Ayurvedic Dental Hygiene Tips for Life

“Remember, Dentistry isn’t expensive, neglect is!” Teeth are an integral part of the human body, not only for a contagious smile but also for chewing food well. In Ayurveda, chewing food is considered important for better digestion. That’s why the importance of dental hygiene is absolutely essential. It helps prevent several dental problems. Regular check-ups are suggested but carrying out a few basic practices and remedies also help you maintain healthy and strong teeth. So, here are a few ayurvedic dental hygiene tips which would help you for life long.

Ayurvedic Dental Hygiene Tips – 

• Eat right

Avoid eating excessive sugars and carbohydrates. Eating anything that’s too hot or too cold is not advisable. Also, lessen your consumption of fried and spicy food items along with increasing the intake of calcium and Vitamin D rich items.

• Mouth rinse

Do this after each meal to remove the food stuck to your teeth and clean the mouth thoroughly with fresh water. You can also rinse and gargle ten to eleven times with warm water and a pinch of salt added to it. Ayurveda recommends mouth rinse after every meal.

• Clean your tongue

Tongue, the organ of taste-speech-cognition becomes a host to a countless number of bacteria. It requires gentle scrapping and cleaning for activating those taste buds. This not only maintains a healthy mouth but also keeps fit your internal organs especially the abdomen. It reduces bad breath and improves the tastes of food. You can simply use a stainless steel or copper tongue scrapper to scrape the tongue back and forward in 5 to 10 strokes for cleaning your tongue surface.

• Avoid caffeine

Caffeine consumption on an empty stomach depletes your dental health along with aggravating the pitta dosha. And an imbalanced pitta causes acidity and constipation. You can also gradually replace your morning tea with a honey lemon tea or milk to hydrate your body for long.

• Use herbal toothpaste or tooth powders

Toothpastes available commercially act like harmful cosmetics that are abrasive and do no good for your oral hygiene. Ayurveda suggests that such toothpaste thickens your saliva to increase the calcium content. Plus, too much of fluoride, desensitizers and foam present in them erode the gums. Hence, toothpaste that is bitter and astringent in taste proves better. Find one that is made of wonder herbs like neem, Triphala, babool, clove and cinnamon or use these individually as cleansing agents. Live natural, love natural!

• Brush teeth with warm sesame/ mustard oil

Yes, this definitely beautifies your teeth and strengthens the gums. Use warm, unrefined and organic sesame/ mustard oil to gently massage your teeth and gums for a minute with a soft brush or with the help of your finger. This is an ayurvedic treatment for teeth cavities. It strengthens your teeth and also soothes the impacted wisdom tooth. Mustard oil combined with a pinch of salt acts as an ayurvedic treatment for teeth whitening and brightening.

• Chew sesame seeds

To compensate and prevent any problems related to calcium, magnesium, and zinc deficiency, chew a handful of mineral-rich white sesame seeds. You can take the roasted sesame seeds or slightly toasted ones. Make this a habit for each every morning before your breakfast. And rinse your mouth afterwards so that the sesame residue can clean and polish your teeth.

• Chew licorice root

Another ayurvedic oral hygiene tip is to use Licorice. It halts tooth decaying along with cleansing your mouth properly.

• Treat with camphor or clove

If you have a toothache, treat it with camphor or clove. Place a natural, edible and non-synthetic camphor on the troubled tooth and let it sit for some time. This is the best ayurvedic treatment for tooth pain providing a long lasting effect. But make sure to get it checked by a dentist if there’s a cavity or if pain persists.

• Tea tree oil application

This is an effective ayurvedic treatment for gum disease including receding gums. Use a soft bristle toothbrush for brushing your teeth with the tea tree oil. Make use of a cotton bud to apply some tea tree oil to the exposed and troubled area of the gums. And/ or use a dental floss for those deep pockets where a toothbrush cannot reach.

• Use Aloe Vera or Triphala

For treating cold sores, apply some aloe vera gel to the affected area. You can also consume one and a half teaspoon of Triphala with warm water to pacify the symptoms.

• Coconut oil

For curing gingivitis, gently massage your gums with coconut oil. It’s a traditional Indian folk remedy and swishing a tbsp for five to seven minutes also helps.

• Orange juice

There are several health benefits of drinking orange juice amongst the recommended ayurvedic dental hygiene tips. Drink one cup with a pinch of cumin powder and a tsp sugar to cure bleeding gums. Let the juice be natural and organic.