Oral Health

Desiree

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this but I want to give a shout out to grownetwork oral care products, Equisetum hyemale and the new toothpowder! I also started carrying a six inch piece of licorice root stick around with and "brush" all throughout the day. Way more than in the past with having to carry a brush/paste and find a bathroom. I chose the licorice root because I like the taste versus any others recommended.

I started using these exclusively a while ago and had a dental appointment last week . My hygienist told me that I had very little plague or staining compared to my appointment six months ago! My gum health is excellent and I was borderline periodontal disease before. I wasn't quite ready to share my change with her yet, I want to see what the next six months do.

Thank you for the Natural Dentist program!

Does anyone else have any natural oral health protocols to share?

Torey

@desireet02 That is awesome that you have had such a good check-up! Horsetail makes a great tooth powder and licorice root makes an awesome "tooth brush". But there are a few others as well.

Birch contains xylitol which helps remove plaque and prevent bacterial decay. It is being used in some commercial toothpastes, both for its antibacterial effects and the sweetness it imparts to the paste. So you could use a birch twig in a similar manner as licorice. Great for camping when you forget your toothbrush.

Myrrh is very antibacterial for your mouth. It has a long history of use for treating mouth diseases; ulcers & canker sores, gingivitis and stomatitis. It can be obtained as the raw resin for making tinctures or as a powder,

Cinnamon has similar properties to myrrh with regards to mouth health and is also a flavouring agent for some tooth pastes.

Rosalee de la Foret has a recipe for tooth powder containing myrrh, cinnamon and licorice which is very effective. I have made this a number of times. Sometimes I add a bit of baking soda as well. This is a link to Rosalee's recipe with all the health benefits of each ingredient listed. https://learningherbs.com/remedies-recipes/homemade-tooth-powder/

LaurieLovesLearning

@torey @desireet02 Thanks. We use a tooth powder at the moment, but for some reason that we have not figured out, everyone's enamel is not good and it is worrisome. Even our young childrens' new teeth appear to have disappearing enamel.

Our diet is good, our municipal water is bad (it was upgraded a while back at great expense, but we don't think it is any healthier/better), we are drinking natural spring water, we are not huge sugar eaters nor juice drinkers...maybe our magnesium is low, but that's about all we can think of. Each of us uses a different stiffness of toothbrush, so that can't be the common factor.

Our tooth powder has been Himalayan salt, ground sage & baking soda. I think that I like the sound of what I read in the link. I will certainly check into it and into the other suggestions above.

It sounds as though the flavor of this other toothpowder might go over better than our current mix.

Now, I have horsetail, but it isn't powdered. What might be the best way to grind it or should I just seek out powdered horsetail?

Torey

@Laurie These are the instructions I received regarding powdering horsetail. I should state that I have never done this myself so not sure how long the process takes..

Dry young plants. Heat the dried plants in a cast iron frying pan over a medium high heat, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until a fine powder results. 

Because of the heating, this also eliminates the thiaminase (enzyme that destroys or inactivates Thiamine) content which could be an issue for some.

Not sure what to recommend for the loss of tooth enamel. Its not usually possible to rebuild enamel but there are toothpastes on the market that profess to stop the loss by remineralization but I think they are just strengthening the remaining enamel and for the most part contain fluoride. Xylitol (mentioned above) from the birch tree might act as a barrier to prevent more enamel loss. You can get a toothpaste called Xyli-white that has Xylitol in it (comes in a variety of flavours including cinnamon). You can try calcium supplements along with a Vitamin D supplement to maximise absorption. Or Calc-phos tissue salts.

kbmbillups1

@Laurie We've been using tooth powder from Primal Life for probably a year. It has really helped our teeth. It's supposed to remineralize teeth. My kids thought I was crazy at first but then they went to the dentist and the visits were much better. Now my kids ask it. We've also been using equisetum hyemale from the Grow Network. I bought it b/c my husband's dentist told him he was going to eventually need a root canal. He said he'd do anything not to have one so I figured why not give it a try. We've all been using it and it seems to work really well too. It's just mixing the herb with water and drinking it is kind of like drinking a bit of tea that escaped the tea bag. As my youngest daughter says,"It's not that bad but I wouldn't ask for it as a drink."

