# Survival > Primitive Skills & Technology >  What's the best alternative toothpaste you can get in the wild?

## alawsareps

I'm planning to live in the wild for a year but I'm concern with my teeth... I'm thinking of "What's the best toothpaste you can get in the wild?"

Which I could use 3 times a day in a year.

meaning..... LONG TERM USAGE

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## hunter63

That's it?.....Tooth paste?....Got everything else covered?
Interesting.

Anyway, cut a pencil size shoot from a willow bush.... make a brush out of one end, a go for it.

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## alawsareps

I said tooth paste, not brush.

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## hunter63

The willow sap will clean your teeth.

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## crashdive123

Knowing what part of the world you are going on this grand adventure would be helpful.  We don't know if we should give you advice on a jungle in the Philippines or a boreal forest in Canada.

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## LowKey

Take it with you. For a year, 6 tubes oughta do you.

Most "natural" toothpastes are nothing more than a little grit in a binder. It makes short work of getting the soft tartar off your teeth. If you are looking for flouride protection you have to bring it with you. If you are looking to keep your teeth clean, as Hunter63 said, use a willow brush and make sure you get rid of all that soft tartar. Don't let it build up, especially along the gum line or you'll get hard tartar scale and that's the stuff that causes cavities. Bacterial buildup in the soft tartar will also mess iwth your gums. Do you have a dental patch kit in your gear? Are you going to be so far from civilization that you can't get out to treat an emergency?

<Not a dentist.

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## kyratshooter

Too many people watching Nat-Geo again!  Folks, Mick Dodge does not exist!  And the Live Free or Die crew was recruited from the University of North Carolina theatre department.

Don't worry about the toothpaste, if you are planning on living in a hole in the ground under a tarp you're going to die before all your teeth fall out anyway.  

Unless your face is on a wanted poster down at the post office there is no reason one should not go to town for supplies when necessary, like all the other folks that live in the remote areas.

Most of the people "living in the wilderness" carry supplies in a ton at a time and rely on extra deliveries throughout the year.  They use regular toothpaste just like everyone else.

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## 1stimestar

This is just ONE shopping trip I did for my friends in the bush.  
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## Mischief

I would suggest grinding Humming Bird teeth and using carpenter ant saliva as a binder

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## Grizzlyette Adams

He asked..."What's the best alternative toothpaste you can get in the wild?"

Forget the paste stuff. In the days BC (Before Colgate), people did what Hunter mentioned, the twig.

Here's a little more on that. http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/sur...othbrush-field




> Tuft Of Pine Needles 
> You might be somewhere without your toothpaste, but if pine is nearby -- at least you have a toothbrush. Grab a tuft of pine needles, and give your teeth a good scrubbing. The needles leave your breath piney fresh, and if you chew them a little, you’ll also be getting a few milligrams of Vitamin C. Just skip the Loblolly Pine in the American Southeast, and the Ponderosa Pine in the American Southwest, as these two species have some toxicity.
> 
> Pounded Hardwood Twig 
> The Native Americans in my home state of Virginia were well documented in their historic use of pounded hardwood twigs as tooth brushes. Dogwood, Oak and Maple were just a few of the non-toxic hardwood varieties in use 300 to 400 years ago. These twig toothbrushes were so common in fact, that they were widely used among the colonists and slaves of Virginia.
> 
> To make a twig toothbrush, simply cut a green twig about the diameter of a pencil and just as long. Pound the end of the twig with a clean, smooth rock. Then chew this end for a minute to moisten and soften the bristles; and finally, brush away.
> 
> You can even bend the end of the twig at a 90 degree angle to get the backs of your teeth as well, which is a trick you cannot do with the pine needles.
> ...


You can ditch the toothpaste in the woods because certain woods have different antibacterial properties, and in many ways are better for you than commercial paste.  Google "twigs for toothbrush" to learn more.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...brush&start=10

Good luck to you!

