Holistic Dental Care: Big Savings, Big Reward

One of the most important resources families have is money, and for many, it is the one resource they run low on the most. Finding ways to save money is an everyday task. At Fox Family Dentistry in Burke, VA, we want to help you find savings where you can. One way to do that is to show you how supplementing your normal dental hygiene products with some easy-to-make, all-natural options can save you a ton of money. Now, the money isn’t a lot at first, but if you take these tips and apply them, you may see up to a 70 percent drop in the money you spend at the grocery store on dental hygiene products. Of course, you will still need to come in and see Dr. Fox for dental cleanings and exams. Take a look at some of the options we have to help you. Don’t forget to ask Dr. Fox or one of our team members before beginning a new hygiene regimen.

Supplement Your Dental Health With Natural Options

Homemade Toothpaste – When it comes to dental hygiene, there is no more common product purchased at the store (aside from toothbrushes) than toothpaste. A normal family of five, brushing every day the way they are supposed to, will go through the equivalent of at least a 6 oz. tube of toothpaste in about a month. That is 12 tubes of toothpaste per year at $3 – $4 per tube. So, a yearly cost of at least $36 and up to $48 in toothpaste. What if you could cut that in half for the year? What if you could bring that down to a third of the cost for the year? Would you be interested? Here is a quick, easy, and effective homemade toothpaste recipe that will allow you to bring your toothpaste cost down to rock-bottom levels and still keep your smile bright.

• It all starts with a mason jar. Add ⅔ cup of baking soda to the jar, then add a teaspoon or two of fine sea salt. The minerals in sea salt are great for your teeth. The next part of the mixture is your flavoring. You can use extract or essential oils. We suggest peppermint but feel free to substitute it with whatever taste you are looking for from your toothpaste. If you are using extract, add 1 or 2 tsp. Essential oils will take 10 – 12 drops. Adjust this amount as needed to get the desired taste right. After you mix the ingredients, it is time to start adding water. Add until you get to the consistency that you are looking for. From there, you now have the equivalent of a 5 – 6 oz. tube of toothpaste. The total cost of this recipe is between $0.65 and $1.40 each time you make it (you will spend roughly $7 for all the ingredients you need, but they will make several applications). This gives you at least a 50 percent savings over your store-bought toothpaste. Mix the natural option into your morning routine with your fluoride toothpaste, and watch the savings start coming in a tube at a time.

Projected Savings – $18 – $24 per year

Natural Mouthwash – Mouthwash or rinse is something we all should be using on a regular basis. It is great for gum health and having fresh breath. A normal family of four, using mouthwash every day, will go through a liter bottle in about a month (just like toothpaste). For a generic brand of mouthwash, you are going to pay roughly $4 per bottle. At 12 per year, you are looking at the same yearly cost as what you were getting from the toothpaste ($50). The part that is not like the toothpaste in this equation is the potential savings that you can get. This recipe that we are about to share could save you upwards of 70 percent on your mouthwash cost per year.

• You will need a container for the mouthwash. We use a mason jar (big surprise, we know). From there, you will need ½ cup of filtered water, 2 tsp. of baking soda, and 2 drops each of tea tree oil and peppermint oil (you can substitute the peppermint for something else if you wish). This will give you your first batch of mouthwash. Test it out, and see how long it takes your family to go through this amount. You can increase the recipe as needed to make more, but we suggest that you don’t exceed a two-week amount. This is not because of spoilage, but rather because the essential oils continue to mix over time, and after two weeks the taste can change. (You may still like it after two weeks.) This recipe will give you a mouthwash that costs about $0.03 per ounce. Compared to almost $0.10 per ounce of the generic mouthwash.

Projected Savings – $16 to $32 per year

Homemade Teeth Whitening – Not everyone uses dental whitening in their regular dental routine, and that is fine. Dental staining does not necessarily mean that your teeth are unhealthy. Teeth stains, however, do impact your smile’s appearance and hold it back from being all that it can be. OTC whitening that you get from the store is going to give you a moderately whiter smile in about a week or two. Professional dental whitening from Dr. Fox is a much more effective way to get whiter teeth. We use KöR whitening and can give you a smile that is up to 16 shades whiter after treatment! So, now that you have this brilliantly whiter smile, you need to keep it that way. Here is a natural whitening recipe that may help you keep your smile bright in between trips to our dental office.

• Take a few strawberries, and mash them into a pulp. Then mix a little bit of baking soda with the pulp. This will give you a paste. Spread the paste on your teeth, leave it for about five minutes, and then rinse it off. Strawberries contain malic acid, a natural enamel whitener. You will pay roughly $3 for a pound of strawberries, and you can get a pound of baking soda for a dollar or so.

Projected Savings – $15 a month over OTC solutions, $180 a year total
So, here are a few ways for you to keep your smile in top condition and save a few dollars doing it. Call our Burke, VA office today at 703-978-5253 to schedule an appointment for more dental advice and the healthiest smile possible.