Thanks @torey for the link to the tooth powder recipe. I keep saying I'm going to try making my own and never get around to it.

@desireet02 Unless you go to a biological dentist I wouldn't tell them what you're doing. Both of my daughters have been yelled at for not using Crest and not having fluoride in their toothpastes by hygienists and dentists. We've learned that when they ask what we're doing to just say - using Crest. Telling them what we're doing has not gone well for any of us at 2 different dentists. I was berated by my daughter's dentist for using "organic" oral care. She told me we should eat organic but not use it in our mouths. Funny thing is none of it is technically organic but it sure did send her over the edge! My dentist & hygienist listened to what I was doing and just blew it off. Then, they gave me a bag of toothpaste samples and made the point of telling me I needed the flouride. I'd love to find a biological dentist near me. There just aren't any. Our regular hygienists/dentists tell all 4 of us how our gums and teeth have improved everytime we go but they can't deal with the fact that it's not the things they recommend that are making them better. Last time I had my teeth cleaned my hygienists told me there as very little plaque so she removed some stains since there was nothing else to do and she didn't want me to feel like I'd come for nothing.

bkpelfrey

I definitely have to try some tooth powder. No matter what I have done in the past, my teeth has steadily declined. Thanks so much.

kbmbillups1

Have you guys seen this new docuseries about oral health?? I just signed up!

https://www.gatewaytohealthseries.com/trailer/?uuid=102e26762fbb4878f080c4460c2650&a=1000

LaurieLovesLearning

We did notice a positive difference to our cavities when we used topical magnesium (Ancient Minerals). Maybe we should do this again & see what it does for our enamel. It is just so hard to be consistent.

Desiree

@kbmbillups1 I did see that docuseries and decided to sign up as well! I am hoping for some good information from it.

Desiree

@kbmbillups1, I am afraid it isn't only dentists who scoff at alternative natural remedies. While some doctors will say that this supplement or that supplement are okay to use (usually supplements that have no oversights for contents or purity) they don't like real plant use and do their best to "scare" people away from them. I am doing my best research on what goes into my body and if I can find the plant in a good place it is even better. I live in a "herbalist" dead zone and haven't looked into distance consultations yet but it has been recommended by others who are in the same situation as I am.

Torey

@desireet02 This might help find a herbalist in your area. https://www.americanherbalistsguild.com/fundamentals Go to the Our Members tab and there is a drop down menu that has Find a Registered Herbalist. Some of them, if they are not in your area might do phone or Skype consultations. I am very fortunate to have a holistic dentist in my area (although it is a bit of a drive). He is a fully trained dentist that uses all modern techniques, medicines, etc. but he also uses homeopathics and herbal treatments wherever they are appropriate. We usually have great discussions when I see him.

Kelley

I am trying the horsetail since I have very bad receding gums on my bottom teeth. Wish me luck!

Torey

@timtandme If the horsetail doesn't work out for you, try myrrh. You can use it as a powder and brush your teeth or make a tincture for use as a mouthwash.

kbmbillups1

@timtandme the horsetail I bought from Grownetwork has worked great for us! We waited a few days in between taking it for several days like the directions said. My fingernails have even become strong and have grown for the first time ever. That's an extra plus! Hope it works for you too.

soeasytocraft

Thank you for all the comments on tooth care. I’m struggling with loss of enamel and extreme pressure to brush with heavy duty fluoride toothpaste. I’ll be trying some of the suggestions here for general tooth health. Just can’t bring myself to brush with fluoride!

Kelley

@soeasytocraft @kbmbillips1 thanks for the help.