How to Treat Gingivitis With Baking Soda

Gingivitis is a significant oral disease, and only a qualified dentists should formally treat it. However, as a preventative measure or as a part of a normal oral hygiene program, baking soda makes an effective tool to help treat gingivitis. By using baking soda along with brushing and flossing, you can reduce the effects of the disease and help prevent it from returning.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baking soda
• Cup
• Hot water
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Toothbrush
• Dental floss
• Saltwater

1. Place 2 to 3 tsp. of regular baking soda in a small cup when you get ready to brush your teeth.

2. Add 1 to 2 tsp. of hot water to the cup. The hotter the water, the better, though it shouldn't be boiling or hot enough to scald you.

3. Stir a capful of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide into the cup. As you stir, the mixture should form a thick paste.

4. Work the mixture into the pockets of your gums and the gaps between your teeth where food deposits can build up. You can do this with your finger or by dipping a length of dental floss into the mixture and flossing between your teeth as normal. This step isn't necessary to treat mild cases of gingivitis, but it still has benefits anyhow.

5. Dip your toothbrush into the mixture and brush as normal. Make sure you are brushing along the edge of the gum line: this is where plaque and tartar build up, and you must treat this area if you want to prevent gingivitis.

6. Rinse your mouth with warm salt water, which you can make by simply adding a few spoonfuls of table salt to a cup of warm tap water. Swish the water around for at least 30 seconds before spitting it out in the sink.

7. Repeat the process at least twice a week. The baking soda will help disinfect your mouth and clean it of bacteria, as well as act as a mild abrasive to scour your teeth. You can increase the number of times per week you treat your teeth in this manner, depending on the severity of the infection and any recommendations from your dentist.

Tips & Warnings

• Many companies make toothpaste and other oral products that contain baking soda. Arm & Hammer--the go-to resource for baking soda--produces toothpaste products, which can make the process easier (see Resources below).
• Measurements need not be exact when you treat gingivitis with baking soda. A good guideline is helpful, but don't worry if you add a little more or a little less of a given ingredient when preparing a mixture.

Resources

• Dentist.net for Arm & Hammer toothpaste with baking soda

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