100% natural toothbrush

Todd Parr wrote:

Joy Oasis wrote:

urbanresistance McCoy wrote:Here this seems very relevant http://zinelibrary.info/primitive-toothcare-diy-guide-uncivilized-oral-hygiene

This is not available anymore. Can we find it somewhere else?

In case anyone else doesn't find it, it's the first link on this page:
Primitive tooth care

Here is another link:
Primitive toothcare

And here's a link to a pdf

https://we.riseup.net/assets/287592/primitive+toothcare.pdf


I double checked the document and it specifically states to:

Anti-copyright 2009, Yggdrasil Distro
yggdrasildistro@gmail.com
yggdrasildistro.wordpress.com
Please reprint, republish, & redistribute.

Hi all, it's been a few years since this thread was active. I'm curious if anybody has more insights after using chewing sticks for a while. Any advice or "I wish I knew..." comments for someone exploring this topic now?

Hi there,
I like the licorice during the dry winter seasons. It's moistening and it's also antibacterial.
I've ordered some chew sticks from online. Not good tasted terrible. I've heard drying dogwood branches out for a year and then making chew sticks is good?
I used to trade sticks with a guy from Africa. I wish I could recall the name of the tree it was really mild.
Thanks for updating the pdf link. Def checking that out.

I've had some ongoing teeth and gum / jaw issues for a few years and have tried various ways of tooth cleaning and miswak sticks (actually a root) is the best for me. My gums were receeding fast when I used a plastic brush, but now barely at all. Using a badger bristle brush was definitely better, and Neem sticks were a great improvement. I tried apple sticks but miswak is my favourite and the thicker ones last longer and make "brushing" quicker. I've been using them for a couple of years.

I keep the stick in a glass of water which keeps it soft, so less need for chewing (though chewing is, no doubt, a good thing) which makes the process quicker and gentler, and I use the soak water as a mouthwash. You get lots of bits of bark and fibre in you mouth. I spit it out in the loo; outside would be fine, of course. When the de-barked part becomes long I cut it back with scissors. Scratchy plastic bristles are dreadful, IMO. And where does that plastic go when they wear down?

I was talking with a lady in her 60s from west Africa (Gambia, IIRC) who had perfect white teeth. They use sticks there, and also mix charcoal with the juice / sap from plantain stalks (plantain like a banana, not the little plant called plantain) and apply that to the teeth which makes them clean, healthy and white. She told me that when she moved to the UK she was baffled by the idea of dentists.

"What is 'dentist'? I've never heard of this. We don't have this at home."

I asked, "So what do people do there when they have a problem with their teeth?"

"We don't have problems with teeth." So it seems that the whole dentistry industry is one dependent on crappy lifestyles.

The last dentist I saw (and I sincerely hope and intend that she was the last dentist I will see) had never heard of using a stick for cleaning teeth. I explained that it was very common around the world and had helped me greatly in managing my dental health. She ignored what I was telling her, was condescending, and told me to use a proper bush, talking to me like I was a child despite being over twice her age.

I could go on.

In case the other links posted above go away, it is also in the Wayback Machine:

archive.org - Primitive Toothcare

Available in a variety of formats

The revival of this post is most timely for me, tho I am concerned over a lot of the above content. What is missing is the understanding of which sticks are chewed: in Ayurvedic tradition it is neem. Neem has very specific properties that make it effective at oral hygiene and it is chewed, not used like a brush. Neem's bitter taste is due to a property that makes it effective. As I was reading about this yesterday I was wondering what trees in the PNW have those properties. Yes, I can buy neem which would be good for me (less so my pocketbook), but not so good for our mother earth. I've found one thing that says fir and douglas fir work for toothsticks (the tannins help) I'll try this soon. Who can help me learn additional trees or shrubs of the coastal Pacific Northwest would have those same properties of Neem? Thank you.

The document the above link takes you to mentions oak twigs.

Several other plants.  

Those interested in natural tooth care and presumably oral health might also want to read the research of Weston A Price.  His conclusions include that the industrialized diet high in refined sugars and carbohydrates is largely responsible for tooth decay, and “cramped” and narrowed bone development of facial structures, which lead to crowding of the teeth…. ( and therefore orthodontistry.)

