Get Better Dental Health with an Oral Detox
Your mouth is the host to more than 500 different kinds of bacteria. While much of it is necessary and beneficial, some of this vast number is harmful to your teeth and gums. If you have bad breath or know that you have gum disease, you can detox your mouth to help remove some of these problems.
Why You Should Detox Your Mouth
Every day there is a battle going on in your mouth. It is the good bacteria versus the bad. The good bacteria try to keep the bad bacteria under control, but there are some things that can energize the bad bacteria so that the good bacteria are not strong enough to do so.
Evidence that the bad bacteria is out of control in your mouth is bad breath. Another piece of evidence is that your gums bleed when you brush or floss them. If your gums appear red or inflamed is one more piece of evidence that you need detoxification. Detoxing your mouth can help eradicate the bad bacteria and restore the health of your mouth over time.
Why the Health of Your Mouth Matters
Recent research reveals that having gum disease, caused by the bad bacteria being out of control, will affect your overall health. This is because the bad bacteria cause inflammation, and inflammation leads to coronary artery disease, diabetes, heart attacks, stroke, and even some forms of cancer. Because of this, no amount of gum disease is healthy.
Things That Strengthen the Bad Bacteria
Before you can understand how to reduce and control the bad bacteria, you need to understand what causes it to get out of control in the first place. It may surprise you to learn that the bad bacteria feed on sugar. This means that every time you drink a soda or sip on a coffee or tea with loads of sugar in it, you are strengthening the bad bacteria in your mouth. The problem with this is that when it gets sugar, it turns it into an acid that slowly corrodes the enamel on your teeth.
So, while you may detox your mouth to try and remove some of the bad bacteria, if you eat a lot of carbs and sugar-laden drinks, you are not going to have much success. Drinking water and eating healthy foods will be much better for your overall health. Diabetes will also need to be controlled because high sugar levels in your blood will promote gum disease.
How to Detox
There are numerous ways to detox your mouth. Here are some that you may want to try.
- Green Tea
Green tea is known for its many health benefits. It contains anti-oxidants and flavonoids that have properties needed to help control the bad bacteria in your mouth. One study, published in the Journal of Periodontology, indicated that men who drank green tea had better oral health than those who did not. For every cup of green tea consumed, it reduced further the indicators of periodontal disease.
- Oil Pulling
Oil pulling has been used for thousands of years in India as a way to prevent tooth decay, bad breath, bleeding gums, and more. Although this may not be as appealing as some other methods of detoxing your mouth, the benefits of using sesame oil have been tested by the National Institutes of Health and found to be an effective way to improve your oral health.
Sesame seed oil, some people also like coconut oil, can be used to detox your mouth. Simply swish it around your mouth for around 10-15 minutes or more before brushing your teeth. Then spit it out in the trash can (it can clog your drains), and rinse with water. In the case of coconut oil, which is a semi-solid at room temperature, let it melt in your mouth first, and then swish it around. Some people also say that it will whiten your teeth.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil has also been used for centuries to help reduce oral problems. It is known to have anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties. This ability can be used to detox your mouth and help to alleviate the bacteria that cause periodontitis. One government report indicated that it was helpful in reducing the bacteria that cause periodontitis and reducing inflammation.
Detoxing your mouth is not a substitute for dental care. While it can help control the bacteria and reduce inflammation, it will not fix problems once they develop. You will still need cavities to be filled, and antibiotics, and possibly even surgery may be necessary to correct problems caused by a severe periodontal disease.
For the best mouth health, you will also need to quit smoking. The chemicals from tobacco of any kind will raise your risk of gum disease, and it will also slow the ability of your gums to heal or fight the disease.
Even though you use various home remedies to detox your mouth, it is still necessary to see a dentist for regular checkups. If you live in the Farmers Branch, TX you can get dental care by making a visit to Champion Dental office. We perform many dental services and can help you get on the right track with the dental care you need. For more information, or to set up an appointment, you can call (214) 747-0763
