According to Healthline there are multiple benefits to making your own toothpaste at home, including going "green" by using less plastic packaging, the ability to choose your own ingredients, and the options to customize everything from the flavor to the level of abrasiveness. However, the site cautions readers to thoroughly research recipes you may find online, as some suggest using ingredients that can be harmful. For instance, you should never include vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or lemon juice in your home-made toothpaste because they can strip your enamel and cause damage to your teeth.
That said, many ingredients commonly used in home-made toothpaste are perfectly safe and can be very healthy. Coconut oil, for example, often used for a mouth-cleaning method called "oil pulling," can kill bacteria in your mouth, freshen breath, reduce plaque, prevent cavities, and even reduce inflammation, thereby improving gum health (via Healthline). Including sage in your toothpaste may also be a good idea because it's been found to reduce gingivitis and even treat mouth ulcers. Baking soda is an effective and mild abrasive that can help remove plaque and whiten teeth, and while the American Dental Association hasn't slapped its approval on any other product in this list, it has approved baking soda as safe and healthy for tooth care (via Dental Blu).