Price traveled widely and photographed the teeth and faces of family members before and after the introduction of the industrialized diet.

Andre Voisin documented the health of populations existing on food from different soils.  “Soil, Grass, Cancer “ is one of his titles.

Both men published in the first half of the 20th century.  Interesting to consider how things might have gone, had their findings been heeded.

Another related issue, phytic acid in many seeds and grains disrupts phosphorus (possibly calcium as well) metabolism.  Sprouting gives rise to phytase, an enzyme which acts on phytic acid.  Possibly fermentation (sourdough) alters the phytic acid too, I can’t seem to recall.  I just know that almost 10 years ago I developed a bread recipe in which the whole grain berries are first sprouted, then wet ground then fermented before baking. I had a reason for the fermentation step, but for the moment I can’t remember how it ties into oral health.  The bread is excellent, and I still make it that way.

There is also evidence collected by Price that our teeth can heal cavities… especially in early stages.  There are recipes for tooth remineralization powders and pastes.  One key ingredient is calcium carbonate…. maybe clay, possibly baking soda.  But dipping the tooth stick into the powder once a day might be a good addition to the regimen.

OK, turns out I did a brain dump on obscure oral health history and practices.  Not too far off topic, I hope

And here’s the thread on the vollkornbrot bread mentioned above:

https://permies.com/t/66366/kitchen/vollkornbrot

Someone mentioned Boar Hair & Bamboo toothbrushes. They are still available. Gaiaguy.com has them, as well as other more natural items.

Any thoughts on how cherry would work for a miswak? I see a bunch of other fruit trees mentioned throughout the thread...

Joy Oasis wrote:

urbanresistance McCoy wrote:Here this seems very relevant http://zinelibrary.info/primitive-toothcare-diy-guide-uncivilized-oral-hygiene

This is not available anymore. Can we find it somewhere else?

Here is a current link for the primitive toothcare guide: https://archive.org/details/PrimitiveToothcare/primitive_toothcare-SCREEN/

It's also available on Scribd.

Todd Parr wrote:

Joy Oasis wrote:

urbanresistance McCoy wrote:Here this seems very relevant http://zinelibrary.info/primitive-toothcare-diy-guide-uncivilized-oral-hygiene

This is not available anymore. Can we find it somewhere else?

In case anyone else doesn't find it, it's the first link on this page:
Primitive tooth care

This new link does not work either.

tom chapin wrote:In case the other links posted above go away, it is also in the Wayback Machine:

archive.org - Primitive Toothcare

Available in a variety of formats

This link has just worked for me

Neither of the links above worked for me!
Any other helpful hints about where to find the document?

"and those that may have potential for cardiac problems, like Yew or Oleander."
Not simply cardiac problems! Both those can be deadly to anyone.

My wife taught an herbalism class to 50 1st-4th graders yesterday, and asked me to tag in about chew sticks.  We covered how to choose a stick (and asking your mum) and how to use it.  It was very, very fun for the kiddos.  I brought about stack of 1st-year peach tree prunings, which are already soft and bendy with removable bark, and a neutral taste.  

Of course there were lots of silly comments and people taking it to dreadful conclusions.  I don't expect many this age to be able to properly find and identify a suitable species, but some may, and many parents were very engaged.  

I think the big win is just the huge impression it made on these kiddos.  I would not be at all surprised if many of them remember this bit of wisdom into their adult years, and I hope it serves them well.

As for species, I used to have a sweet gum tree at our old house, and chew sticks from it were lovely.  I read about some positive properties, but I can't recall them at the moment.  Now I most typically use fruit tree prunings, or juniper (juniperus virginiana) which tastes lovely.  Some times of year our oaks are very good.  Right now they're kind of tough and bitter.

I try to hang on to my sticks for a while, but often lose it after one use, or just a few.  I'll grab a stick after a meal while working on the farm, get my mouth feeling fresh, then lose it somewhere along the way.  Pocket sticks can get kind of mankey in the field, and I could use 8 a day for a hundred years and not put a dent in my self-replenishing supply.

solomon martin wrote:I often used licorice root as a supplemental tooth brush when I was a child.  The fibrous root lends itself perfectly for this purpose, plus I liked the flavor.

