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.
About Us
Creating Smiles, PC, located in St. John and Valparaiso, Indiana, offers everything you need for a healthy smile and a healthier life. Dr. Kapers and his team can take the anxiety and uncertainty out of dental visits with sedation dentistry, and we're the premier provider of dental implants in the region.