensitivity with fluoride and potassium nitrate. While I’m not a fan of fluoride, there are other issues with some brands that claim they’re remineralizing.

Silica, especially in whitening toothpastes can sometimes be too harsh. The SLS added for foaming can cause mouth and gum sensitivity. Nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste has recently gained popularity as an alternative to fluoridated toothpaste, but it presents problems too. You can read more about that here.

Over the years I’ve uncovered a lot about having a healthy mouth. What I’ve found mirrors my own experience with natural, fluoride-free toothpaste and a remineralizing diet.

Don’t want to make it? Try the remineralizing toothpastes at Wellnesse!

Natural Toothpaste

I’ve definitely noticed major changes in my teeth after using this toothpaste. It gets rid of buildup to help with teeth whitening and makes them feel really clean. Others who’ve tried it have told me the same thing.

The most surprising change in my teeth was that they’re no longer sensitive to cold! For as long as I can remember, biting into anything cold (or even thinking of it!) made me shudder and hurt my front teeth. After changing my dental care I noticed I could eat cold foods without my teeth hurting. I’ve never been able to do that before!

This toothpaste recipe is kid-approved, and since it has no fluoride, it’s safe for babies, toddlers, and those with thyroid problems.

Ingredients and Substitutions

I’ve made several toothpaste recipes over the years with varying ingredients. All of them have ingredients that help strengthen enamel (and improve sensitivity) to some degree. Here are the ingredients and what they do for a healthier mouth

  • Calcium – I used to use calcium carbonate in this recipe to help rebuild enamel. While it’s still a good option, calcium phosphate is even better. You can even use finely powdered, dried eggshells for calcium if preferred. A coffee grinder works well for this.
  • Baking Soda – A gentle abrasive that helps clean teeth and reduce plaque buildup.
  • Diatomaceous Earth – Mineral rich and full of silica for strong teeth and bones. It’s also slightly abrasive to clean teeth.
  • Xylitol – Adds some sweetness to balance out the mineral taste. Xylitol also has a lot of oral health benefits and helps prevent cavities. If you prefer not to add it though you could replace it with a little stevia to taste.
  • Coconut oil – This helps pull everything together and turns it from a powder into a toothpaste. Coconut oil also helps reduce plaque, prevent gingivitis, and balances mouth bacteria. If your house is colder you can replace half of the solid coconut oil with fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil.
  • Essential oils – These add antimicrobial properties for oral health and freshen breath. Some good options include cassia cinnamon, clove, peppermint, spearmint, myrrh, or sweet orange. Start with a little and increase as desired in the recipe to avoid any irritation.
  • Mouth oil – Instead of adding essential oils, try a premade healthy mouth oil. I like this one from Wellnesse that features ingredients like manuka, and organic cinnamon and mint essential oil.

A note on abrasiveness: There’s been some concern diatomaceous earth or baking soda can be too harsh on teeth. While we don’t want to wear away enamel, DE and baking soda can be gentle options. Baking soda rings in at a 2.5 on the MOHS hardness scale compared to silica at 6 or 7. DE is even gentler than that with a score of 1 to 1.5.

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4.17 from 266 votes

Remineralizing Toothpaste Recipe

Make a remineralizing toothpaste to freshen bad breath and strengthen teeth with enamel healthy ingredients.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Yield: 4 ounces
Author: Katie Wells

Equipment

Materials

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together the calcium, diatomaceous earth, baking soda, and xylitol.
  • Add the coconut oil a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
  • Add essential oils or Balanced Mouth Blend if using.
  • Store in small glass jar.
  • Use a clean popsicle stick or spoon to scoop some out and onto a toothbrush. Do not dip the toothbrush into the jar as this introduces bacteria and cause it to spoil faster.
  • Storage and Shelf Life: Store in a cool place away from direct sunlight for up to 2 years. Replace it if it starts to smell off or look discolored.

Notes

  • The amount of coconut oil can vary you need to form a paste consistency can vary from 1 and 1/2 TBSP to 2 and 1/2 TBSP coconut oil. You can also replace half of the solid coconut oil with fractionated or MCT oil if your house is cold. This keeps it from getting too hard!
  • If you don’t have a 1/2 Tablespoon measuring spoon, it’s the same as 1 and 1/2 teaspoons.

More Natural Oral Care Options

Oral hygiene involves more than just toothpaste! Here are some more healthy mouth products to make or buy. I’ve included my brand Wellnesse for those who are too busy or just want a premade option.

The Internal Side of Remineralization

Remineralization doesn’t only happen in the mouth. Simply using a toothpaste with a higher concentration of minerals likely won’t be enough to help teeth. Remineralization is a whole-body process. In order for it to happen we need enough of certain nutrients, especially minerals and fat-soluble vitamins.

When I was actively working on remineralizing my teeth, I focused on a specific nutrient-rich diet. I also avoided foods with sugar and phytic acid and added other lifestyle factors to boost nutrient levels. You can read my daily oral health routine in this post.

