Hey Michelle, how do you brush your teeth?
Answer: Very carefully! ha!
A big part of our health starts with what we put in our mouth and how we take care of our teeth. For thousand of years, Traditional Chinese medicine has recognized that the individual teeth sit on meridians lines that correspond to organs on that same meridian line. Just like the eyes (in iridology) or the feet and hands (in reflexology), the teeth have also been mapped out. You can see tooth meridian charts online displaying which tooth corresponds to which organ (link below). There have been conclusive studies that show the majority of women with breast cancer on one side of their body will have a problem with the corresponding tooth on that same side of the body.
Also when checking in the mouth and the quality of the tongue, you can see how that is affecting the gut and how it is related. A larger tongue with tooth indents or a tongue with thrush or one that has cracks....These are an indication of what is happening in the gut. All the more reason to take good care of our teeth and mouth.
We all know how we should brush and floss our teeth twice a day. I remember being taught how to brush in grade school but perhaps we need a refresher of what oral hygiene should look like.
Before brushing the sides of your teeth, start on the flat chewing surface in order for your bristles to soften. This will be kinder to your gums, especially if they are receding. For most people, getting the bacteria out from under the gum line is critical and to do this, one must hold their tooth brush (with less abrasive bristles so as to not do damage to your gums) at a forty-five degree angle and brush in a circle motion to dip the bristles below that gum line. It is best to use the same hand for the same side of the mouth so as to not put too much pressure on your toothbrush and thus your gums (no cross handed brushing). Please hold your toothbrush with just the fingers and lightly; a forceful deathgrip will only be too aggressive for your gums and will wear them down. Try brushing each tooth for three seconds following that gumline. Your mouth can turn acidic after eating and the acids can soften your enamel. In this softened state, brushing can actually be destructive to your enamel. For this reason, it is best to just rinse with water after eating and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing. This gives your saliva a chance to balance out the acids and restore minerals to your enamel. Yes! Your saliva can remineralize your teeth! It is best to rinse with plain water after eating but you can even add some salt or baking soda for a healthier rinse. Once your teeth are brushed, you should leave the tooth paste in your mouth for half an hour; especially if you are using a remineralizing toothpaste. If this is part of the night time routine then I would also add that you should not eat during the last 2 hours before bed as you produce less saliva closer to bed time and as you sleep. What ever that is in your mouth while sleeping will not get cleared away. A dry mouth is a great environment for bacteria to grow and contributes to plaque development, tooth decay, and gum disease. Sleeping with your mouth closed (some might use the aid of surgical tape or a chin strap to help with this) will help keep the moisture in your mouth. Hence the fuzzy teeth that need shaving in the morning. More of a break between eating and bedtime equals less tooth shaving in the morning.
2. In the morning before your coffee or tea, try oil pulling too. Ayurvedic oil pulling traditionally uses sesame oil but I prefer coconut oil. Take a teaspoon of oil and swish it around in your mouth first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach. Try for ten minutes and see if you can work up to 20 minutes. How much multitasking can you do while oil pulling? Take out the trash, make the coffee, bake the bread…all while swishing…you get the idea. Oil pulling detoxifies the body, but more than that, it whitens teeth, firms your mouth muscles and may even help with snoring and whistling, dare I throw in waddle reduction possibility too? Think of it as an intro to face yoga. So go ahead and wet your whistle but be sure to spit oil somewhere safe; definitely not in the sink as it will solidify and eventually clog your drain. Perhaps spit in the garden to keep the weeds down or like most, pit in the garbage.
