Is Baking Soda Actually Good for Your Teeth?

If you’re a fan of DIY dental care, you’ve probably heard of using baking soda to clean and whiten your teeth. Before you take on any DIY healthcare you read about online, it’s important to do your research. Using baking soda too regularly could cause irreversible damage to your enamel. However, that doesn’t mean you should never use baking soda on your teeth. Let’s explore if baking soda is actually good for your teeth now.

What is Baking Soda?

In many people’s homes, baking soda doesn’t leave the kitchen. But baking soda actually has a tremendous variety uses. From cleaning your bathroom to making your clothes smell better, it’s pretty amazing to see what baking soda can do.
Technically speaking, baking soda is a salt called sodium bicarbonate. It usually comes in the form of white powder, though it can also be seen as a small crystal. Along with a host of other uses, baking soda has become a popular ingredient for cleaning teeth

Why Do People Use Baking Soda On Their Teeth?

So why would people use a popular baking ingredient on their teeth? Well, baking soda has actually proven to provide some pretty great teeth cleaning benefits. According to the Journal of Clinical Dentistry, those who brushed their teeth with baking soda experienced significantly better plaque removal than those who brushed their teeth without baking soda.
Baking soda has also been found to effectively remove surface stains on teeth, making them look whiter. However, baking soda can only help with surface stains. For more severe stains, you will want to speak to your dentist about professional teeth whitening treatments. Finally, it can also make your breath smell better and it’s incredibly cheap - typically around $1 for a box that will last a while.
How does a simple household product provide all of these benefits? Baking soda is made up of a chemical compound that makes it a mild abrasive. Baking soda’s abrasiveness allows it to clean stains off of your teeth so well. Though the American Dental Association (ADA) has not approved brushing teeth with just baking soda, they have accepted toothpaste with baking soda in it.

How Can Baking Soda Be Bad For Your Teeth?

Just because baking soda has been found to be good for your teeth in some instances doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious with it. Overdoing it with baking soda can cause irreversible damage to your teeth. And, like we mentioned above, the ADA has not approved brushing your teeth with pure baking soda.
Since baking soda is abrasive, you can cause irreversible damage to your teeth’s enamel by eroding it if you continue to use it over time. This erosion can cause your teeth to become sensitive and makes you more vulnerable to cavities.
Baking soda also doesn’t contain fluoride, so you will need to use a regular toothpaste as well to ensure your teeth stay strong and to prevent cavities.
Finally, you will want to avoid using baking soda on your teeth if you wear braces or permanent retainers. Baking soda can soften the glue in braces and permanent retainers. The last thing you want to do is pay for new braces due to baking soda.
While baking soda can be an excellent way to keep your teeth looking and feeling healthy, you need to make sure you’re using it safely. At Water Tower Dental Care, we can recommend safe and effective dental care products that include baking soda to ensure that you are keeping your teeth as healthy as they can be. If you have more severe teeth staining than baking soda can help with, contact us to discuss professional teeth whitening. We can brighten your teeth up to eight shades in about one hour with Zoom! Teeth Whitening!