Lets look at a few numbers first. On a global level, World Health Organization data indicates that nearly 100% of adults and 60-90% of children in school actually have dental cavities, and 15-20% of adults aged 35 to 44 have severe gum disease. Risk factors involved in acquiring oral diseases include social determinants (such as being in a lower income community), poor hygiene, harmful tobacco and alcohol use, and an unhealthy diet.

Poor dental health is also linked with a higher incidence of heart disease. This happens two ways: bacteria in your mouth can travel through your bloodstream and attach to damaged areas in the heart, causing a condition called endocarditis. This causes inflammation, which can damage the blood vessels which can cause atherosclerosis, a condition which increases your risk of heart disease and/or stroke.

Keeping Your Teeth Healthy: Natural Ways To Do It

With the above taken into consideration, it’s important to understand that a lot of people worldwide have dental issues that need to be resolved. Speak to your dentist to get personalised information. In the meantime, here are ways to naturally keep your teeth healthy:

• Brush your teeth: While this may sound like common sense, this is actually really important. Your brushing routine holds an essential part of keeping your oral health optimized, as this is the part that really does a lot in terms of removing harmful elements away from your teeth. Keep your brushing routine to two minutes minimum, and do this at least twice a day. Brush the back of your mouth first and then go around the gums in a circular manner. Pay close attention to the back side of your teeth, and make sure your biting surfaces are thoroughly brushed as well. Most electric toothbrushes are set to a two minute timer so this helps you to be consistent.
• Floss regularly: A lot of people tend to overlook flossing, but this actually does a great deal when it comes to making sure your teeth are free of debris and food waste, especially in the small spaces in between the teeth. Get floss between your teeth and just below the gumline so bacteria, food particles, and plaque can be removed after every meal. If you struggle to use standard string floss, there are flossing devices which make it easier to reach your back teeth.
• Drink a lot of water: Drink at least 2 litres of water everyday, as this not only keeps your body hydrated, but also keeps your mouth washed out of bacteria and food. Saliva is also produced from water, and it balances the acidity in your mouth that can weaken your teeth and erode tooth enamel. Make sure you rinse your mouth after every meal, so bits of food are removed as well to keep your mouth healthy.
• Try Xylitol gum: Xylitol gum is a sugar-free, plastic-free, and natural gum that can promote salivation in your mouth without all the sugary hassle. This can help reduce tooth decay and gum disease, courtesy of your saliva’s cooperation, and breaking down biofilm.
• Do an oil pull: Oil pulling is an ancient dental hygiene practice which helps to remove bacteria from your mouth and slowly whiten your teeth in a natural way. Put a tablespoon of coconut or sesame oil in your mouth and swish it around for 20 minutes. Don’t swallow or gargle the oil and instead spit it out, followed by a warm water rinse. You can then brush your teeth normally. Do this in the morning on an empty stomach.
• Use a tongue scraper: Your tongue is a hotbed of bacteria, but a scraper can help you remove the bacteria in no time. Try to get stainless steel scrapers as they’re much easier to clean. The point of tongue scrapers is to reduce overall bacterial growth on your tongue, so be sure to start at the back of your tongue and pull to the front edge. Do this motion twice, but don’t be too rough on your tongue.
• Try herbal tea after meals: Green tea, white tea, red tea, and herbal tea are all good palate cleansers, and they keep plaque from developing so try drinking these after meals. Use spices and herbs in your meals, too, as they’re known to not just freshen the breath but also clean your mouth. Stick to herbs and spices rich in Vitamins K, D, C, A, and Magnesium, though supplements such as cod liver oil and gelatin are also fine.

The Bottomline: Keeping Your Teeth Healthy Naturally Is Possible

When you want to make sure your teeth are healthy, you may not always have to go to a dentist to do it. In fact, with the above tips you may actually be able to take charge of your teeth’s health yourself. Do remember, though, that just because you’ve taken steps to keep your teeth healthy naturally, you can’t just not visit your dentist regularly for checkups. With these natural tips and help from a dentist from time to time, you’ll be able to have good healthy teeth for longer in your life.

The post How To Keep Your Teeth Healthy Naturally appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

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Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is quite an old tradition that developed from Ayurvedic principles (traditional Indian medicine).  It’s a very simple practice that only takes 20 minutes out of your daily routine, but the benefits are many.  

What is it?

Oil pulling is considered to be helpful for an enormous range of conditions – ranging from issues such as general dental health, arthritis, inflammation, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  Traditionally it was considered to work by drawing out toxins from the salivary glands, however as it has become increasingly popular in the last few years, researchers have looked into the practice and found that it provides its benefits by addressing the ‘bad’ bacteria in your mouth – you could say that it PULLS the bad bacteria out.  This action has a huge flow on effect to the rest of the digestive system, and therefore the rest of the body. Oil pulling also acts as a form of tongue massage, which acts on pressure points to support healthy energy flow along the meridians that flow all throughout your body, in a style similar to reflexology and acupressure.   

By reducing the bad bacteria in your teeth and mouth you can not only improve your dental health (by reducing the bacteria that cause plaque), whiten teeth and nourish gum health, but also improve the balance in the rest of your digestive system (remember the mouth is the entrance to the digestive system, so removing bad guys here will help further on down the line).  The good bacteria in your gut have an enormous amount of roles in the body – digestive bacteria affects inflammation, immune health, mood, hormone balance, and even contributes towards cardiovascular health (amazingly, an analysis of cardiovascular plaque has found that it contains a large amount of ‘bad’ bacteria which originate in the mouth and stomach!).    

Which Oil do I use?

Traditionally oil pulling was performed with sunflower or canola oil, and sesame oil is also a popular choice.  You could use any form of oil as long as it is organic and cold pressed.  Cold-pressed sesame oil won’t have as strong a taste as the type that you cook your stir-fries with.  Coconut oil is my personal preference due its taste, and is the most common recommendation amongst oil pulling advocates.  At the moment it’s probably one of the easiest to find in large quantities as well.  (Some people don’t like the consistency of coconut oil when it’s set which happens in colder months, so you can melt it before putting it in your mouth.  Personally, I like it!  It’s like a coco nutty treat, also like I’ve bitten into a Bounty.)  You can add a 3-4 of drops of oregano oil for its anti-microbial properties, however you might want to start with only 1 drop as this can be quite strong for some.

How to do it:

Take 1 tbsp coconut oil in your mouth, and swish around for 20 minutes.  You want to ensure that the oil is getting between your teeth and over and under your tongue.  Then spit it out!  Couldn’t be simpler.

During this time you can get creative about what else to do.  Read a book?  Take a shower?  Make the bed?  Clean the house? Prepare your lunch?  Water the garden?  Chill under a tree?  You can do anything as long as your don’t have to open your mouth.   

After the 20 minutes are up, SPIT the oil out (not into the sink or toilet as it can clog the pipes).  Then rinse your mouth thoroughly with water, and brush your teeth (consider keeping a separate toothbrush just for this purpose, and wash it with 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill the bacteria).  

It is very important not to swallow this oil, as it contains bacteria that you want to get rid of.  While you’re getting used to oil pulling you may accidentally swallow some of it, but keep working on it.  

If you are new to oil pulling, you may find it a bit challenging and need to spit the oil out earlier as the sensation can be a little strange.   (I only lasted 5 minutes the first time I did it!)  Try starting with a tsp instead of a tbsp.  After a few minutes of oil pulling you’ll feel like the oil has increased in quantity, it’s your saliva joining the coconut oil.  You’ll get used to this.  Try not to swish too vigorously as your jaw may get tired after 20 minutes – gently does it.  

The post Oil Pulling appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.