Image by Earthworm via FlickrWe have all heard about the many uses for baking soda, the natural cleaner. But have you tried brushing your teeth with it? Baking soda has been used as a tooth cleanser for over 150 years. Somehow it got the reputation as being abrasive, therefore detrimental to the enamel. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Toothpastes are rated on a scale from 0 – 200according to their abrasiveness. This is called the RDA value or “Relative Dentin Abrasiveness”. Pure baking soda has an RDA of 7. The closest RDA to this is 35, which is Arm & Hammer baking soda toothpaste. TheRDA’s for every other tooth paste on the market just go up from here. You can read more about toothpastes and their respective RDA values here.
There are many reasons for using baking soda for brushing teeth. It is not only the least abrasive substance to use but it also whitens teeth, removes stain, and is also an effective germ killer against the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease.
