EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Taking care of your teeth and gums is one of the most important things you can do for your physical, and therefore, mental well-being. Because the condition of your oral cavity (mouth space) is intrinsically linked to your general health, neglecting what’s going on in your mouth can lead to regrets, and painful diseases. Establishing an effective oral hygiene routine is key in developing and maintaining excellent overall health. Collaborate with your integrative dentist for safe practices and best results.
By Carter Trent
If you’ve ever endured a cavity, you’re not alone. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 90% of adults have suffered from cavities. This sobering statistic underscores the importance of a proper dental regimen to maintain your oral health. In fact, what you do at home to care for your mouth is far more impactful than relying on regular trips to the dentist. After all, our prehistoric ancestors, those who pre-date the start of farming more than 10,000 years ago, did not have dentists. Yet research revealed their teeth were healthier than most people’s today. That’s because the way the mainstream population eats has changed. Today, thanks to the advent of agriculture, Americans consume lots of carbohydrates from refined grains, as well as industrially-processed oils, and sugary foods. These products have become a staple of the Standard American Diet (SAD). As a result, the microorganisms living in your mouth have changed as well, leading to the emergence of dental and periodontal diseases.
Your Oral Microbiome
In the 1930s, Weston A. Price, dentist and researcher, recognized the problem with the SAD diet after examining the teeth of indigenous people in various parts of the world. These individuals had healthy teeth compared to people consuming a SAD diet, and Weston Price published the findings in his book, “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.” A separate study of the Alaskan Inuit diet performed in the 1950s and 1960s resulted in similar findings to Dr. Price’s. The Inuit who ate a SAD diet suffered dental problems at rates nearly 90% higher than those who ate traditional Inuit meals of fish and other meats.
Your mouth contains a microscopic ecosystem composed of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms, collectively called the oral microbiome. These microbes are indispensable for your health since they deliver a variety of functions to your body. These functions include assisting in food digestion, protecting your body from detrimental microbes that cause tooth decay, supporting your immune system, and helping to detoxify damaging substances in the food you eat. Making sure this microbiome achieves a balanced state, called homeostasis, is the key to maintaining oral health. Some studies have shown homeostasis in your oral microbiome reduces disease in other parts of your body. For example, research studies discovered a link between an unhealthy oral microbiome and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as diabetes. That’s because harmful microbes can travel from your mouth to your digestive and respiratory tracts, and from there, to other regions of your body.
When your oral microbiome falls into imbalance, the growth of harmful microbes overtakes the ones protecting you. This might happen if you consume too many sugary foods. The harmful microbes use sugar to build up plaque, a colorless, acidic substance that clings to and eats away at the surface of your teeth, causing tooth decay and gum disease. Moreover, some medications, such as painkillers and antidepressants, reduce the flow of saliva in your mouth. Saliva not only washes away food, it neutralizes the acids produced by the harmful bacteria.
To limit these detrimental microbes from obtaining the fuel needed to generate plaque, stay away from processed sweet foods and drinks. While maintaining a balanced microbiome is challenging given the SAD diet, your oral care routine can also make a significant difference. You may have heard brushing your teeth at least twice a day is important for plaque removal. Cleaning between teeth, such as with flossing, is also necessary since brushing alone misses clearing the plaque from 35% of your tooth surface. These are important steps to take, but as the teeth of your prehistoric ancestors illustrate, the vital part of your dental care routine is keeping your oral microbiome in balance.
Too Far From Nature
The problem is that many commercially available dental products, aggressively marketed as beneficial, actually cause damage to your mouth’s microbiome. These products contain harsh chemicals that disrupt homeostasis because many of these chemicals are toxic to the microbes helping you. Take toothpaste for example. Popular toothpaste brands, including Crest and Colgate, contain sodium lauryl sulfate, a detergent that creates a foam to help other toothpaste ingredients, such as fluoride, coat your teeth. Studies revealed sodium lauryl sulfate is highly toxic to the cells in your mouth. In fact, research examining the toxicity of various toothpaste brands, including AquaFresh and Oral-B, found all the products proved dangerous to cells in your mouth, and if exposed to these toothpastes long enough, led to cell death.
