Natural Solutions for Oral Hygiene

While good oral hygiene can improve your breath, keep your teeth white and make for a pleasant social experience for those around us, brushing and flossing is not necessary for preventing tooth decay. "Some groups of Indigenous people who had fermentable carbohydrates stuck on their teeth all of the time, without any brushing or flossing, were mostly or entirely free of tooth decay." "You can minimize your tooth decay, prevent it entirely, and even heal tooth decay once a cavity has formed, if you make good choices for yourself based on the knowledge of the lifestyle led by decay-free Indigenous people."

1 - Good Diet / Nutrition - Include fat-soluble vitamins such as "A, D, E, and K from whole food sources. Grass-fed animal foods, wild fish and shellfish (particularly the organs) are home to these vitamins." Fat-soluble vitamin E is stored in the unprocessed, properly-prepared germ of grains from wheat, rye, barley and oats. "If you eat grains, like wheat and corn, they must be freshly ground. Grains usually need to be fermented to release trapped nutrients and make them digestible." "For animal food eaters, we need to eat grass-fed raw milk, butter, cream and cheese made from cows that eat the rapidly-growing grass of the spring and summer. Also, we need to eat moderate amounts, with almost every meal, of at least some of the organs of land and/or sea animals, or truly free-ranging chicken eggs."

"When our blood chemistry is out of balance, primarily from the consumption of processed foods (especially sugars), the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood deviates from normal. When this happens, minerals are pulled from the bones causing tooth and other bone loss. So, sugar causes tooth decay because it depletes nutrients from the body, not because bacteria eat it and produce acid. In order to restore the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood, and to enable minerals to bond unto our teeth, it is usually not sufficient just to avoid eating too much sweet or processed foods. One must also eat health building foods, containing potent amounts of minerals and vitamins to create a chain reaction that will build glassy hard tooth structure in place of decayed tooth structure."

2 - Reduce the intake of sweets. Any sweet food can produce a change in our blood sugar, which can contribute to minerals being pulled from our bones (and teeth).

Regardless of the dental health community's support of fluoride, many individuals, independent scientists, and some dentists have been speaking out in recent years about their concerns regarding the possible risks of fluoride in public water, toothpaste and other uses (mouth washes, cookware, pesticides (leaking into our food), reconstituted juices, baby formula and sodas, many prescription drugs). One Dentist has devoted much of his time in exposing the risks of floride; contributing to eczema, tooth discoloration and pitting of tooth enamel (fluorosis), bone fractures, birth defects, cancer, arthritis, lower IQ, ligament damage, hip fracture, cancer, infertility, thyroid dysfunction, interfers with collagen formation, and crippling and bending of the spine and long bones. It is carried in mother's milk and accumulates in the tendons, ligaments and brain, causing behavioral changes.

What is the saddest thing about fluoride in drinking water? It has never been shown to decrease tooth decay. This is a lie that has been repeated often enough that it is thought be fact. Even if fluoride did reduce tooth decay, would it be worth the risks listed above?

Consensus in the dental world is that fluoride does not work to prevent decay systemically. It works topically. Fluoride is an enzyme killer and thus kills the bacteria in the mouth that causes tooth decay. If you want a poison to kill the bacteria, why place it in the water, just use it in toothpaste or swish with it.

The optimal amount of fluoride in drinking water, as recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), has been .7 – 1.2 ppm (parts per million), with a maximum allowed amount of 4 ppm. When fluoride was first used in the 1940’s, the optimal dose was thought to be 1 mg/liter with the average intake of water by an adult male estimated at 1 liter per day. So they fail to calculate these amounts to body weight (baby vs. adult); less for babies and more for adults. So these "standardized" amounts are more dangerous to babies than adults. This leads to the opinion that public water should not be fluoridated and each person/family should be able to decide for themselves if they want to use fluoride.

If the desire is to eliminate or limit the use of fluoride in a public-water household, read label ingredients, use bottled water or filter out fluoride from the water entering the house.