3. Flossing: Brushing accounts for only cleaning 40% of your tooth. Everyone should floss at least once a day, reaching the hard-to-reach parts of the teeth that cannot be easily cleaned by a toothbrush. This is a great way to keep the bacteria from building up on your teeth and causing discoloration over time due to enamel erosion. That’s why we floss, it is more about disrupting the bacteria and introducing oxygen than removing food debris. Most people floss after brushing their teeth but it should really be done before brushing your teeth. There are many different types of floss on the market to choose from...flat types, charcoal imbedded, bamboo and silk. My preference is to stay away from the common plastic variety because, well, it’s one use throw away plastic, but I would also stay away from silk as it breaks way too easy and can (has for me) get stuck under the gum line. Knotty Bamboo floss is my favourite; it comes in glass vial. It fits nicely in the purse or pocket too! The knots tend to clear debris and calcification better for me; choose the floss that best suits you. With your floss, you can put a drop of organic and steam distilled essential oils (choose an oil that is good for consumption) and coat the floss before placing it along side of the tooth so if you looked at it from above, the floss forms a "c" around half of your tooth, in a floss hug. Gently go below the gum line and back up five times. I like the side to side motion but I have been told to go up and down....more oxygen introduction possibly? The key here is to floss at least once a day ideally twice to break up the biofilm. One tooth at a time please; they each deserve their own time. If it is killing you to stand in front of the mirror, why not put the floss by the couch so that when you watch t.v., you can floss. Right after you do your, ahem, stretching homework :)
4.Another Ayurvedic tool to use here is a tongue scraper or a spoon turned upside down. Before brushing your teeth and after oil pulling, gently scrape your tongue a few times, don't forget the sides of the tongue too. Place the scraper or spoon as far back on your tongue as is comfortable and gently pull forward. Rinsing off the goo between scrapes. In a pinch, you can use your toothbrush and give your tongue a light scrub. While a toothbrush is better than nothing, studies have shown that they are not as effective as using an actual tongue cleaner. One clinical study showed that a tongue cleaner reduced VSC levels (Volatile Sulfur Compounds–the main driver of bad breath) by 75% while using a toothbrush to clean the tongue only reduced levels by 45%. That is a big difference! (Note: when your tongue scraper is not at hand then you can use a kitchen spoon). Please note that if you have lesions, tongue scraping may make the situation worse; refrain from aggravating the situation until the lesions heal. There are a few kinds of tongue scrapers:
Copper tongue scrapers: used in Ayurvedic medicine due to copper inhibiting bacterial growth. Copper is used naturally within our bodies to fight microbes and pathogens. While this makes copper a great choice for a tongue scraper, however, they are more expensive than other scrapers, the copper tends to break down more quickly, they do tend to have a “taste” that not everyone agrees with and we do want to keep the good bacteria so maybe antibacterial copper is not the right choice.
Plastic tongue scrapers: while cheap and easy to carry, these are the least favorite option if for no other reason than they are environmentally wasteful. Plastic tongue scrapers are designed in a spoon shape rather than a gentle blade. This shape is not as effective for scraping and also tends to collect bacteria, so as you clean (it takes several passes over the tongue) you are likely to spread the bacteria back again! Plus, since they are made of a softer material than metal, they are more likely to get nicks or rough edges–a definite "no" when it comes to your tongue. They also have a tendency to get kind of “gunky” after a while and so need to be replaced quite often.
Stainless steel tongue scrapers: buy a quality model that is made from surgical stainless steel as they last longer and feel better on your tongue. Also look to see that they have a gentle curve to the blade so as not to irritate the delicate bumps, papillae, on your tongue. Since stainless steel is so hard, it is very unlikely to develop any irregularities with use that might injure your tongue. It is by far the longest lasting material and so this one is the more economical choice over time.
5. If floss is not an option due to dental work or braces, or even gingivitis (at first) or tonight you want a little extra oomph, then I suggest hydroflossing (water irrigation). Here you can use a salt water solution, or a non alcoholic, good bacteria friendly, mouth rinse solution (if your hydroflosser allows it) or even a hydrogen peroxide solution or an ozonated water solution. There are many water flossers on the market. I think the plug in kind do a decent job. I just see hydroflosser brand recommended over and over again so that is what I look for.