Getting enough minerals and fat-soluble vitamins are important not only because they support the body as a whole, but they create more mineral-rich saliva. Our bodies need healthy saliva to deliver the necessary nutrients to teeth.

I saw the best results with this two-pronged approach: eating for oral health and using this remineralizing toothpaste!

Ever made your own remineralizing toothpaste? Let us know how it worked!

This homemade remineralizing toothpaste uses all natural and safe ingredients to naturally clean teeth and provide necessary minerals to the mouth.
Sources
  1. Dodds, M. W., Johnson, D. A., & Yeh, C. K. (2005). Health benefits of saliva: a review. Journal of dentistry33(3), 223–233.
  2. Valkenburg, C., et al. (2019). The efficacy of baking soda dentifrice in controlling plaque and gingivitis: A systematic review. International journal of dental hygiene, 17(2), 99–116.
  3. Reade. (2023). Mohs Hardness (Typical) of the Abrasives.
  4. RTS Tools. (2019). MOHS Hardness Level.

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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

1,493 responses to “Homemade Remineralizing Toothpaste Recipe (Natural + Simple)”

  1. Angela Avatar

    Can charcoal be added to this toothpaste? I add a 1/8 tsp activated charcoal to mine, but don’t know if it is contraindicated.
    Also: I had swelling and painful irritation on my oral mucosa and gums that went away after decreasing the baking soda and peppermint oil.
    I love this toothpaste and use it without xylitol.
    Any tips on “spitting” it out? the coconut oil clogged my sink and spitting in the trash is awkward and gross to me…

  2. kristen Avatar

    hi there, is it ok to use organic stevia in place of the xylitol? (it’s what I have on hand) Thanks!!

  3. Melanie Avatar

    Can you please advise about the safety of having baking soda in your mouth for those who have high blood pressure? If you have high blood pressure, you can’t consume baking soda due to the high sodium content and even if baking soda is just in the toothpaste, it’s being rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream.

    I would love to make and use this product but I’ve learned the hard way that we have to thoroughly investigate to avoid unpleasant or downright dangerous side effects, even with natural, homemade products.

    All I’ve heard are conflicting discussions, so I would love to know what you find.

    Thanks,

    1. Katie - Wellness Mama Avatar

      Great question. I’m not a doc and have never encountered this personally, so I’m not sure. When in doubt, I would say to substitute more calcium carbonate if you are able to use that safely and to air on the side of caution.

  4. Craig Avatar

    Would adding a phosphorous ingredient further improve the recipe?

    I wonder if substituting dicalcium phosphate or monosodium phosphate for some of the calcium powder (calcium carbonate) would improve the results.

    The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) already adds carbonate as a pH buffer, so maybe the carbonate from the calcium powder is not critical.

  5. Hélène Avatar

    Trace Minerals in the recipe, is this another ingredient? Or something you’re saying is in the EOs?
    Is myrrh needed regardless? Or is it an EO flavor choice?

  6. Megan Avatar

    I’ve read in a few places now that people are using ground-up eggshells instead of calcium powder. Obviously, they have to be powder thin so you don’t cut your gums. What do you think about this idea?

  7. Vicki Avatar

    Hi all, I use about 1/3 cup Baking Soda, and open capsules of NEEM (about 5), coconut oil, a few drops of peppermint extract. Keeps my mouth clean and teeth whiter

  8. sharon lindsley Avatar
    sharon lindsley

    I’ve been making my own for a while now..baking soda , Himalayan sea salt , diatomaceous earth, I just started putting calcium in it.. since I have fresh eggs it was suggested to me to use my egg shells – I rinsed them and dried them and will grind them into a powder..for paste I use coconut oil, if I’m lazy I just use it as a powder..depending on what flavor I want, I will use xylitol and usually essential oils..I’ve made some chocolate out of cacao that taste like chocolate frosting, I’ve made some with activated charcoal and also turmeric oh I also use bentonite clay for extra minerals..anyway get creative and have fun!!

  9. Jan Avatar

    I have Crohn’s Disease and have found that Xylitol, when used for oral hygiene, can still be very hard on the GI system. Something to keep in mind.

  10. Chandra Merod Avatar
    Chandra Merod

    This sounds great! I just saw a mineral toothpaste made of clays and thought of you. I’ve read your other articles and seen the produced toothpaste you recommend from your link. Primal Life Organics called Dirty Mouth. It does not have the ingredients you use here. Have you seen this and do you know anything about it? I would appreciate any info you have on it.

  11. Brenda Avatar

    I’ve been looking for a good toothpaste recipe! Could I add activated charcoal to this recipe? My husband would like to whiten his teeth a bit.

  12. M. J. Avatar

    The photo included in the article shows grapefruit seed extract. Do you still use that, and does the photo show the actual ingredients and brands you use? Links provide larger sizes, which is helpful; just curious about the products in the photo for someone with a smaller family.