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## Wise Old Owl

> Too many people watching Nat-Geo again! * Folks, Mick Dodge does not exist!*  And the Live Free or Die crew was recruited from the University of North Carolina theatre department.
> 
> Don't worry about the toothpaste, if you are planning on living in a hole in the ground under a tarp you're going to die before all your teeth fall out anyway.  
> 
> Unless your face is on a wanted poster down at the post office there is no reason one should not go to town for supplies when necessary, like all the other folks that live in the remote areas.
> 
> Most of the people "living in the wilderness" carry supplies in a ton at a time and rely on extra deliveries throughout the year.  They use regular toothpaste just like everyone else.



Damn I was so into Mick...You just ruined my weekend.... Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

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## hunter63

Still use the "twig"....kinda like the twig, ...but running outa teeth.....something about chewing on the twig.

I still like to see the plans and supplies for a year in the wilderness in addition to the tooth paste.........
Looking like a another "drive by"....ask a question, the argue with the answer......
Wot up....??????

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## natertot

First of all, can we get a little more info? What part of the world/country are you talking about? Age, sex and skill level would also help us help you.

Second of all, the primitive method is like hunter said, and it does work in my experience for short trips (1 week or less). I have also simply used a rag over the finger tip. Once again, short trips. Long term, I cannot help you.

Third of all, I agree with the toothpaste idea. It is good stuff and I typically bring the travel size on short trips, unless I forget it. Then I revert back to the twig or the rag.

@1st: Even the Alaskan Bush depends on Sam's? Man, can't get away from any form of Wally World anywhere!!!!!!

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## 1stimestar

> First of all, can we get a little more info? What part of the world/country are you talking about? Age, sex and skill level would also help us help you.
> 
> Second of all, the primitive method is like hunter said, and it does work in my experience for short trips (1 week or less). I have also simply used a rag over the finger tip. Once again, short trips. Long term, I cannot help you.
> 
> Third of all, I agree with the toothpaste idea. It is good stuff and I typically bring the travel size on short trips, unless I forget it. Then I revert back to the twig or the rag.
> 
> @1st: Even the Alaskan Bush depends on Sam's? Man, can't get away from any form of Wally World anywhere!!!!!!


Lol they could and they have.  They just chose not to any more because they don't need to.

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## kyratshooter

Hey!!!

I don't see any Little Debbies on that cart, nor HO-HOs or Twinkies.  Not even a Snowball!

How can they live in the bush without Twinkies?

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## randyt

I use baking powder and a teeth brush, y'all can use a tooth brush but I have more than one tooth to brush LOL

Many years ago I read a editorial in TMEN about using soap as a tooth cleanser, yuk. Yesterday I was researching another subject and came across another Dr. recommending soap. Something about biofilm.

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## 1stimestar

> Hey!!!
> 
> I don't see any Little Debbies on that cart, nor HO-HOs or Twinkies.  Not even a Snowball!
> 
> How can they live in the bush without Twinkies?


I did another similarly sized load two days later.  They had some planes coming in to pick up clients and had empty inbound space.  THAT'S where the good stuff was.

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## TXyakr

Baking soda not powder (sodium bicarbonate) not much of it once a day works well. The most important thing is to avoid sugars. A friend of my parents was a dentist who traveled from indigenous village to village working on primitive people's teeth. He said that in areas where sugar cane had not been introduced the people had excellent teeth (no regular access to tooth paste or manufacturered brushes which were exotic luxury items). But when cane, candy and liquor were introduced there dental health deterioration dramatically. One indigenous man I personally knew died of an absessed tooth when there was no outside heath provider there. Don't be "that guy".

Many antiseptic and/or anti bacterial plant oils work well. Depends on where you are going. Sea salt may work. Neem oil or just the stick from plant is OK, coconut oil, long list of plants and minerals. Some primitive people just use sand or fire place ash but that can give you mouth ulcers and bacteria.

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## randyt

Actually I meant baking soda, in my area it is typically from arm and hammer.

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## LowKey

Not enough cat food. Definitely not enough cat food....

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## hunter63

.....Yeah, In Alaska, if you don't feed the cat enough...they eat you.....