Natural Toothpaste (those that exclude fluoride, sodium laurel sulfate, and sugar)
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
Peroxide (diluted)
Green tea
Eucalyptol, menthol, and tea tree oil
Activated Charcoal (for whitening)
Toothbrush Alternative - Teeth cleaning twig
Homemade Baking Soda and Coconut Oil Toothpaste (See My Personal Recipe with 1 part Coconut Oil to 2 Parts Baking Soda)

• 1 tablespoon baking soda (kills bacteria and whitens teeth)
• 3 Tablespoons Calcium Carbonate Powder (used instead of fluoride to help remineralize the enamel of teeth and as an abrasive to whiten)
• 4 Tablespoons Bentonite Clay (is alkaline and full of minerals that binds to, and draws out, heavy metals and toxins) - CAUTION: Some Bentonite Clay may contain lead which can be fatal due to the risk of lead poisoning. Strongly consult the manufacturer and the FDA to research before using. Stop using products containing Bentonite until you do further research for safety.
  
  OPTIONS:
  
• 10-20 drops (to desired taste) of Peppermint Essential Oil* (has antimicrobial properties so it can help freshen bad breath)
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon powder (kills odor-causing bacteria)
  
  PREPARATION AND USE:
  
• Place ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake to mix thoroughly before use.
• When ready to use, wet the toothbrush, sprinkle on (or dip into) the powder and brush as usual for about 2 minutes (do not swallow) then rinse well

Toothpaste does have a shelf life. The ADA requires any toothpaste containing fluoride to carry an expiration date two years after the manufacture date. The fluoride becomes less effective as it does not bind well to tooth enamel, thus it loses its ability to brush away bacteria in the mouth and protect against cavities. Ingredients start to separate, including the flavoring so it becomes quite unpleasant to your taste buds. Toothpaste may just become too dried out and hard to squeeze through the tube. Read more. But don't throw it away; surprisingly, there are a ton of uses for toothpaste outside of the mouth.

An ancient dental technique. Supposedly draws out toxins in your body, primarily to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health. Reduces bacteria, plaque, gingivitis, infection and microorganisms that cause bad breath and helps whiten teeth.

Daily swish (like you would mouthwash) 1 tablespoon of a vegetable-based oil (coconut, sesame, sunflower or olive) in the mouth, on an empty stomach, for 5-20 minutes (the longer you "pull", the more bacteria you'll remove) and then spit it out and rinse well. Don't spit it down the sink, as the oil could clog your pipes. Don't skip brushing and flossing as usual.

1 - Plaque: Virgin Coconut Oil, Table Salt, Baking Soda and Aloe Vera Juice
2 - Bacteria: Baking Soda, Table Salt, Cinnamon Oil
3 - Gingivitis: Tea Tree Oil
4 - Bad Breath: Peppermint Oil
See My Personal Recipe

How to naturally seal over cavities
How to naturally treat an abscessed tooth
Information about, and alternatives to, a root canal
Natural treatment for gum disease
Naturally rebuild tooth enamel
Natural alternative to fluoride
Evidence of Harm 2020: Dental Mercury Amalgam Filling

Relieve Pain From a Cracked or Broken Tooth
• Gently bite down on a fresh piece of gauze.
• Use an over-the-counter (OTC) pain-relief medication like Motrin or Advil (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen).
• Floss between the teeth that are cracked or broken to remove food particles and plaque, that contains bacteria, to reduce pain.
• Use oil of cloves (eugenol) as a natural anesthetic.
• Try an OTC dental anesthetic like Orajel (benzocaine) or Anbesol (lidocaine)
• Seal the affected tooth with an OTC temporary filling material (Dentemp).
• Sleep with your head elevated to ease some of the pressure in the area of a toothache.
• Rinse with warm salt water two to three times a day as an antiseptic to remove bacteria from the infected area.
• Seek professional dental care as soon as possible.
Additional Information:
Home Remedies For Toothache Pain Relief