Smile and say "hydrogen peroxide" Periodontitis isn't pretty. It involves infection and subsequent rotting of the gums around the teeth. Obviously, no one wants this sort of thing to occur, which is why the dental hygiene business is booming. Oral care products are everywhere: You've probably seen all sorts of fancy toothpastes and mouthwashes on the shelves of your local supermarket, all of them promising (at least by implication) to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Many brands now boast "baking soda and peroxide" as added ingredients. But why spend over three dollars on a tube of toothpaste when you can get the same, if not better, results from using the real things? The procedure couldn't be easier: A mixture of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is rubbed into the gums two or three times a day. And, on its own, 3 percent H202 is the most effective mouthwash available. Mouthing off about junk medicine,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
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