Years ago I was shopping in a popular compounding pharmacy in Austin and saw a new dental whitening blend, containing activated coconut charcoal. I think there was maybe one other ingredient. The advertising was slick, referring to the magic of this product, and the miracle results. The stuff was flying off the shelves. At the time, I personally used activated coconut charcoal but purchased in bulk and kept the charcoal under the sink for years at a time. I couldn’t understand how people were paying so much money for activated coconut charcoal when you could buy it online for literally one-tenth the price of that pre-packaged charcoal at the pharmacy.
Because of my personal interest in holistic wellness and the indisputable connection between oral health and overall health, I decided I would try to develop a product that was efficacious beyond dental whitening. My love of product development inspired a search for herbs that would be a powerful adjunct to the activated coconut charcoal.
Eventually I created “Sparkle”, a blend that quickly became a best seller with our customers and venders. Sparkle is a natural alternative to toxic mainstream teeth whitening treatments. And while you are happily whitening your teeth, you are also taking herbs directly into your mucosal system that are fortifying systemically. Rather than adding to the body’s toxic burden while whitening your smile, Sparkle utilizes earth’s gifts to detox the mouth, eliminate plaque and naturally brighten and strengthen dental enamel, while supporting the body systemically as well.
Here are a few of the ingredients in Sparkle, and why we selected them for this blend:
- Myrrh has been used as a healing plant for thousands of years. It is an excellent antiseptic with high concentrations of volatile oils. It helps increase macrophage activity, thereby raising the potency of our protective shield (surface immune system). Myrrh is particularly effective for sore throats and infections of the mouth, gums, sinuses and upper respiratory system.
- Plantain is an herbalist favorite for it’s wide range of uses. It is highly nutritive plant that contains fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc and copper, as well as vitamins A, C and K. It is also a rich source of numerous phytochemicals, including allantoin, glycosides, phenols, salicylic acid and tannins. Phytochemicals are antioxidant compounds found naturally in plants that prevent free radical induced damage in the body and thereby help to prevent and treat disease in humans. The International College of Herbal Medicine states that plantain leaf has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibiotic and immune-stimulating properties.
- Baking soda has been shown to neutralize acids in the mouth which reduces the amount of acid-loving bacteria that cause cavities. Baking soda has also been shown to reduce dental plaque. It will naturally and gently remove surface stains.
- Red Root helps facilitate the clearing of dead cellular tissue from the lymph system which enhances the healing process. This herb has a strong affinity for the lymphatic system to include the lymph nodes, tonsils and entire back of throat, spleen, appendix and liver. Several of the compounds found in Red Root have been found active against various oral pathogens including Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces viscous, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia.
- Studies have shown that Neem can benefit oral health by reducing plaque and bacteria. It is antioxidant and mineral-rich (zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, phosphorous and potassium) and is generally well tolerated and particularly useful in cases of gingivitis.
- Echinacea has an extremely broad spectrum of actions (analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immune modulator, immune stimulant, stimulates antibody production) and extensive studies have shown that it can have a powerful impact on the activity of viruses (HIV and certain strains of influenza), and bacteria (numerous strains of Candida, Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenza, Propionbacterium and Legionella pneumophila).
And that is how I conceived of an elevated dental whitening blend, a product that goes beyond whitening to support the body more systemically as well.
And if you prefer keeping things simple, order a bag of activated coconut charcoal and just use that. I promise, that works wonderfully for dental whitening.
Keep Smiling. xo
