Whiter, cleaner teeth: time to simplify?

When I was about 12 years old, I discovered a tin of Pepsodent Tooth Powder in our bathroom. I don't know how it got there, or why it struck my fancy, but it did. I'd grown up using Crest paste my whole life, and had never realized there were other options in the world of the dentrifice. Tooth powder somehow seemed...cool. Worldly. Jet-setting. I have no idea why I thought this. I was 12, you will remember.

So I used it, and felt worldly for a while, then it was gone. Never to be replaced. Yet, I've somehow not forgotten that little tin of tooth powder. If you look for it online now, you will find antique tins sold on eBay, or ads about Pepsodent featuring Bob Hope. But there are other tooth powders. And there are make-it yourself tooth powder recipes featuring baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and salt. I'm thinking it's time to get back into "science fair project" mode and start mixing up a tooth powder.

One of the reasons I'm thinking about this is I read Grist's review of eco-friendly toothpaste options: none of them come off looking too good. Plus, it'd be nice to simplify our life a bit. As it stands, we buy four different toothpastes for a 4-person family: Crest Sparkle Fun, Colgate Total Mint Stripe Gel, Kids Colgate Watermelon and Arm&Hammer Dental Care Advance Cleaning. Each of these are pretty much devoid of all eco-friendly ingredients, with plenty of the Green Guide's Dirty Dozen. Going to a baking soda tooth powder no doubt would be good for the environment, but it'd probably be a nightmare to get this unlabeled white stuff through airport security (it's a good thing we don't travel much).

Do you use baking soda, tooth powders or eco-friendly tooth pastes to brush your teeth? What are your favorites, and your kids' favorites? How do you like the results?