Sustainable toothbrush alternative- Licorice Root

"Its soo simple.." (Owen Wilson as Hansel from Zoolander): when stick becomes toothstick

Did you ever wonder what people did to clean their teeth before the invention of toothbrushes and toothpaste? I used to for a long time. I just idly wondered what people did to clean their teeth. Then, sometime later, I happened to read a caption on a photo in an anthropology book about how healthy the pictured stone-age tribespeople were. I think they were Africans. The caption remarked upon the fact that the people in the tribe had very good teeth and that tooth decay was very rare amongst them. It also mentioned how the people were able to meet the needs of each other so well (indicating a healthy young toddler in the picture and an elderly man), in a desert environment ‘civilised’ man would call positively hostile. I then read about the use of tooth sticks in “Making it” by old Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne. I then saw a Youtube video of a guy brushing his teeth with a licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) and hearing his anecdotal claims of it helping to heal a cavity in his teeth!

 

From that point on I decided I would be crazy to buy another plastic toothbrush, what with these awesome alternatives available.

 I believe toothpaste and plastic toothbrushes are made for profit not for dental hygiene. Well, maybe that’s not the whole truth. Though it is probably the guiding principle with regard to toothbrush existence.

 

So what to do? I have been trialling the use of licorice root as a tooth brush for the last two and a half years. I don’t think I will ever buy a plastic toothbrush again. Even my dentist was impressed at how effective my humble root was. However, it was difficult to get her to admit this; entertainingly so.

Here is a short list of the pros and cons I have found with using a licorice root

Pros-

·         Cheap, can be free if grown, can be organic (very much desired)

·         tasty

·         gain all the herbal benefits of licorice (improved digestion, calming, better sleep, ween from sugar etc)

·          returns to soil

·         gentle on gums

·         allows for thorough cleaning of each tooth

·          interesting conversation starter prop (simply brush your teeth in class, after smoko or lunch or on the bus to or from work/school)

·          disconnects your dental hygiene from the globalised capitalist matrix of terribleness; every little disconnect counts!

Cons-

·         Slower than conventional toothbrush.

·          Can be expensive to get in Bunbury and regional places, in East coast and Europe/America is cheap.

·         You may look like a drooly doofus if you forgot to brush your teeth the night before and end up brushing your teeth at work/school/on the train etc.

Of course there are other ways to brush your teeth too. 

A small sampling of plants that provide toothsticks include:

·         Oak trees (Quercus spp.)

·         Liquidambar styraciflua

·         Some Birch varieties, esp. Black, cherry and sweet.

·         Possibly some Melaleuca varieties

 

Traditional cultures around the planet have always used toothsticks so it should not be a problem to find some in your local area, barring that, you can grow your own and order from your local health food shop until your plants are big enough.

You can also make your own toothpaste with simple cheap ingredients. My housemate uses one involving clay powder. I am happy with my licorice root so I haven’t explored much other teeth cleaning techniques. At the very least I think everyone will benefit to a transition to compostable toothbrushes which are now widely available.