5 ms·

Weird teeth-cleaning trick that I discovered from suffering from interstitial cystitis / painful bladder syndrome (IC / BPS): toss a bit of baking soda in your

by jcrben 5y ago

Weird teeth-cleaning trick that I discovered from suffering from interstitial cystitis / painful bladder syndrome (IC / BPS): toss a bit of baking soda in your water, such as 1 teaspoon per liter. It makes it alkaline. My teeth got whiter and felt better (less of a film feeling). Baking soda is used as a cooking ingredient and shouldn't be too risky, but don't go overboard... bit of discussion on the IC / BPS aspect in the two citations below (including risks): [Effects of urine alkalinization with sodium bicarbonate orally on lower urinary tract symptoms in female patients: a pilot study](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00192-017-3492-3 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00192-017-3492-...) [Urine alkalization improves the problems of pain and sleep in hypersensitive bladder syndrome](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24224617 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24224617) UPDATE: Also check edathamil toothpaste as I mentioned in a below comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329165 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329165

xxpor 5y ago
Isn't baking soda a fairly common ingredient in toothpaste? (See arm and hammer brand toothpaste)
- jcrben 5y ago
  Yep. Altho I've been using LivFresh which contains edathamil [1] and has no baking soda. The benefit of it being in your water is that you get that constant little flush of it [1] [Effects of a Novel Dental Gel on Plaque and Gingivitis: A Comparative Study](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d87n65m https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d87n65m)
- caturopath 5y ago
  Yes, very much so -- "natural" types have been known to recommend just using baking soda instead of toothpaste. FWIW, brushing is the more important part (even without paste it probably does most of the good), but modern toothpastes are better than baking soda because they are more abrasive and because they contain fluoride. Baking soda's main utility for toothbrushing is its abrasiveness, but it's a little too soft to be optimal. To get the most out of your toothpaste's fluoride, spit out your toothpaste and do not immediately rinse. You don't want to swallow large amounts of toothpaste, of course, but the film does more good than harm -- https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-keep-your-teeth-clean/ https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-keep-your-t... "Don't rinse your mouth immediately after brushing, as it'll wash away the concentrated fluoride in the remaining toothpaste."
_Microft 5y ago
Is the water with baking soda meant for drinking or for brushing your teeth with?
- jcrben 5y ago
  Drinking. In my case I'm trying to alkalize my urine to address IC / BPS... but if you just want the dental benefits you can treat it like a mouthwash
- rapjr9 5y ago
  My dentist said that chefs have a lot of problems with tooth decay since they do so much taste testing, so she recommends they keep a glass of water with some baking soda mixed in handy to rinse with after tasting.
Scoundreller 5y ago
Urine alkalinization will also slow down your kidney's excretion of alkaline drugs and their metabolites. And speed up excretion of acidic drugs. https://tmedweb.tulane.edu/pharmwiki/doku.php/ph_effect_on_drug_elimination https://tmedweb.tulane.edu/pharmwiki/doku.php/ph_effect_on_d... And yes, you definitely don't want to overdo it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk-alkali_syndrome#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk-alkali_syndrome#History
- afterburner 5y ago
  > Urine alkalinization will also slow down your kidney's excretion of alkaline drugs and their metabolites. And speed up excretion of acidic drugs. So... overall good or bad?
  - Scoundreller 5y ago
    Depends if you took too little or too much. But even if you took too little, the drug may get broken down in other ways before you get rid of it for good.
cmckn 5y ago
A teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a glass of cold water is also the absolute best, instant cure for heartburn. TUMS could never.
- jrockway 5y ago
  I like it too. I do wonder about the health effects; you end up consuming a lot of sodium by drinking baking soda. I see in one of the studies they gave patients 8 grams of baking soda a day, which is more than you'd need to relieve heartburn. But, the study doesn't mention sodium and the effect on blood pressure at all, nor is it a long-term study. I think that as terrible as chewing chalk is, calcium is better than sodium.
  - cmckn 5y ago
    A teaspoon of baking soda has about 1200mg of sodium, which is about half of your daily allowance. If you have heartburn regularly enough that this intake is worrisome, I'd say a prescription would be a better option for you. I also prefer the baking soda over TUMS because it usually makes me burp, which feels soo good after it works its magic >_<
- eyelidlessness 5y ago
  I was going to mention this too, as well as some of the other warnings. I’ll also add that while it’s extraordinarily effective, 1. It can be counterproductive if you’re experiencing acid reflux, particularly if you’re laying down. The acid neutralization produces a lot of gas (you’ll burp a lot), which can flush acid up your esophagus before it can be neutralized. It’s awful and packaging that discusses its antacid usage explicitly recommend against use with reflux and heartburn caused by overeating for a reason. 2. Excessive usage can also be counterproductive. The more you regulate your internal acidity, the more your body will try to find balance, and you risk over-producing digestive acids even without triggers if you use this regularly. I’m relating both from painful experience. By all means, keep some bicarb handy! Just don’t overdo it.
  - Godel_unicode 5y ago
AppleCandy 5y ago
I highly recommend everyone to keep in the bathroom cupboard a cup of baking soda submerged in water to make it paste-like. Rub a finger-tip's worth of wet baking soda over your tongue after you've flossed and brushed your teeth and tongue (tongue cleaning is important - I use my toothbrush). Then rinse mouth and teeth with this baking soda and saliva for a minute or so, before spitting out. This is the most effective addition to a mouth cleansing routine I've found. I may apply this wet baking soda "paste" multiple times a day, especially after eating or when I feel a rise in mouth acidity. Also, when I happen to get acid reflux or know I'm going to throw up I pre-emptively keep baking soda in my mouth to protect my teeth from acidity.