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## primitiveskills

You have a valid question, it is just irrelevant if you are going to be eating a wild diet. Tooth decay is rampant in white flour cultures because processed white flour, corn syrup and other simple carbs (sugars) are wreaking havoc on our overall health, including our teeth. When you shift from a nutrient poor and calorie rich modern diet to a wild diet that is nutrient rich and carb lean, the flora and fauna that promote tooth decay. If you are committed to healthy oral hygiene in the bush, a primitive plant known as scouring rush or horse tail has enough silica in it to scrub the bluing off a firearm. More gentle and better effect is to rinse with a strong plant tea (decoction) contains tannic acid. This phytochemical is highly astringent and hostile to bacteria. It has been shown to tighten the gums, relieve the pain and expedite the healing of bleeding gums and mouth sores, and kills the destructive flora responsible for tooth decay. Just be sure to rinse and spit. Ingesting tannins in quantity will tan your digestive tract and is considered an anti nutrient. We use a strong tannin teas in pine bark wash basins at the entrance to our latrine areas as well as the entrance to our food prep area. These washes help disrupt the vector chain and are a critical piece to our field hygiene protocols for long term outings.

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## finallyME

Somehow I missed this when the poster was actually around.  Anyways...charcoal makes a great toothpaste.  Just take a COLD piece out of the fire and crunch it up.  Rinse, repeat.

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## taimatCompany

> I'm planning to live in the wild for a year but I'm concern with my teeth... I'm thinking of "What's the best toothpaste you can get in the wild?"
> 
> Which I could use 3 times a day in a year.
> 
> meaning..... LONG TERM USAGE


So, toothpaste in the old days was something called "Pearlash" or literally, "Pearl Ash". Pearlash is baked potash, which is boiled down lye. It's a hazardous thing to make but with practice it's also very simple.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 pots (make these from clay if you don't have any)
- A watersource
- The crushed remains of a campfire. (just grind everything down to powder)
- A fire
- A kiln or high-temperature oven (optional but highly recommended. If you don't have one, they are relatively simple to build, it just takes some time, rocks, sticks, clay, check out Jas Townsend on youtube or surivival lilly - both have a few ways of building survival ovens. A really good high-temp oven can be seen on Primitive Technology's youtube channel where he builds the tile roofed hut>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73REgj-3UE )
- Strainer (could be cloth maybe or some kind of woven structure. Optional)

1. Take your fire remains, charcoal and all ash, and crush it into a powder.
2. Sprinkle the remains into a pot of water and mix thoroughly, until you get a "chocolate milk" consistency. You basically want a solution here.
3. Pour the solution into the second pot, preferably through a shirt or some kind of strainer. What you want is the colored liquid- not the actual powder. Strain and drain until all of the solids are gone.
4. The remaining liquid is *LYE* and it's *CAUSTIC* - So don't F around with it.
5. Boil the lye down to get a greyish powder. This is *potash* and has many uses. It should be able to be used as toothpaste very carefully but is sort of halfway to what we want.
6. Put a pot into a kiln with the potash in it and start the kiln/oven/whatever. You might even be able to do this over a fire if you have a cover to your pot and you get the fire hot enough. You want to bake the potash until it turns "pearly white". This is *Pearlash* and is basically what people used for baking soda before, well, baking soda. You can verify this in old dental textbooks from the 1800s. Pearlash has many, many other uses such as being used for soap, drain cleaning, glass making, fire extinguishing, a leavening agent, and like a million other things. Very useful powder. (seriously be very very careful with this. If you have a "mommy" or "daddy" then this recipe is not for you.)

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## hunter63

Hunter63 saying Hey and Welcome.....

There is a Intro section to say hello to the group at :
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Introductions

That was a great first post....Thanks for that.

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## Norman

Try Salvadora persica it is healthy for teeth, you can use it without toothpaste

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## hunter63

Hunter63 saying Hey and Welcome......
As a resident or Wisconsin, USA I don't think I would find Salvadora persica naturally around here.

Not saying that it isn't a good alternative, just not common in my area.
As you didn't mention or list where you are from, you may have access to it but most folks in the Midwest probably wont find it easily.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadora_persica

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## crashdive123

He's posting from an area that may not have it either......plenty of camels, but...............

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## Antonyraison

Charcoal from the fire of the night before... Used it numerous times.

