According to the Journal of Bacteriology, the mouth contains over 600 groups of organisms that continually affect our gums, teeth, tongue, cheeks, as well as the health of the rest of the body.
It's imperative to take care of what is called the oral microbiome (collective genetic material of all the bugs, both good and bad, in your mouth) and make sure those bacteria are working for you instead of against you. This can have a profoundly positive effect on not only your oral health but the health of your whole body.
Here are our top 5 ways to love and balance your oral microbiome.
1: Oil Pulling
This is an ancient Ayurvedic dental technique from India that involves pulling a tablespoon of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for around 20 minutes. This action is known to draw out toxins in your body, primarily to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health
We love using either coconut or sesame oil and adding in essential oils that challenge bad bacteria and protozoa in the mouth.
Our favorites are tee tree oil, eucalyptus, and lavender because they are known to soothe the gums and challenge the “bad guys”. Clove oil can also be used for mouth pain.
If you don’t want to mess with a bunch of individual essential oils, check out OraWellness. They have an incredible Healthy Mouth Blend I like to keep stocked.
Also, always use a tongue scraper before oil pulling to clean bacteria from the tongue first. This is much more effective than just brushing your tongue.
If you want more information on oil pulling you can watch Brad and I demo for you here or listen to Randy and I discuss it further in this detox show.
2: Use a Waterpik
Using a waterpik at least twice weekly (especially for inflamed gums or gums that bleed with flossing) will contribute greatly to removing bad bacteria that causes gingivitis from the gum line in a way that brushing and flossing cannot do.
You can fill your waterpik halfway with lukewarm water and you can use a capful of hydrogen peroxide or 10 drops of colloidal silver to rinse away debris or harmful bacteria.
The most effective technique is to spray gums in between each of your teeth for approximately 5 seconds per tooth.
3: Recolonize Your Mouth
It’s not all about killing the bad guys when it comes to good oral health. We need the good bacteria to colonize and stay in the mouth so they can protect us against foreign invaders when they try to enter.
Use a probiotic rinse (make your own with 1 capsule of probiotics opened into room temp water and swish for 30-60 seconds) or eat fermented foods at least once daily, and chew them slowly and very well.
4: Salt Water Gargle
One of the many magical uses of good quality salt is the reduction of gum inflammation and bacteria in the mouth.
As Dr. Mercola states:
“Our American forefathers cured meat by soaking it in brine and hanging it up to dry. The primary function of the brine was to kill bacteria. Millions of people have helped to cure oral abscesses, gum boils, etc., by just rinsing several times a day with warm salt water. The warm water along with the salt helps to pull “fluid” out of the gum tissue, therefore reducing swelling, alleviating pain, and killing harmful bacteria.”
Other things you can do to reduce gum inflammation are:
1: Use aloe vera gel to soothe gum inflammation and help with gum recession by rubbing it along the gum line of all teeth before you go to sleep at night or even using it in a nighttime tray.
2: Quit coffee and opt for green tea instead. Green tea contains catechins, one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant known to soothe the gums. When you sip it, swish and swirl it around your mouth and teeth.
3: Consider Supplementing
Co-Q10 (300mg daily) and liquid silica (30 drops in water once a day) are two supplements that can be used to repair gum tissue from recession due to teeth grinding or over brushing.
Note: you must get to the root cause of the recession, and if it is because of a bacterial or protozoa infection, you must address that first or concurrently to heal from the root cause.
Brush your teeth lightly (it helps to use only two fingers to hold your toothbrush) and use a soft toothbrush, don’t floss too hard, and hug the tooth when you floss versus jamming the floss into the gums.
5: Mind your whitening toothpaste and whiten teeth naturally instead
Skip the enamel damaging chemical white strips and opt for more natural methods of teeth whitening (although your oil pulling should really do the trick!)
You can use half hydrogen peroxide and half water to gargle for a few weeks to get a whitening effect OR even more natural try the Strawberry Teeth Whitener from our friend Katie, the Wellness Mama.
She uses a mixture of half pureed organic strawberries and half baking soda and puts it in a mouth guard or tooth tray, left on the teeth for 30 minutes.
P.S. For those of you who have had or are considering a root canal, I highly suggest you read the book Root Canal Cover Up, but we'll save that topic for a future blog.