Fluoride is another widely-used toothpaste ingredient for its ability to strengthen the enamel of your teeth, and slow the acid production of harmful microbes. The mineral is generally considered safe and effective for protecting your teeth from decay, so much so that it’s added to the drinking water in many cities. But fluoride carries risks. Toothpaste contains high amounts of fluoride, nearly four times the level found naturally in the environment. Consequently, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry warns against swallowing toothpaste.In fact, a comprehensive review of nearly 2,000 research studies confirmed fluoride consumption, even at low levels, leads to lower IQ among children. Grown-ups aren’t immune either, as an examination of 689 adults found fluoride exposure reduced IQ in them as well.
Mouthwash is another common product used for oral care. But mouthwash kills the helpful microbes in your mouth as well as the ones you are trying to eliminate. This again creates an imbalance in your oral microbiome, leading to health issues. For example, a UK study found those who used mouthwash twice daily were 50% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who used it less or skipped mouthwash altogether. That’s because the helpful microbes in your mouth contribute to the way your body controls blood sugar, but when mouthwash kills them off, your body’s blood sugar management is weakened. The helpful microbes in your mouth play a role in how you process the hormone insulin, which is how your body controls blood sugar levels. The microbes do this by helping to extract nitric oxide from the food you eat. If your ability to produce nitric oxide is reduced, it hurts your body’s capability to use insulin, contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes.
Even dental floss can damage your health. Conventional floss is made of nylon, a petroleum-based plastic. A study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology discovered your body absorbs toxic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) when using some types of conventional dental floss, such as Oral-B Glide. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS “forever chemicals” damage your body in many ways, such as affecting your immune system, causing developmental problems in children, and increasing the risk of cancer.
Mouth-Body Connection: The well-being of your oral microbiome is important not only to disease and cavity prevention in your mouth, but to your overall health as well. Studies link an unhealthy oral microbiome to digestive diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, heart problems, and cancer. For instance, research discovered the microbes in the mouth of liver cancer patients were dramatically different from healthy people. In fact, clinical studies show gum disease, called periodontitis, is a risk factor for fatty liver, a condition where fats build up in your liver, and can lead to chronic diseases. A wealth of studies also show the microorganisms in your mouth control the development of tumors by regulating your body’s immune response. This is yet another reason to care about the health of the microbes in your mouth. To maintain a healthy oral microbiome, it’s best to move away from chemically-laced dental products, and adopt natural alternatives.
Natural, Effective Oral Care Practices for Prevention and Treatment
Multiple studies reveal brushing your teeth without toothpaste, called dry brushing, is just as effective at plaque removal and maintaining oral health as using toothpaste.So you might opt to skip the toothpaste altogether. That said, there are a plethora of chemical-free toothpaste options available. Research studies show using baking soda as your toothpaste is a safe and effective alternative. Simply mix some baking soda with enough water to form a paste. A teaspoon of baking soda and a few drops of water is all it takes. Another benefit of making your own toothpaste is that you control what’s in it. To enhance the taste, you could add mint and sea salt, or include other ingredients with beneficial properties. Here are a few examples:
- Coconut oil can be added to your homemade toothpaste. It contains antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Food-grade diatomaceous earth is useful for its abrasive qualities, used to scrub your teeth, and can remove stains, but is safe for your enamel.
- Xylitol is a sweetener to make your homemade toothpaste less bitter. Moreover, its molecular structure is different from sugar, so it attracts harmful microbes, but they can’t metabolize xylitol, and die after consuming it. And xylitol supports your oral microbiome since it doesn’t affect the beneficial microbes.
You can also purchase chemical-free toothpastes made from a range of natural ingredients. Some include probiotics that help your oral microbiome thrive. Toothpaste made of charcoal powder, and coconut or cinnamon oil, have proven effective due to their antimicrobial properties. Charcoal is gritty, so it’s good at removing plaque and mild stains on your teeth. Keep its use to small doses, since its abrasiveness could wear down your tooth enamel over time.
As for flossing, a number of companies offer plastic-free floss made from materials such as bamboo fibers, the candelilla plant, and silk. These products are often packaged in reusable or recyclable containers such as glass. So you’re not only helping your oral health, but the environment as well. Just consider that over three million miles of plastic floss is thrown out annually, farther than the distance from the earth to the moon. An adjunct to flossing is to use an interdental brush. These are designed to clean between teeth via a thin wire covered in a ring of soft bristles. Interdental brushes deliver the same benefits as flossing, with added bonuses of massaging the gums, and reducing gum bleeding. Some studies discovered interdental brushes were more effective than flossing. A contributing factor is that proper flossing technique is not easy to master. Research examining how people flossed revealed few were able to floss correctly.
