There are many options today for doing homeopathic remedies in our daily health regimen. At our dental hygiene office (Broomfield, Colorado), we recommend several things that may be beneficial to your oral health, as well as a more “holistic” approach to dental hygiene care.
Pulling oils:
From the past through to today oils are used to pull impurities from the mouth. Today’s recommended oils are sesame, sunflower, coconut and olive. Put a tablespoon of the oil in your mouth, and swish and hold it in your mouth for 20 minutes. Spit it out. (Do the laundry or some other task where you are occupied but remembering not to swallow the oil! Many people do this while showering.) This can be done daily, or weekly, or when you feel like it.
Essential oils:
Essential oils are distillations of plant essences added to an oil base. Here are a few commonly used ones:
– The peppermint plant has been used for hundreds of years; the extraction is largely menthol. It is antibacterial, combating infection, and helps cool the mouth while preventing bad breath. It’s used in a majority of our toothpaste. Or at least the flavor of it is added, because we are used to it being there! It also helps in digestion.
– Tea tree is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral… this is just the beginning of what this plant’s extracts can offer. Australian in origin, it was extracted in bush stills. It came into common use after Arthur Penfold wrote a series of papers about it in the 1920-30’s. Penfold’s information led to the creation of today’s tea tree industry. It is usually applied as a rubbing oil.
– Clove is also antibacterial, and relieves (doesn’t cure) irritability, and pain of toothache. Clove oil is often used to rub on the gums of teething babies and children.
– Neem is better known in the rest of the world for its many medicinal and other uses. For more information about this fast growing flowering tree and its uses click on http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-tree.html
While having your teeth cleaned at SmileLogic, you can request to have an essential oil polish, rather than the traditional flavored polishes that we carry.
I have tried DoTerra Oils, and really like them. I am not a retailer of them, but they can be found online.
At SmileLogic, we like to have open options. The best treatment is the treatment that works for you. What works for you, may not work for others, but we do encourage you to investigate these and other natural helpers of teeth and gums.