"Honestly, she hated the texture too—can't say I blame her, swishing oil around isn't exactly pleasant."
Haha, totally feel you on that one. I tried oil pulling once because my friend swore it was some kind of miracle cure... lasted about three days before I gave up. Felt like I was gargling salad dressing. 😂 But baking soda is legit! Been mixing a pinch into my toothpaste for years now—cheap, easy, and actually works. Grandma knew what she was talking about sometimes, huh?
Baking soda is pretty reliable, agreed. I've been using it occasionally myself, especially after I got braces—helps keep things feeling clean without being too abrasive. Oil pulling though... yeah, I couldn't stick with that either. Tried coconut oil once, and the taste wasn't even the worst part—it was the oily residue afterward that really put me off. Felt like I had to brush twice just to get rid of it.
One thing I've found surprisingly helpful is adding a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide (the mild 3% kind) into my toothpaste every now and then. My orthodontist suggested it when I complained about staining around brackets, and it genuinely made a noticeable difference. Just gotta be careful not to overdo it because it can irritate your gums if used too frequently.
Sometimes the simplest solutions really are the best ones... guess grandma had a point there after all.
Hydrogen peroxide is a good one—I remember my dentist mentioning it too, especially for staining. I was skeptical at first (sounds kinda harsh, right?), but after my kid got braces, we gave it a cautious try. Definitely helped keep things brighter around the brackets without causing any irritation, as long as we kept it occasional.
But oil pulling... yeah, that's a hard pass from me too. My daughter tried it exactly once and spent the next half-hour dramatically rinsing her mouth out and complaining about "coconut-flavored slime." 😂
One thing we've found surprisingly helpful is activated charcoal toothpaste every now and then. Looks scary as heck when you're brushing (seriously, like something out of a horror movie), but it actually does seem to lift stains pretty well. Just gotta rinse thoroughly afterward or you'll be finding little black specks everywhere.
Grandma definitely knew her stuff—but I'm pretty sure she'd draw the line at charcoal toothpaste!
Activated charcoal can be effective occasionally, but careful not to overdo it—it can be abrasive if used too often. And yeah, oil pulling...tried it myself once, felt like swishing salad dressing around. Hard pass here too.
I've actually found oil pulling pretty decent, once you get past the weird texture. It doesn't have to be fancy coconut oil either—plain old sunflower oil works fine and it's way cheaper. I do agree charcoal can be rough on enamel if you're not careful, but honestly, baking soda mixed with regular toothpaste every now and then does the trick for me. Cheap and effective, no salad dressing vibes involved...