Considering mouthwash, one replacement idea is the ancient Ayurvedic technique of oil pulling. It involves swishing sesame or coconut oil in your mouth, akin to how you would use commercial mouthwash. However, since these are nontoxic ingredients, they won’t damage your oral microbiome. Simply use a tablespoon of one of these oils and swish in your mouth for about 15 minutes, then spit it out. Research has shown oil pulling has beneficial effects in reducing harmful microbes in your mouth, leading to a reduction in susceptibility to cavities.
Along with traditional brushing and flossing are chemical-free remedies and tools for maintaining dental health and homeostasis of your oral microbiome. One is to chew on tulsi leaves, sesame and fennel seeds, or coconut. These are effective at removing plaque without harming your teeth, and have been used for centuries. Another option is to use an oral irrigator, also called a water flosser or water jet. Perhaps the best-known manufacturer of these devices is Waterpik. These machines employ a stream of pressurized water to clean between your teeth, pushing out the “swimmers,” aka bacteria, and can add to your oral care routine while avoiding chemicals.
Research shows a water irrigator is as effective as flossing to reduce plaque, and one study measured effectiveness of up to 29% over flossing. Other studies indicate water irrigators are also effective at decreasing inflammation in your gums. People who struggle with flossing, or who lack the ability to floss, such as young children, benefit from using oral irrigators. From “Do water flossers work? A hygienist’s quest to find out”:
“Numerous studies from the last 50 years suggest that water flossers are more effective at removing biofilm from tooth surfaces and bacteria from periodontal pockets than string floss and manual toothbrushing, together or separately. A study by Goyal et. al. showed a 74.4% reduction in overall plaque and an 81.6% reduction in interproximal plaque with a water flosser compared to a 57.7% overall and 63.4% interproximal plaque reduction with string floss. Of course, it’s possible to attribute these differences to technique rather than product effectiveness. However, poor patient technique, compliance, and dislike of floss are reasons enough to consider alternatives.”
In addition to the above techniques, consider the following practices to fight tooth decay and gum disease. For starters, chew on neem bark, leaves, or seeds as a natural remedy for tooth decay, mouth infections, or sore gums. The Neem tree has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine for oral health, as it contains antibacterial substances that can eliminate harmful microbes in your mouth and promote homeostasis for your oral microbiome. You can chew on the end of a Neem stick to form bristles, then use it as a toothbrush. Doing so promotes the antibacterial benefits of Neem while also allowing you to clean your teeth.
Use a salt water rinse to treat gingivitis. Sea salt can reduce the levels of harmful bacteria in your mouth. Take a teaspoon of sea salt mixed with 8 ounces of warm water, then gargle for 30 seconds like a mouthwash. Combine this with oil pulling to heal oral wounds from gingivitis. Make a turmeric gel to apply to your teeth to heal gums and prevent periodontal disease. Turmeric has long been known to possess medicinal characteristics, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant markers. Its antimicrobial attributes help eliminate the harmful microbes in your mouth, so it’s a common sense treatment for gum disease. Mix one teaspoon of turmeric with a little warm water to create a paste, then gently apply to your gums. Let the turmeric gel sit for ten minutes, then rinse. Repeat this twice per day to eliminate sore gums.
Green tea is a proven therapy for oral health thanks to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Several research studies discovered drinking a cup of green tea daily helped prevent cavities and tooth loss by regulating the bacteria in your mouth, and reducing the acidity in saliva and plaque. You can also use it as a mouthwash. Like green tea, wheatgrass has been found to promote your oral health because it’s packed with vitamins, and contains chlorophyll, which holds antibacterial and anti-inflammatory attributes. As a result, it can prevent cavities, help with receding gums, and act as a remedy for a toothache. Using wheatgrass juice like a mouthwash can destroy the harmful microbes in your mouth.
You can also chew raw wheatgrass, which cleans your teeth along with helping to remove harmful bacteria. If you have a toothache, grind two teaspoons of wheatgrass, add a tablespoon and a half of water, mix thoroughly, then rinse your mouth twice a day until the pain subsides. Alternatively, you can purchase wheatgrass powder, and mix a couple teaspoons in a glass jar with water. It’s said your eyes are the window to your soul. When it comes to your health, your mouth is the window to your body. Maintaining the well-being of your oral microbiome not only reduces your chance of cavities, it holds the added benefit of improving your overall health as well.
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Published on September 12, 2024.
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