  13. Heather-Jean Avatar
    Heather-Jean

    Hi. I am using your previous recipe for the Remineralizating Toothpowder & have been for at least 2 years. Recently I had such excruciating pain, that went on for weeks, starting with mouth & jaw on right side, then once that settled down, was on the left hand side. So bad that painkillers were not helping & I couldn’t eat or drink for the pain. I had needle acupuncture treatment to fix that problem, after having nasty gum treatment on the left hand side. By the time I had the right hand side gum treatment done, the pain was less & then I had the smoothing of my teeth done by the local dentist. Meantime, I had to go back onto the toothpowder recipe, to settle my teeth down, as the dentist & hygienist had recommended 2 different toothpastes & gave me sample tubes. They only upset my teeth & caused them to be very sensitive, which is why I gave up toothpaste years ago. I am still back on the toothpowder, as it always makes my teeth & mouth feel fresh & settles down any problems. In the toothpowder recipe you recommended Bentonite Clay, which took me a little while to find, but have been using that in the recipe from just weeks after I made up the first batch. I am wondering why you are now using the DE. What is the difference between the 2 & how different does one work from the other?

  14. Andrea Avatar

    Just so you’re aware, OSHA is reviewing a new ruling on silica and exposures to it. You may not want to suggest that people add Diatomaceous Earth to their pastes.

    As someone who has worked in the gardening and ag businesses for a long time, I know first hand that Diatomaceous Earth is extremely harmful, and I would never suggest anyone or anything put it in their mouths! It’s supposed to be kept out of the way of animal feeds for this reason. It will cause microscopic cuts to the digestive tract.

    Please remove that ingredient from this list and save yourself the liability. baking soda is plenty abrasive enough for polishing without causing cuts to the digestive tract – as a compound, CaCO3 dissolves in water. Silica is highly dangerous to put in this list.

  15. David Vigliotti Avatar
    David Vigliotti

    Good morning mama,
    I just wanted to weigh in lightly here, and thank you for the opportunity.
    With regards to Diatomaceous Earth, Yes it is abrasive as is baking soda and calcium powder.
    However “abrasiveness” is relative to the actual size of the grains.
    So, the finer the grit, the less abrasive effect it will have.
    Not to mention, abrasion is part of the remineralization process you are promoting…
    It is Vital to success.
    scouring the teeth (lightly) removes bad stuff,
    leaving the surface prepared to receive the desired minerals.
    The requirement for use as a toothpaste would be to reduce the grit size to as small as possible.
    Whether That is by mechanical means, like mortar and pistil, or by disolution ..
    Idk, I’ll be doing more research, myself.
    I also looked into xylitol a bit, and wasn’t tickled with what I found. You may want to rethink that ingredient.

    None the less, I was very pleased to see a DIY approach to this,
    as I have long wondered about how to go about it.
    So Thanks!,
    D

  16. Dani Avatar

    I ordered the Xylitol that is linked in the recipe but noticed that it’s actually not powder but has a grainy consistency like coarse sugar or salt. Therefore it doesn’t seem to mix well and I feel like it’s hurting my gums when using the toothpaste. Luckily I only made a small portion to try. I’m wondering if I could use stevia Powder or liquid stevia in place of the Xylitol here since I have that on hand and how much to use?

  17. Kelly Peressini Avatar
    Kelly Peressini

    Funny how people are worried about microwaves and fluoride killing them when they are using plastic to store the natural toothpaste, to boot probably not aware of how much trash they creat causing environmental destruction. That’s my rant. I am excited to try a “wet” toothpaste recipe. I am a dental hygienist and support both the pro and anti fluoride debate. It honestly depends on the individuals body, age and cavity rate. Suggestions for your page that has an amazing amount of comments would be a scroll or back to top/skip to bottom feature. Thanks for your hard work!

    1. Andrea Avatar

      Yeah, especially exposures to chemicals in those plastics – BPA and all that. put it in a glass jar!

  18. len Avatar

    there are two dentists who answer many of the questions about xylitol and calcium. dr ellie phillips and dr mark manhart. google their names and you will find the info you are looking for. as for diatomaceous earth make sure you buy food grade and not the type used for pool filters. as for coconut oil just use a jar with a screw on lid to spit the coco oil in and put in the trash when full. as for any item that is too grainy use a coffee grinder or a blender to turn them into a powder and it will blend much easier.coco oil starts to harden at 75 degrees. put the oil in the frig and you will need a jackhammer to get out of the container. look up these two dentists and you won’t have to burden wellness mama with so may questions. as a side note i am a male 92 with many issues. i want to mention that i had severe hemorrhhoids for over 40 years and found a home treatment about 6 years ago and i am cured. if anyone is interested i will write how i did it. len e.

    1. Rita Avatar

      Hi, Len

      I would like to find out more about your hemorrhoids treatment.
      Thank you!

4.17 from 266 votes (223 ratings without comment)

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