Before the advent of commercial toothpastes, recipes like this one were traditional family preparations. They cleaned and polished teeth and helped to freshen breath while reducing disease-causing bacteria. This recipe is just as effective for use today so try it for yourself.

Place rinds in a food processor and grind until peels become a coarse powder.

Add baking soda and salt, then process a few seconds more until you have a very fine powder.

Store in an airtight decorative tin or jar.

Brush your teeth by adding 1/4 tsp. of hydrogen peroxide in a small disposable cup to 1 tbsp. of the dental powder and mix into a paste.

Dip your toothbrush into the paste and brush as usual.