Baking Soda's Benefits

star ingredient that plays a multiple role in millennial toothpastes is baking soda—a dental grade of the very same nontoxic, nonscratching, all-natural powder that is used as a gentle but effective grease-and-dirt-dissolving household cleaner and deodorizer, as an antacid—and, because of its aerating abilities—for dough leavening, too. Made from soda ash, sodium bicarbonate (as baking soda is also known) has a mild alkalinity; it helps living things maintain a healthy pH balance. Baking soda is a consummate oral care ingredient, says Ernest Newbrun, DMD, PhD, professor emeritus of oral biology and periodontology at the University of California at San Francisco. He cites its safety, its gentle buffering powers, and its compatibility with fluoride. Here are the specific virtues of baking soda in toothpaste: • The Fresh Factor. Baking soda has an honest, sparkling-clean taste that comes not via any extra-added flavoring ingredient, like mint or fruit essence, but is built in. Once you’ve tried the taste of baking soda, chances are you’ll be hooked for life. What’s more, using a baking soda toothpaste will reinforce the specific clean-scrubbed sensation of the big-blast baking-soda–prophy phase some dental offices offer as a part of the professional cleaning procedure. For the many connoisseurs who love and crave that inimical spray of baking soda onto the teeth and gums (and sometimes eyelids), baking soda tooth-paste is an easy way of achieving a taste of it at home. • The Clean Factor. Recent studies indicate that baking soda in high concentrations (as are found in most Arm & Hammer toothpastes, www.myoralcare.com) is better able than other cleaning agents to break down into tiny particles that penetrate enamel crevices and remove food particles and deep stains. • The Gentle Factor. Baking soda is less abrasive than virtually any other cleaning agent used in toothpastes. That means less wear and tear on the teeth. Unlike other buffing agents, baking soda is a soft mineral that is also water-soluble, so it provides effective cleaning with low abrasion—despite its slightly “gritty” feel. • The Breath Factor. Baking soda aids in controlling the bacteria that produce the volatile sulfur compounds known to cause bad breath. Regular use of baking soda in oral hygiene creates a chemically altered environment in the mouth that discourages sticky plaque and odor-causing germs.