by jcrben 5y ago

xxpor 5y ago

Isn't baking soda a fairly common ingredient in toothpaste? (See arm and hammer brand toothpaste)

jcrben 5y ago
Yep. Altho I've been using LivFresh which contains edathamil [1] and has no baking soda. The benefit of it being in your water is that you get that constant little flush of it [1] [Effects of a Novel Dental Gel on Plaque and Gingivitis: A Comparative Study](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d87n65m https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d87n65m)
caturopath 5y ago
Yes, very much so -- "natural" types have been known to recommend just using baking soda instead of toothpaste. FWIW, brushing is the more important part (even without paste it probably does most of the good), but modern toothpastes are better than baking soda because they are more abrasive and because they contain fluoride. Baking soda's main utility for toothbrushing is its abrasiveness, but it's a little too soft to be optimal. To get the most out of your toothpaste's fluoride, spit out your toothpaste and do not immediately rinse. You don't want to swallow large amounts of toothpaste, of course, but the film does more good than harm -- https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-keep-your-teeth-clean/ https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-keep-your-t... "Don't rinse your mouth immediately after brushing, as it'll wash away the concentrated fluoride in the remaining toothpaste."

_Microft 5y ago

Is the water with baking soda meant for drinking or for brushing your teeth with?

jcrben 5y ago
Drinking. In my case I'm trying to alkalize my urine to address IC / BPS... but if you just want the dental benefits you can treat it like a mouthwash
rapjr9 5y ago
My dentist said that chefs have a lot of problems with tooth decay since they do so much taste testing, so she recommends they keep a glass of water with some baking soda mixed in handy to rinse with after tasting.

Scoundreller 5y ago

Urine alkalinization will also slow down your kidney's excretion of alkaline drugs and their metabolites. And speed up excretion of acidic drugs. https://tmedweb.tulane.edu/pharmwiki/doku.php/ph_effect_on_drug_elimination https://tmedweb.tulane.edu/pharmwiki/doku.php/ph_effect_on_d... And yes, you definitely don't want to overdo it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk-alkali_syndrome#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk-alkali_syndrome#History

afterburner 5y ago
> Urine alkalinization will also slow down your kidney's excretion of alkaline drugs and their metabolites. And speed up excretion of acidic drugs. So... overall good or bad?
- Scoundreller 5y ago
  Depends if you took too little or too much. But even if you took too little, the drug may get broken down in other ways before you get rid of it for good.

cmckn 5y ago

A teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a glass of cold water is also the absolute best, instant cure for heartburn. TUMS could never.

jrockway 5y ago
I like it too. I do wonder about the health effects; you end up consuming a lot of sodium by drinking baking soda. I see in one of the studies they gave patients 8 grams of baking soda a day, which is more than you'd need to relieve heartburn. But, the study doesn't mention sodium and the effect on blood pressure at all, nor is it a long-term study. I think that as terrible as chewing chalk is, calcium is better than sodium.
- cmckn 5y ago
  A teaspoon of baking soda has about 1200mg of sodium, which is about half of your daily allowance. If you have heartburn regularly enough that this intake is worrisome, I'd say a prescription would be a better option for you. I also prefer the baking soda over TUMS because it usually makes me burp, which feels soo good after it works its magic >_<
eyelidlessness 5y ago
I was going to mention this too, as well as some of the other warnings. I’ll also add that while it’s extraordinarily effective, 1. It can be counterproductive if you’re experiencing acid reflux, particularly if you’re laying down. The acid neutralization produces a lot of gas (you’ll burp a lot), which can flush acid up your esophagus before it can be neutralized. It’s awful and packaging that discusses its antacid usage explicitly recommend against use with reflux and heartburn caused by overeating for a reason. 2. Excessive usage can also be counterproductive. The more you regulate your internal acidity, the more your body will try to find balance, and you risk over-producing digestive acids even without triggers if you use this regularly. I’m relating both from painful experience. By all means, keep some bicarb handy! Just don’t overdo it.
- Godel_unicode 5y ago

AppleCandy 5y ago

I highly recommend everyone to keep in the bathroom cupboard a cup of baking soda submerged in water to make it paste-like. Rub a finger-tip's worth of wet baking soda over your tongue after you've flossed and brushed your teeth and tongue (tongue cleaning is important - I use my toothbrush). Then rinse mouth and teeth with this baking soda and saliva for a minute or so, before spitting out. This is the most effective addition to a mouth cleansing routine I've found. I may apply this wet baking soda "paste" multiple times a day, especially after eating or when I feel a rise in mouth acidity. Also, when I happen to get acid reflux or know I'm going to throw up I pre-emptively keep baking soda in my mouth to protect my teeth from acidity.