Holistic Treatment Methods For Improving Your Oral Health

Naturally Healthy Teeth and Gums

Although you are unable to taste, see or feel them, your mouth has a multitude of various microorganisms that permanently live there. These microorganisms are incredibly small and are similar to the ones that live inside of your gut. They can be both harmful and beneficial to your health. Beneficial bacteria, which are called probiotics, help with digesting food and protecting your gums and teeth from bad bacteria, which can grow out of control rather easily. Bad bacteria can cause disease and can lead to many oral health conditions like plaque build-up, cavities, periodontitis, gingivitis and bad breath.

Controlling the toxin and bacteria levels inside of your mouth not only is important to maintaining the health of your oral cavity, but also for your overall health. Bacterial overgrowth and infections inside of the mouth can travel through the body's entire system, which can lead to conditions such as low birth weight, diabetes, bacterial pneumonia and cardiovascular disease. These conditions can all be easily prevented. Although to some degree bad bacteria is present at all times, it is possible to keep it balanced through targeted nutrition, good oral practices and a couple of effective holistic cleansing techniques.

Tongue scraping: Using a tongue scraper is the easiest and fastest way to eliminate bad bugs from your mouth. Tongue scraping is a traditional Ayurveda technique that cleans dead cells, fungi, food debris and bacterial build-up from the surface of your tongue. It helps to stimulate metabolism in addition to freshening your breath and cleaning your mouth.

Oil Pulling: A basic swirl and swish of your preferred oil will provide you with a toxin-free body, whiter teeth, and fresher breath. Oil pulling pulls toxins literally out of your oral cavity. It then gets spit out so that it is cleared out of your body. There was a research study that found that oil pulling appears to reduce plaque-induced gingivitis as well as Streptococcus mutans, which is a bacterium that causes cavities. Therefore, grab some coconut oil and start pulling.

Non-Toxic Toothpaste: One of the major keys to maintaining great oil health is toothpaste. It acts as an antibacterial. However, what type should you choose? We have decided to make the commitment to toxin-free living, and this also includes detoxing our toothpaste. Eliminate Sodium Hydroxide, Triclosan, Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfate, Fluoride and other harmful chemicals. The chemicals damage the entire body, and may even reduce the number of healthy bacteria (probiotics) inside your mouth. Choose a toothpaste with natural breath fresheners and antibacterial agents like peppermint, clove, eucalyptus, licorice, and neem. Or even better, make your own instead!

Oral probiotic: We tend to get so focused on making sure that the good bacteria inside of our gut is balanced with Kombucha and fermented foods, that we forget about our mouths. Your mouth also needs to have good bacteria. That is why it can be very beneficial to take oral probiotics, particularly if you get cavities frequently. The more good bacteria that your mouth has, the greater a defense you will have to combat bad bacteria, which helps to reduce incidences of infection and inflammation.

Activated Charcoal: Although the charcoal makes your mouth look very black temporarily, it does have the same effect as when it is ingested: toxins are pulls from the mouth and it also helps to remove stains.

Ionic Toothbrush: You can use a toothbrush to reduce bad bacteria mechanically inside of your mouth. However, new studies have shown that new benefits are introduced by ionic toothbrushes. Ionic toothbrushes reverse the polarity temporarily on the surface of the tooth from negative over to positive. This draws plaque in the direction of the toothbrush head and results in you being able to clear a greater amount of plaque. Also, since the polarity of the teeth is reversed temporarily, your teeth are able to reject plaque even in those areas that the bristles haven't touched. It has been proven by research that ionic toothbrushes are able to reduce bleeding, plaque and hypersensitivity also, which makes it a great way to clean your teeth.

Green Tea: Not only does drinking green tea help you lose weight, boost your mineralization and protect against radiation, but it also can help to improve your oral health. It has been found by research that consuming green tea on a frequent basis can help to promote healthy gums and teeth, which reduces periodontal disease. It is thought that the mode of action in green tea is due to the high levels of catechin, which is an antioxidant. Previous studies have shown that the ability of catechin to reduce inflammation within the body, in addition to periodontal disease indicators, reduces bad bacteria inside of the mouth.

Neem Oil: This ancient remedy is used to clear up infections inside of the mouth. Although the oil doesn't taste very good, we think the healing capabilities that it possesses make it worth having to endure the bad taste. Neem oil acts as an antibacterial and may be used for preventing bad oral bacteria from proliferating and completely taking over. It has been shown by clinical studies that neem oil is effective at lowering tartar and plaque levels, and also reducing dental infections, bleeding gums and inflammation. Just apply a couple of drops of oil to the gum line directly, massage and then let it stay on overnight.

Tea Tree Oil: Flossing on a daily basis is a critical aspect to keeping your mouth clean and fresh, so why not use tea tree oil as an added extra bonus. Tea tree oil is a natural disinfectant that reduces the amount of bad oral bacteria. It has been indicated by research that bleeding of gums and gingivitis is significantly reduced by tea tree oil, even in individuals who have gingivitis. So get out tea tree oil floss and get rid of the bugs that are hiding between your teeth!