Do you take care of your teeth like you should? Do you brush after every meal, floss twice a day, see your dentist every six months, and stay away from hard, chewy, or overly-sugary snacks? Well, do you?

While it might not be so hard to brush your teeth, floss, and visit your dentist a couple of times a year, we for one find it to particularly challenging to cut out all of that sweet, sugary goodness from our lives. Seriously, you guys, cinnamon rolls are pretty much our life’s blood!

Having said that, the goodies can really wreak havoc on the mouth by creating sticky, potentially life-threatening plaque. Here are 7 ways that you can properly–and naturally!– cleanse your mouth in between dental cleanings…

1. Brush on some baking soda magic

   Sure, your storebought toothpaste may contain baking soda, but just because you squeeze it onto your toothbrush doesn’t mean you’re maximizing the results of this powerful ingredient!

   To make your own baking soda plaque-buster, simply add about a tablespoon of the white powder to a 1/2  teaspoon of salt. Run your toothbrush under some warm water and swirl it into your mixture until it makes a paste. Once the consistency is thick, brush it onto your teeth, taking care that you are working it into your gums, too. After a couple of minutes, you’ll be met with some serious clean mouth bliss!

2. Swish around some hydrogen peroxide

   Combine 1/2 a cup of 2% hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 a cup of warm water and gargle up the mixture as you would do with your storebought mouthwash. Just remember to rinse thoroughly with water afterward; though the peroxide is a plaque killer, it can also make you sick if you end up swallowing it!

3. Whip up an effective vinegar solution

   If the idea of sipping on hydrogen peroxide freaks you out, try out this vinegar-based DIY mouthwash instead! All you have to do is combine 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with 1 tablespoon of salt and 4 ounces of water. By the time you rinse, you may smell like you’ve spent the afternoon dying Easter eggs, but the plaque-free payoff is worth it!

4. Reach for the aloe vera

   You already know that aloe vera serves as the cure-all for a host of conditions, but did you know that it also does a smashing job of breaking up plaque?

   To make it work for your teeth, simply combine 1 teaspoon of 100% pure aloe vera gel with 1/2 cup of baking soda, 4 tablespoons of vegetable glycerin, one cup of water, and one teaspoon of lemon essential oil. Once the concoction resembles a paste, brush directly onto your teeth and gums for plaque-free chompers!

5. Scoop out some coconut oil

   Like aloe vera, coconut oil also serves as quite the powerful, all-natural cure-all! To use it on your pearly whites, swish about a teaspoon around your mouth for 10-20 minutes, first thing in the morning and right before you go to sleep. It takes some time, sure, but once you get a load of how much plaque this oil can “pull” from in between those crevices, you too will be a coconut oil believer!

6. Use an “a-PEEL-ing” DIY dental treatment

   Love eating oranges? We do, too! So, the next time you go to peel your prized Valencia, keep its peel to rub around your teeth and gums. Believe it or not, the skin of the citrus contains microorganisms that kill plaque and tartar. And you thought oranges couldn’t get any better…

7. Bring out the big guns

   If you’re noticing quite a bit of tartar build-up, but you are still a month out from seeing your dentist, get yourself to your local drug store and purchase a dental scaler. Just remember, every scaler is made differently, so be sure to read its instructions before you “play dentist” on yourself!

We’d love to hear your take on all things plaque! Have you tried any of these DIY treatments? Are you a dental professional that can recommend any others? What’s your all-time favorite sugary meal?

Sources: Brightside

Healthfully