You may be wondering what Holistic Dental Care is. Let us define it first before I give you tips on it.

Holistic Dental Care is a different approach to dental health care than modern dentistry. It considers the various organs in your body, your emotional well-being, and its connection to your oral health. Furthermore, it reflects your diet, fitness regimen, and habits, which you might think don’t affect your oral health. Overall, holistic dental care is a natural approach to dental health.

Please read on to find out 4 natural dental health remedies and practices at home.

1. Oil Pulling

This is an ancient practice of swishing an edible oil inside your mouth. Some use olive oil, while others use coconut oil. Oil pulling is said to help clean and whiten your teeth. It has become mainstream recently because of the benefits raving fans are claiming to get out of it.

One of the benefits that others claim is that it removes common oral bacteria that contribute to gingivitis, plaque, and tooth decay.

So, what is the proper way of oil pulling? Here are the steps to the appropriate technique.

1. As soon as you wake up, properly brush your teeth. Ensure that you clean your teeth and tongue like you usually do.
2. Take 10 ml coconut oil, olive oil, or any edible oil inside your mouth. Avoid swallowing it. Raise your chin. Allow the oil to spread around your mouth.
3. Apply the oil to your gums, teeth, and palate while using your tongue.
4. Using a chewing motion, move your jaw around.
5. Follow these steps for 10 to 20 minutes.
6. When the oil gets watery, it is time to spit it out
7. As mentioned above, do not swallow the oil. If you accidentally consumed small amounts during the swishing process, that is alright. These will be excreted by the body through urine and stool. See a doctor immediately if you swallowed a large amount of it.
8. Thoroughly rinse your mouth with water
9. Do not ingest anything in the next 15-20 minutes.

Please take note of these precautions to err on the side of safety.

• Underaged children below 5 years old should not be allowed to pull oil because swallowing a large amount of oil can cause side effects. These side effects are nausea, diarrhea, or in some worst cases, lipoid pneumonia. Lipoid pneumonia is often caused by the inhalation of oily substances. This happens when someone mistakenly swallows a large amount of swishing oil. As a result, the oil enters the air passages and the lungs.
• Check if you are allergic to a specific oil like coconut or sesame. If you are, choose another one. If there is no substitute, it is best to refrain from practicing this all together.

The best way to go about oil pulling is to consult a holistic dentist who can guide you in performing this technique effectively.

2. Tongue Scraping

Tongue Scraping is another additional step to your dental care, but still, it doesn’t replace brushing your teeth, tongue, and gums.

The benefit of tongue scraping is that it removes dead skin cells. As a result, it helps your taste buds to function naturally. It also gets rid of unwanted food particles that accumulate on your tongue. Finally, it eliminates substances that cause bad breath.

So how does one perform tongue scraping? Here are the six easy step-by-step guides to follow:

1. While you stand in front of the mirror, open your mouth and stick out your tongue.
2. At the back of your tongue, place the rounded part of the tongue scraper.

Gagging may be something that you worry about, so you may want to start in the middle. Then, work your way to the back as you become more comfortable.

3. Let the tongue scraper touch your tongue. Then, slowly and gently pull it forward to the tip of your tongue. Never push back as you want the unwanted substances to come off your mouth, not ingest them.
4. Make use of a washcloth or paper towel to remove the debris from the scraper.
5. Continue to follow these steps until you have entirely scraped off your tongue. You should be done in 1 to 2 scrapes across the same area.
6. Sanitize and clean your tongue scraper with soap and warm water. Allow it to dry and store in a clean area.

This process should be easy enough. You should be done in 2 minutes or less.

3. Green Tea

Great news for those who love green tea. Green tea contains an antioxidant called polyphenols. But, worry not if you are not a big green tea drinker. You may still enjoy its dental health benefits by choosing a toothpaste or mouthwash infused with green tea. It can reduce inflammation of the gums. It also fights bacteria that cause plaque. Some of the other benefits of green tea are:

• Cavity prevention
• Controls growth of oral cancer
• Fight gum diseases and bad breath

4. Water

Water may be the last on this list, but definitely, it is the most important. We know staying hydrated has an overall beneficial effect on our bodies.

Now, let us talk about the great benefits of water when it comes to oral health. First, it stimulates our salivary glands to produce saliva, and it keeps our mouth moist. Thus, this makes it our first defense against tooth decay. Also, every time we drink water, it washes out food particles. This prevents our teeth from staining.

Overall, these 4 tips for holistic dental care are supportive of our complete oral hygiene. You can include this in your general dental routine of regular brushing, flossing, and professional cleaning by your dentist.

References:

1. “Tooth brushing, oil pulling, and tissue regeneration…” Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, US National Library of Medicine.
2. “Exogenous lipoid pneumonia caused by repeated sesame oil…” BMC Pulmonary Medicine, US National Library of Medicine.