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## Tokwan

Yep...the old Malay traditional toothpaste..wood ash, sort of charcoal, but we use the ash. Simple ash from the fire pit.

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## WalkingTree

I've taken dental assistant school. Don't have that job, cause I couldn't stand to. Too sedentary. Too indoors. But I've taken all of the courses. And was top of my class the whole way, tied with one other student. Straight A's.

I think that a lot of bushcrafty primitive methods for dental care may be ok...I'm thinking that they're just undeniable ways to clean or be some degree of antibacterial, etc. But I feel like much of it just isn't necessary in terms of what the teeth and gums need. And I feel like it's a lot of trouble using some recipe making some concoction that you might not even need. These things "work", and are safe, sure, but may not be what your teeth even need. I'll explain...

- Normally, you only need a soft bristle. No medium or firm bristles. What you need to physically clean, and what you *can* physically brush off...you can do so almost by just looking at it and giving it a dirty look. So anything more than a soft bristle is just overkill. A good perecntage of the problems people visit the dentist for is from overbrushing or being too abrasive in some sense or another, believe it or not. The physical cleaning of the teeth by a brush is the easy part. You really can almost just use your finger or bit of paper towel. Also, forget all those gosh darned brushes with weird handle shapes or bristle cuts or a mix of bristles of different materials, and definitely don't waste your time with any motorized crap - you're not trying to get the paint off of a car, and it's not that hard to do the little you need to do. I myself will get a brush that has the bristles cut at different lengths such that it looks like a wave instead of the old school straight flat cut, but that's as far as I go. By the time that a soft bristle won't do the trick, you have another issue and harder bristles or harsher brushing isn't helping, is just hurting. And that happens just by not cleaning often enough. You don't want to go 24 hours without brushing, maybe 12 hours.

- Brushing and brushing across the surface of your teeth longer than a few seconds...you're not brushing anything. There's nothing there. Stop it. And don't rub charcoal stuff with grit in it over your teeth either. If you use some of these alternative methods, just do it for about 15 seconds in any area and that's it. But using a brush...going back and forth horizontally with the bristles pointing at your front or back surfaces at a right-angle is a waste of time. You need to do two things. Make strokes up (or down) away from the gums. This does a little between the teeth, and at the same time does what you think you're doing with the horizontal back and forth stuff. Then point the bristles down (or up) towards the gumline, against your front or back surface, and brush horizontally like that...to get into the space between the teeth and gum. The spaces between your gum and teeth are among your biggest problems, not what you can see. Dentists and assistants will tell you either to not do this, or to be careful...because depending on how you do it you'll be poking the end of the bristle into your gum during the stroke each time you change direction, irritating the gums. But that just means that you need to "do it right". This cleaning of the gumline makes a huge difference. A third thing (though I said two) would be to get the chewing surfaces of your molars and premolars that have those nooks and crannies, but a brush can only go so far here anyway.

- You always hear about flossing. That's because a brush can only go so far, and it's that space between the gum and teeth that's very important, and the spaces between each teeth too. The bristles of a brush just can't get in there very far. I don't even floss though...I waterpik (with a bit of listerine in the water). That's even better, and is way easier instead of screwing around with wrapping string around my fingers and contorting my face and hands every day. Takes forever and still doesn't do as well as waterpiking. Waterpiking is so quick, so easy, and so much more effective. 45 seconds of brushing, 45 seconds of waterpiking...wham bam done.

- The only other thing I'd worry about from a modern-technology standpoint is fluoride. If you're not out there very long, no worries. If this is a concern because you're going to be out there a really long time...a thing to do is carry fluoride to add to water and swish in your mouth occasionally, or something like that. And that's still just a maybe, I suppose.

...ok, so, keeping all of the aforementioned in mind, what does this mean when you're out in the bush without toothpaste, mouthwash, brush, or floss etc? This is what I would suggest:

- Firstly, clean often. Not doing it regularly is the biggest reason you get most problems in the here and now civilized world. Within an hour or two after a meal, and/or before bedtime (by bushlife lifestyles). Every day. And a swish every morning with warm water that has some leaves in it which are supposed to be a bit antibacterial or freshening...a bush primitive tea.