That was my experience when I visited England  and they were being sold for that purpose.

Licorice has hypertensive properties.  How strong the action depends on the individual.

Nara Petrovič, who posted the video tutorial for this thread, posted another video recently with some updated information. Worth to watch, in my opinion:

Lh Maverick wrote:Nara Petrovič, who posted the video tutorial for this thread, posted another video recently with some updated information. Worth to watch, in my opinion:

Thanks for sharing - some folks will respond better to this video, without the silliness of the video in the original post.

Nara Seems like a character.

Thanks, Beau.
About Nara, yeap, you nailed it --  https://narapetrovic.com/about/

urbanresistance McCoy wrote:Here this seems very relevant http://zinelibrary.info/primitive-toothcare-diy-guide-uncivilized-oral-hygiene

Broken link

That link is from 2011, if you scroll up from the page we are on now there’s the archive.org link that is working!

Thanks for bumping this thread, very interesting stuff! I have to try it!

Edit: here is the link:

https://archive.org/details/PrimitiveToothcare/primitive_toothcare-SCREEN/

I enjoy birch and dogwood toothbrushes best. In my immediate vicinity there aren’t so many birches, but plenty of dogwoods. All birches are excellent, but yellow and black birch have a lovely fragrance from the wintergreen oil.

Xcuse me while I pick my jaw from the floor. This is so obviously the natural way to take care of our teeth!! [ staring angrily at my electric toothbrush and natural toothpaste ]   Better late than never I guess.  [ eyeroll ]  Why are we, as a society, so separated from nature?

Thank you everyone for sharing your wisdom, one more natural toothbrusher gained!

I lived in Nigeria, West Africa, for two years, back around 1980. Chewing sticks were commonly used, and you could buy cellophane packs of about 20 in the market. I brought some back home to Canada. My Canadian dentist was very impressed with how clean and healthy my teeth and gums were. My supply got dry and splintery with time, and eventually I ran out. I thought it was some special kind of African wood, so never really explored boreal forest alternatives, but I guess I should!

I love this, and I also immediately question many of these sources about which trees to use. Peach is listed and mentioned several times, but don't peach twigs contain cyanide forming compounds? I see fig tree listed on wikipedia, but can't that milky sap from a fig create a rash (or at least be super sticky and unpleasant)?  I see dogwood listed, but which dogwood and are there not some stomach upsetting toxins in dogwood?

Maybe this will make me finally plant that willow tree.

Kevin Feinstein II wrote:Ibut don't peach twigs contain cyanide forming compounds? I see fig tree listed on wikipedia, but can't that milky sap from a fig create a rash (or at least be super sticky and unpleasant)?  I see dogwood listed, but which dogwood and are there not some stomach upsetting toxins in dogwood?

All these concerns are probably when ingested in large quantities.

Cyanide is a natural occurring and it is found in low levels in common foods.

My experience is that the willows I’ve used are more toxic and/or worse for brushing than the dogwoods, but I have not tried all species of willow. I have used any species whatsoever of dogwood growing in my region, specifically silky, red-osier, and alternate leaf dogwoods. Flowering dogwood is also used and celebrated as a toothbrush-tree further south where it is native. Birch family plants, with their wiry woods—except brittle alder—seem to all make excellent toothbrushes, too. I recall having used beech once or twice.

Dogwood seems to be more beneficial in calming than causing an upset stomach, at least in my estimation. I haven’t paid quite enough attention, but I did once take dogwood tea for a stomach bug and it seemed beneficial.

https://orawellness.com/

This is a link to a company that sells holistic dental products.

They have a sale going on right now.  It is their best sale of the year. You can get up to 25% off of everything and if you are spending more than $99 you can also get free shipping.

They sell toothbrushes that are maybe not as good as the sticks people are discussing, but the handle is bamboo and I don’t know if the bristles are some kind of plastic, but I know they’re working on finding natural bristles.

There are a lot of educational materials on their website. I have found them to be reliable people and good products.