6.At the end of the day, you can add other things to the routing or change it up a bit by eating an oral probiotic or prebiotic right before bed, swishing with baking soda to change the PH or swish with hydrogen peroxide and water mixture to introduce more oxygen between the teeth and under the gums. Maybe add some minerals for your teeth or some activated charcoal to remove toxins (watch out! You may drool black with this one).
But Michelle, there is no way that I can do all this every day...twice! I understand your pain. It is a mouthful!! I do every one of these things, but not all 6 steps every night. My Dad always said: "Everything in moderation”. He could have been including a toothy routine in that phrase. Mix it up and if you want to reverse a cavity (yes, you can for a small one at least and I have) then I say lean into this and change your eating habits (less acidic and acid cause foods, less inflammatory foods, food less often, giving your mouth time to clean up and remineralize).
So to recap: oil pull first thing in the morning, floss, brush (spit but don't rinse), tongue scape, and added bonus hydrofloss and / or mouthrinse with non alcoholic mouth wash. You can tell the folks who do not floss their teeth very regularly, or at all. When they smile, their gums are inflamed, red and the gums bleed easily. YOU definitely don't want to get to that point. Take heed, this is why we have an oral health routine. The oral bacteria pass through the inflamed gums into the blood stream and travel around. If they settle into the lining of the heart or the heart valves then infection can occur and this can develop into a serious condition. Over time, serious consequences, such as congestive heart failure or strokes, are often the result. More on this in a later newsletter
Fun facts:
Up to 77% of American adults over the age of 30 are suffering from gingival or periodontal disease
There are 700+ species of bacteria live in the mouth
1ml of saliva equal 10 to the power of 8 microorganisms
We swallow 1 liter of saliva each day
The microbiota of the lung more closely resemble those of the mouth (its primary source of community) than those of any other body site. It is plausible that we may micro aspirate as we sleep, when cough reflexes are suppressed; this has not been proven though.
The beneficial bacteria in oral probiotics actually produce a natural whitening agent, hydrogen peroxide, as a part of their life cycle. A natural approach to controlling bacterial overgrowth and to promote fresher breath.
Resources:
Toor Canal and Breast Cancer: http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/energetics2.html
https://www.cancertutor.com/rootcanals/
https://beyondbiodent.com/understanding-meridians-of-the-body/
https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/lindas-survivor-story-root-canals-and-cancer/
Tooth Meridians:https://meridiantoothchart.com/
https://www.milldental.com/meridian-tooth-chart/
Your Tongue and what it means: https://mysolluna.com/blog/2018/06/24/5-warning-signs-your-tongue-is-telling-you-about-your-health-digestion/
Hydrooflosser: https://hydrofloss.com
Knotty Floss: https://www.knotty-floss.com/
Tongue Scraper: https://www.prettyorganicgirl.com/tongue-scraper
Oral Probiotic: https://greatoralhealth.com/pages/probiotics
Non Alcoholic Mouth Wash: https://www.dentalherb.com/consumer/products/tooth-and-gums-tonic/
more on Oil Pulling: https://draxe.com/beauty/oil-pulling-coconut-oil/
Tooth Brushes ( I use all three, Philips, Oral b and fine bristles manual):
manual: Whatever your dentist gives you or: https://www.pharmaca.com/senzabamboo-eco-friendly-bamboo-adult-toothbrush-ultra-soft?msclkid=5297623b01bb1ed2fd7e03b1c445e4a0&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=s_sho_g_other_brand_multi_multi_all_c-us_p_rev_bi_en_mult_bing_all&utm_term=4574861732185395&utm_content=Shopping%20-%20All
A good toothy resource: https://www.westonaprice.org/
Disclaimer: The newsletter above is my opinion and experience written here for your entertainment and maybe it is a jump off point for you to do your own research. I am not a doctor or dentist and this is not medical advice. This cannot replace medical care. If you are having medical issues please consult your functional health practitioner or biological dentist. If you have yoga questions please contact me via email. Namaste