Homemade toothpaste for sensitive teeth

Sooo I made toothpaste that looks like dirt, probably because I made it using a type of dirt - diatomaceous earth. Definitely seems counterproductive.

It's because I've had this really sensitive tooth that the dentist said if it continued to bother me I would need a root canal. I would brush my teeth with dog shit if someone told me it would prevent me from having to get a root canal. My fear of the dentist runs deep.

I ran across an interesting recipe for a coconut oil, baking soda, diatomaceous earth toothpaste that claimed to help 'heal' your teeth and I figured it was worth a shot. I have weird jars of hippy concoctions all over my house, what's one more?

 I kinda can't believe I didn't think of brushing my teeth with coconut oil sooner, I've been on the coconut oil bandwagon for a while now. I buy a huge tub of it and I use it for everything. "Just rub some dirt on it" has somehow transitioned into "you're fine, just rub some coconut oil on it" in my house. I eat it, I rub it all over myself, my kids, and my pets. If (*fair trade, organic) coconut oil is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Diatomaceous earth I use a lot for my chickens as a dust bath to kill mites. I realize I'm not selling this toothpaste very well. Diatomaceous earth is a substance made from fossilized single-cell diatoms (whatever that means). Apparently, it’s a fossil, ground into a very fine powder. It is a great abrasive for cleaning residue off of your teeth, and it contains something like 20 trace minerals and silica, so the theory being it helps remineralize your teeth. It's easy to find, just go to a farm store like Tractor Supply, they have a huge jug of it for $7, or plenty of options on Amazon, just make sure it's food grade.

I used a jam jar to mix the ingredients together and I just use my toothbrush to scoop out enough to brush with each morning and night. If that grosses you out you could use a little spoon to scoop it onto your toothbrush.

I've been using this toothpaste for about 2 months now. When I first started I could barely drink cold water because it hurt one of my lower back teeth so much. I am happy to report that after 2 months of using only this toothpaste I have no tooth sensitivity at all! I can swish ice cold water with no issue. And despite the fact that it looks like dirt and tastes god awful without Stevia or Xylitol, I was super surprised how clean and smooth my teeth felt the first time I used the stuff. I was buying $7 Whole Foods toothpaste, this is nice money saver making my own.


Recipe

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon diatomaceous earth (maybe start with just 1 teaspoon if you're worried about too much of a dirt factor)

Extras:
1 teaspoon (or to taste) Stevia or Xylitol powder (really bitter without a sweetener!)
Peppermint oil, orange oil, cinnamon, turmeric, clove oil or powder, lemon extract, vanilla extract, chocolate extract, whatever makes you happy.

For the kids I used a little extra Stevia, chocolate extract, vanilla extract, and a little cinnamon.

For myself I use Stevia and peppermint oil.

Next I'm going to try adding eggshell powder to the toothpaste for calcium.