Get a Boost to Your Smile and Your Bank Account

One thing that we are all interested in is finding ways to save money. We search out sales at the store, we clip coupons (at least some of us do), and we are always searching for the lowest price. This is because money is one thing we never seem to have enough of. What if we told you that you could save money on your dental care and still have a great smile? Would you want to hear more? Here are some natural ways to supplement your dental care from Creating Smiles, PC. Check with Dr. Kapers before you make any long-term changes to your dental hygiene routine.

Find Savings in Dental Care

Natural Toothpaste – Toothpaste is something you and your family purchase on a regular basis. A normal family goes through about one 6 oz. tube of toothpaste per month. That’s 12 tubes a year, at about $4 per tube, gives you a yearly cost of about 50 dollars. Doesn’t seem like too much money, but you could put as much as half of that back into your pocket by using a natural toothpaste to supplement the brand you buy from the store. Not only will it save you money, but it will also give you a nice little change of pace.

The first thing you are going to need is a jar. Next, put ⅔ cup of baking soda, 2 tsp. of fine sea salt, and 2 tsp. of peppermint extract into the jar. These are the base ingredients for your natural toothpaste supplement. The last thing you add is water. There is no set amount as you are going to match it to the consistency you are looking for in a toothpaste. Mix the ingredients and use as a supplement to your fluoridated toothpaste, brushing the same way. Feel free to add more or less extract as desired. You can even switch it out for a flavor you like more. It is totally up to you. This recipe will cost you about $7 or less to purchase all of the base ingredients, but the ingredients will make you roughly 7 – 10 jars of toothpaste. Your average cost per application will be somewhere between $0.65 and $1.45 per jar. This is a 50 percent savings on the OTC toothpaste that you use.

Yearly Savings – $18 to $24

Homemade Mouthwash – Using mouthwash is an important part of your home hygiene routine (or at least it should be). Mouthwash is great for gum health, getting fresh breath, and generally making your smile more appealing. A 34 oz. bottle of generic mouthwash will cost you anywhere between $3.50 and $4 at the store. This is about $0.10 per ounce. At a bottle a month (typical family of four), you are going to spend almost $50 a year on mouthwash alone. Here is a recipe that will help you cut that amount by almost 70 percent!

Start with a mason jar, and add ½ cup of water, 2 tsp. of baking soda, and 2 drops each of peppermint (or flavoring that you choose) and tea tree oil. Mix it all together, and you have your very first batch of natural mouthwash. Test this out to see how long it lasts you and your family. You can make more if you want, but we don’t suggest making more than a two-week supply. It doesn’t go bad, but rather the oils mix and change the flavor. When used with your normal mouthwash, you can see some tremendous savings.

Yearly Savings – $15 to $35

All-Natural Teeth Whitening – A white smile is what people want to see from you and your family. There are OTC whitening solutions you can get that will give you some whitening, but the most effective dental whitening you can get is from Dr. Kapers. At either our St. John or Valparaiso office, you can get a dramatically whiter smile in about an hour. This blows the week or two from OTC brands out of the water. We also have a whitening for life program: for a simple, one-time enrollment fee (if you’re attending all of your scheduled appointments), you get free bleaching. This will keep your smile bright the whole year around.

If you want to supplement that dental whitening with a natural option, here is an effective recipe you may want to try.

Mash up a few strawberries and add some baking soda until you have a nice paste. Spread the paste on your teeth, and let it sit for about five minutes. Then, rinse your mouth and brush your teeth (strawberry seeds are tiny and get stuck in teeth). The strawberries contain malic acid, a natural enamel whitener. Used in conjunction with your whitening for life bleaching, your smile will be as white as possible the whole year around.

Yearly Savings – Up to $180 per year versus the OTC whitening options

Make sure you are doing all you can to help your smile, and save a few dollars while you do. Call our St. John dental office at 219-322-9920 or our Valparaiso dental office at 219-462-1970 to schedule your appointment today.