A little over a year ago I was getting mouth ulcers REALLY bad. By the time one would clear up another would surface and they would last about a week and half. Sometimes I would have clusters at time. It hurt to talk, smile, eat, anything that involved moving my mouth. I would be miserable. Nothing over-the-counter worked and believe me I tried everything. I even would take Lysine supplements, which a dental hygentist had told me could help. Both doctors and dentist told me nothing treated them only helped with dealing with them. I already knew nothing could even scrap the surface of the agony these little beasts caused. No one ever told me to think about what could be causing them. So I went to my friend Google and asked him. I was shocked when I found out that certain birth controls can cause them and an ingredient in toothpastes can trigger them. So because of other stupid side effects I decided to switch my bc. Of course the doctor said she had heard of no such side effect yet there are all kinds of sites with women experiencing the same thing. ANYWAYS...I checked every kind of toothpaste on every toothpaste aisle but they all had Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) in them. Except for a few tubes of outrageously expensive toothpaste, granted they may have worked, I couldn't convince myself and my limited budget to buy them. I did get a prescription for something called Magic Mouthwash that a lot of ppl swore by. But that involved both going to a doctor and getting a prescription and with not having insurance it was becoming an expense. And I felt it didn't help much anyways. So, my mom was talking to a lady who mentioned something about making her own toothpaste and got the recipe from her for me to try. I must say it's not the most pleasant thing I've ever tasted, but I do feel like it's help cut back the amount and frequency of outbreaks. As far as costs goes, you can't really beat a tube of toothpaste for $1 so it's not so much as saving money as it is saving my sanity. With making our own laundry detergent i've learned that suds and bubbles aren't what cleans, its the ingredients within. Well, the same applies with toothpaste. SLS is a chemical that makes toothpaste sudsy. I feel like the world has brainwashed me into thinking it needs suds to work. I think thats one of reasons it's taking so long to get use to the homemade toothpaste. That, and the baking soda taste!! I'm such a clean mouth freak. I want my mouth to feel clean and breath to be fresh. Tasting baking soda doesn't lead me to believe my breath is fresh lol! (Mauri said it's fresh, but he could just be being a good husband lol!!) I do like the way my teeth feel really clean! I also like knowing exactly what I'm "cleaning" my mouth with! I can't completely say that using SLS-Free toothpaste is the sole reason of my lack of mouth ulcers since I have quit taking the bc too, either way it worked!! The only made a half batch the first time because I wasn't sure how it was going to work. I did buy a empty travel lotion bottle to use for when I make my next batch. I still use regular toothpaste but only in the morning and then the homemade at night. I'm telling you, It's taking time to adjust!!
Here is the recipe I used:*6 teaspoons baking soda*4 teaspoons vegetable glycerin (found it at Apple Crate for around $4)*1/4 teaspoon salt*15 drops peppermint extract