References:
http://jb.asm.org/content/192/19/5002.full
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/07/25/dentist2.aspx
Great article, taking notes! Another thing I do for my oral health is drink spring water. I know fluoride in tap water is supposed to be good for teeth, but I feel like drinking natural water is even better. It’s a great replacement for other drinks that stain or that are too sugary. We’ve been getting our water from Cedar Springs and I see a huge difference. Love taking these small steps toward better health!
Love it. I have been implementing some of these now and have seen a big difference. Thx
May be a silly question but will any mouth guards work for the strawberry/baking soda mixture? Like the kind they use to prevent grinding teeth? Thank you! My kids (10 and 12) had “Normal” color teeth until a year ago and they just changed over a period of weeks – I have no idea what caused it, water we were drinking perhaps? I’d love a natural way to make them … Less yellow 🙂
Hi Sara! Any mouth guard should work because they don’t need to be customized for this technique. Hope the kids like the taste of the yummy strawberry mixture!
Hi Christa, love how you put together all your beneficial info! Thank you! Question: do you recommend using the probiotic rinse daily? And then do you swallow it after rinsing?
Thanks Michele! Using it 3x/week is plenty and you skip the days where you eat fermented veggies. 🙂
Thank you for addressing this issue Christa! It would be very helpful if more doctors and the public were aware of the many parasitic, protozoal, bacterial and viral infections underlying so many of the autoimmune, chronic, and acute illnesses out there today, and what tests and herbal protocols can help overcome these. I have been wondering specifically what tests can be done to determine what infections may be underlying gum and digestive symptoms when it seems as though stool samples and current lyme disease tests are pretty unreliable.
On a personal experience note, I have had great luck with neem powder overnight on gums, and Dr Christopher’s tooth and gum powder to brush my teeth, and their bone and tissue repair formulas with a separate tincture of comfrey which is also known as “bone knit” herb taken 2-3 times daily. I also take horsetail herb for the silica. I love essential oils as well and use various combinations of frankincense, myrrh, tea tree, wintergreen, peppermint, eucalyptus, clove, and cinnamon leaf. I apply one or two drops of wintergreen and peppermint 2-3 times a day to my tongue to freshen breath and stop sinus congestion. Eucalyptus is great in a diffuser at night at the head of the bed before sleep; opens sinuses and relaxes me, allows me to sleep on my back which lessens pressure on my jaw during the night and cuts back on tooth grinding.
At my most terrified point in dealing with inflamed gums and a 6mm deep pocket around a back molar, I prayed for a miracle and divine guidance and the word Hyssop came to me in a wakeful moment during sleep. Check out its antiseptic properties in the literature ! It knocked back the inflammation, cleared up some mucus in my urine and allowed time and opportunity for the Dr Christopher’s formulas to work their magic. I used the hyssop for only 2 weeks as it is not meant to be used for long periods of time. My instincts also urged me to use lemon peel on my gums. I would chew and pulverize it and press it along the gum line with my tongue and leave it there for an hour or so; it was very soothing. I bet banana peel would be good too. I also swish once a week with lemon juice and baking soda to whiten teeth and kill germs.
I have also used Vita-Myr zinc plus herbal mouthwash to swish and brush; it is my favorite store bought mouthwash. I have also tried essential Oxygen Organic BR brushing rinse with h2o2 and Oregacare swirl and swallow edible p73 oral clenz, both available at local health food stores. Most products I found online at Amazon. I have experienced great results with all these things.
I also want to mention a recently published (2015) book that I am currently reading called “Cure Gum Disease Naturally; Heal and Prevent Periodontal Disease and Gingivitis with Whole Foods” by Ramiel Nagel. I am only partly through this book, but it makes for very interesting reading, and so far, it covers often overlooked nutritional deficiencies (vitamins and minerals) that correlate with gum disease, especially deficiencies in fat soluble vitamins like vitamin a, e, d, and k and imbalances in calcium and magnesium and phosphorus, and zinc deficiencies. He draws upon research by Dr Weston Price and Dr Harold Hawkins among others.
I love to stay armed with an arsenal of what often turns out to be lifesaving/lifechanging information.
What Hyysop did you use?