- Using perhaps boiled (clean) water, use your (clean) fingers to just physically rub all of your surfaces clean.

- Make a few toothpick type of thingamajigs out of the right kind of little sticks (pine needles yay), and just get into the spaces between your teeth one at a time. Then gently get into the space between your tooth and gum. Literally dig down into that space, moving through it - *but I do mean gently...when I say "dig" into it, I mean at a microscopic scale. Measurable by a millimeter.* (by the way, flossing or waterpiking doesn't just clean this area, but it stimulates the gum to pucker up and tighten against the tooth...get more healthy. Periodontal disease is the opposite of this, which is that gap getting bigger, looser, and the gums shrinking away, exposing more tooth...which happens because it's dirty down there and gets no physical stimulation...or too much physical stimulation from overbrushing using a bad brushing technique.) Also pick into those nooks and crannies of the chewing surfaces of your back teeth (another btw - stop forgetting that rear surface behind your back-most teeth).

- After this simply physical cleaning, have a tea made from foraged leaves or whatever else that brings some degree of antibacterial quality - this step would be a key component to bush dental care. Swish. Do several swishings with different mouthfuls. Make it vigorous, use the muscles in your cheeks, tongue, and lips. Force the water through the gaps between your teeth, both directions, in each area of your mouth, with lots of force. The temperature of the warm water will loosen what needs to be loosened, the force you impart upon the water will get what you couldn't reach with a pick, and the anti-bacterial-whatever will do it's antibacterial thing.

And that's it. I feel like this is a lot easier while being a lot more effective, considering all of the things we already have to spend time and energy doing out in the bush anyway. This would do the trick, and very well. Without making it any more complicated unnecessarily. On top of that, when foraged and hunted food doesn't have as much sugar and crap in it...you have even less worries - the natural potentially funky stuff that might be in wild foods is taken care of by the antibacterial tea, not messing up the otherwise healthy biome of the inside of your mouth, and by cleaning frequently instead of going very long between cleanings.

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## Tokwan

Walking Tree...you git me all confused..can you summarize that into 10 sentences..?  :Lol:  Na'aahhh just pulling your leg...good explanation though...

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## WalkingTree

One sentence - Don't ever eat or drink anything...that's the best dental care.

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## WalkingTree

> 45 seconds of brushing, 45 seconds of waterpiking...wham bam done.


Correction. I was just guessing, not putting much thought into that part while writing. I timed myself to find out exactly: brushing, waterpiking...about 4 or 4 1/2 minutes total.

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## ChuckDT

A small box of arm and hammer will go a long ways, unless you're ultra limited on what you carry in.

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## crashdive123

> A small box of arm and hammer will go a long ways, unless you're ultra limited on what you carry in.


Why not just bring toothpaste?

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## randyt

I've been using powdered black walnut husk these days. Sprinkle it on a wet tooth brush and brush away.

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## MtMoriah

Every day I use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.  This bubbles as I brush and cleanses my teeth very well.  I also use a pinch of baking soda on each armpit which works to keep them smelling fresh.

Store bought toothpaste and deodorant is often made up of chemicals that are not very good for you or the environment.

For naturally found brushing aids perhaps wood ashes?

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## Rick

Actually, wood ash and water makes lye. I'm not certain I'm want to use that on my mouth.

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## JohnLeePettimore

> Actually, wood ash and water makes lye. I'm not certain I'm want to use that on my mouth.


That's true, but it's not that strong.  Probably helps kill bacteria, though.

To make lye that's strong, you have to use a lot of ash, and a small amount of water that stays in contact with the ash a long time.

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## crashdive123

I'm still bringing tooth paste.

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## madmax

> I'm still bringing tooth paste.


And we appreciate that.

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## crashdive123

You probably appreciate me bringing deodorant and TP even more.

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## JohnLeePettimore

IF you have homemade soap without any artificial fragrances, that works great for toothpaste.  Just wet your toothbrush and rub it on the bar for a bit.

It sounds yucky, because everyone thinks soap tastes terrible.  Actually, it has very little taste at all.  It's the artificial fragrances that taste nasty.

