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What Makes Baking Soda Clean Teeth?

People have been using baking soda to clean their teeth since at least the turn of the last century. Toothpastes containing baking soda are now more popular than ever. The jury is still out on exactly how baking soda works to get teeth clean, but experts suggest that its combination of abrasive power and chemical properties may help baking soda lift stains.

  1. Abrasive Action

    • Baking soda works to clean teeth as an abrasive. This means that it physically polishes away plaque particles and stains that have formed on teeth. In fact, many of the earliest tooth powders and toothpastes utilized abrasive ingredients to get teeth clean. These early products sometimes contained salt, chalk, charcoal and even ground shells or bones. All of these materials were valued as cleaning agents for the high level of abrasion they provided.

    More Hype than Truth?

    • One early toothpaste contained hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Both of these ingredients are still used in toothpastes today. However, according to Dr. Kenneth Burrell of the American Dental Association (ADA), toothpastes that combine baking soda and peroxide do not offer extra cleaning action. Burrell goes on to say that while consumers may associate baking soda toothpastes with nostalgia, the popularity of these products is due chiefly to clever marketing. The ADA's position is that baking soda has no proven therapeutic value for brushing teeth.

    Baking Soda's Effectiveness

    • On the other hand, the Dentrifice Function Program of the ADA found toothpastes with no abrasive power largely ineffective at cleaning teeth. Meanwhile, overly abrasive toothpastes can actually damage the enamel and dentin that make up teeth. Other studies found that baking soda specifically may be unique in offering a high cleaning power for its level of abrasion, perhaps because of additional chemical cleaning action not found in other abrasive toothpaste ingredients.

    Chemical Action

    • Researchers at the University of Rochester found that baking soda may provide a chemical action in the mouth that increases its cleaning power. Participants in a study had 50 precent less plaque, a 70 percent reduction in inflamed gums, and 60 percent fewer tooth stains when they used a baking soda toothpaste to brush teeth regularly. As well, baking soda toothpastes seemed to promote the presence of bacteria associated with better oral health. These benefits may derive from the chemical action of baking soda in the mouth, rather than from the level of abrasion it provides.

    Cautions

    • Most dental experts state that it is safe to use baking soda to clean teeth. However, one study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association cautioned that tooth abrasions caused by brushing too hard or by brushing with abrasive ingredients, such as baking soda and salt, could lead to the formation of excess plaque. The study also found that these tooth abrasives were associated with receding gums. Expert recommendations vary, but one good rule is to use only as much abrasive power as necessary to get teeth clean.

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