Agreed, Amy! Thank you for sharing your experience and protocol.
OralDNA Labs.
Preserved oral rinse Collection
Thank you Christa. The best way to understand gum disease or more precisely periodontitis (bone loss) would be to read my book “To kiss or not to Kiss. A Cure for Gum Disease” there you understand how you can simply kill most parasites implicated in disease with simple salt. This is very effective. So you can find information on our Internet http://www.parodontite.com or get the book on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/2875520164/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1461782515&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=to+kiss+or+not+to+kiss+mark+bonner#immersive-view_1461782524905
This procedure may stop beginong disease adequately. But ideal is to have microscopic control to confirm.
Bravo for your Health positive implication!
Mark
Thank you Mark!
I do NOT recommend putting hydrogen peroxide in your Waterpik! I did this regularly (adding a small amount to the container full of water), and the hydrogen peroxide ate away the rubber parts. I had to call Waterpik and get replacement parts within a few short months.
Hi MaryAnn! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Planned obsolesense?!
I am tired of machines with cheap components that force you to lower your quality of oral irrigator additives – to benefit the machine, but at the expense of your teeth/mouth!
“Dont use H Peroxide!” “Dont use baking soda!” “Bad for the machine/rubber seals!” Isn’t there one oral irrigator machine that has no problem with these extremely common and mild additives?!
I say, use what is good and appropriate for the best health of your teeth/mouth but (save the receipts) then return the machine if/when it goes bad.
Maybe that is the only way to get convince these manufacturers to stop cutting corners (after they keep getting machines that go faulty by their cheap trick of avoiding good quality “rubber” seals, etc.) … mainly to save them a nickle and then make you buy a new machine sooner, etc.
To kill pathogen bacteria and parasites, while keeping good bacteria present, here is what we use to treat periodontal disease. But also ask your dentist for microscopic examination of your dental plaque.
Dentist Mark Bonner
1) You will not need the
following:
Toothpaste (it does not prevent the growth of bacteria on your brush)
2) You will need:
1- Toothbrush (change it every week because it becomes infected by plaque
germs)
2- Torrens Powder *
3- Hydrogen Peroxide 10 volumes **
4- Small glass or porcelain container
5- Water and sink
3) Twice a day (preferably
morning and evening after meals)
1- Mix ** dilute hydrogen peroxide with water in a small container.
2 Dip your brush in this mixture and brush your gum and teeth using the method
described by Dr.
3. Rinse your brush under running water and repeat these steps for the top
teeth and bottom, inside and outside.
4. Rinse with the remaining solution, and nothing else.
4) Twice a day (preferably morning and evening
after brushing)
1- After washing hands, apply Torrens powder* with wet finger, generously on
the line at the top and bottom gums, inside and outside. Spit the excess (do
not brush with).
2- Keep the residue longest as possible (avoid eating, drinking or washing for 20
minutes).
5) After every other meal and snack
1 Rinse your mouth thoroughly with water or some unsweetened liquid you drink.
2- Floss if necessary to remove food debris.
* Torrens
Powder (For tissue conditioning)
Mix in the dry
mixer for 1 minute, 6 parts of baking soda with 1 part of fine table salt.
Keep in a closed container. Place this powder on the gum line. Do not brush with it, just tap!
** Hydrogen
Peroxide (Anti-plaque, antiseptic)
Get oxygenated water in the form of 3% (10
volumes). Add 2 parts water to 1 part of hydrogen peroxide.
Make this dilution every time you use hydrogen peroxide. Do not prepare
quantities in advance.
Hydrogen peroxide strength decreases with time when the bottle is opened. Also,
pick up small containers and change regularly. Judge for its effectiveness.
Continue this
process until target germs have been eliminated.
Have your dental check up regularly while doing this.
Mark
Excellent Mark – thanks! Please share a link to find Torrens powder and explain what it is
The link is broken for the root canal cover up book 🙁
Hi Catherine! Thanks for letting us know. We’ve fixed the problem and the link is now working. Have a wonderful day!
Thank you!
Lovely x i do a few of these xx well…. i basically dont have the water pic but i rinse with peroxide from time to time xx ty
Hi Desiree! Thanks for sharing and keep up the good oral hygiene. 🙂