I brush my teeth every day with my own handmade soap, and it works great.  I follow it up with a diluted hydrogen peroxide rinse.

BTW, regular toothpaste leaves a coating of glycerin on your teeth (it helps make your teeth look shiny).  I don't know if it's harmful (search it and there are some that'll say it'll kill you, but you can find that out about just about anything), but it is a sticky substance, and I don't think that's helpful.  It is noticeable, though. If I use toothpaste to brush, the peroxide rinse afterwards foams up A LOT, whereas it's almost unnoticeable when I just use my soap.

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## randyt

speaking of soap, there was a article in TMEN years ago about using soap. It was deemed far superior to toothpaste.

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## StrangeStanley

Toothpaste can be dangerous to the environment because it contains a lot of different chemicals. That's why I try not to split it when I'm in the wild. There is a recipe of natural toothpaste also. You need to mix coconut oil with baking soda and add there some essential oils (peppermint or cinnamon). I also have a bamboo toothbrush. If I'll have to throw it away, I can be sure that there will be no plastic pollution because of it.

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## crashdive123

Mother Earth and the environment are not so delicate that a little processed toothpaste spit into it are going to cause it harm.

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

You put toothpaste in your mouth to clean your teeth, I doubt if it's dangerous to the environment.  IN fact I'm surprised it even cleans teeth.  

Alan

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

There is a plant that grows here in South Texas that is supposed to be good as a tooth cleaner.  Both the frayed stem as a brush and the compounds in the plant are supposed to accomplish that end in the even of a temporary lack of "Crest". 

I don't know the scientific or common name.  I do know what it looks like.  If I find a picture I'll get back with it.  Hope this helps.

Alan

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## Rick

People get this crazy idea that we can damage the earth. The earth could care less what we do to it. The only thing we can impact is our ability to survive on it. the earth will keep on spinning whether we are on this tiny bubble or not and in...or...a billion or so years whatever we might have done will have been more than corrected I'm sure. That should put things into proper perspective. Toothpaste not withstanding.

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

I like google earth.  It puts things in perspective.  Zoom out, and the largest mountain is insignificant.  It doesn't even make a bump on the surface.  Everything composts, eventually.  In ten thousand years?  Not even a blip on the time frame of the universe.  In ten billion years our solar system will be unrecognizable, much less a spat of toothpaste in the bushes.

Alan

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## JohnLeePettimore

> People get this crazy idea that we can damage the earth. The earth could care less what we do to it. The only thing we can impact is our ability to survive on it. the earth will keep on spinning whether we are on this tiny bubble or not and in...or...a billion or so years whatever we might have done will have been more than corrected I'm sure. That should put things into proper perspective. Toothpaste not withstanding.


You sound like Ian Malcolm from "Jurassic Park" (the book).

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## Rick

I am Ian Malcolm. From the book. At least I have been called a character a time or two.

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## JohnLeePettimore

Me, too.  One of those insults disguised as a compliment.

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## bolocal

I've always just packed along those extra tiny tooth pastes that I get from airlines or hotels.

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

Let a comet or two give us a slam dunk if you want to see climate change...

Alan

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## Chī

I use pine needle tea as a mouthwash, pine twig instead of willow(not as effective but readily available) and if you can handle the taste charcoal make great toothpaste.

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## chiggersngrits

I just pop them out, rinse them off in the creek and pop them back in. :Tooth:

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## Rick

Stick with a slow runnin' creek. It's too easy to lose a set in a fast creek. 

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## crashdive123

> I just pop them out, rinse them off in the creek and pop them back in.


Now that right there is funny............in a denturegrip kind of way.

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## KayBurton

Salt has pronounced antibacterial agents, so it can be a temporary replacement for toothpaste. Mix some salt and warm water, dip a finger, a paper towel or a napkin in this mixture and brush your teeth. However, if you have metal fillings - this method will not work for you, since salt causes corrosion.

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## Rick

Metal fillings are not metal. They are a silver amalgam. If they were metal, they would rust. As much salt as they put in our food today if fillings were metal they would last about one week.  :Yes:

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