This Natural Remedy Improved My Dental Health

Photo Source: Luiz Filipe

 Out of all the dozens of toothpaste alternatives I've tried, there's one simple, natural ingredient that seems to be improving my dental health, killing germs, and leaving my breath fresher than any Colgate you could ever dream up!

Who needs fluoride, right? Between the toxic fluoride that our government poisons our water systems and toothpastes with, there's really no need for any more of it, even if you are one of the people who buy into the stories of it preventing tooth decay. Not even the National Institute of Dental Research, a vehement fluoride-promoter, has been able to keep selling that story. Not after they conducted a study that found "no difference in the incidence of tooth decay between children living in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas," although their report stated that the lowest tooth decay rates occurred in a nonfluoridated area.

Additionally, children living in areas with highly fluoridated water have "significantly lower IQ's" than their counterparts, says a study conducted by Harvard University. And that's just one of dozens of examples of the toxic effects of fluoride, but that's a topic for another day.

If you've been present at Healthy, Happy Wholesome for very long, you know that I became anti-fluoride about 3 years ago (I think.)

From there, I've tried everything from bar soap to peroxide to a blend of baking soda and peppermint to brush with -- each of which has been documented thoroughly here on HHW.

But all those nasty tasting little suckers didn't quite keep me from gagging every time the dreaded teeth-brushing time came around.

So, I was determined that there must be a safe and equally effective way to brush my chompers without having to resort to the tube of poison I used to use (that would be toothpaste, folks). After a couple of years of trying different things and not being able to tolerate much, I decided to take the chance and try replacing those with just one product that contains only three ingredients: botanical oils. I've discussed/reviewed the specific product I'm talking about in the past. You can find that post here.

I should probably stop here and disclaim the hell out of this post before I say what I'm about to say, but I'd prefer not to clog your reading up with an enormous disclaimer that tells you intelligent folks not to try anything your doctor doesn't recommend and that this most certainly is not advice (it isn't.) That the decision to use this is my doing and I take full responsibility for any risks or whatever that may come to myself, but only myself.

Peppermint by Detsugu

Moving on.

 I've been using this OraMD oil spray to replace toothpaste -- it's supposed to help with bleeding, swollen gums -- because after researching each ingredient (peppermint, spearmint, and almond oils), I felt hopeful that the information I found (which I will include below) could be useful for my dental health.

Dental Benefits of Peppermint, Almond, and Spearmint Oil 

• Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial. Proper cleansing properties was/is the most important thing for me so I can be sure I'm actually killing the bad stuff in my mouth that contributes to the decline of dental health in the first place. Taste can come in close second, but first and absolutely foremost is that the bad guys are eliminated so that I'm not just sacrificing harmful chemicals found in toothpaste with harmful bacteria found in the mouth. In fact, the folks who make OraMD say it has "interdental access" that's supposed to allow the ingredients to get in even the tiny spaces in between teeth to kill of bad bacteria.

•  Research has shown that peppermint essential oil is the "most effective" in killing anaerobic bacteria such as the bacteria that thrives in environments with low oxygen levels -- for instance, the kind of bacteria that causes gum disease.

•  The three ingredient are said to delay the process of gingivitis and reduce symptoms of gum disease, increases blood flow to gums, (for those of you struggling with these issues.)

• Spearmint oil helps promote both healing and soothing to soft tissue. It's also an anti-septic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral.

Since the mint oils also happen to leave my entire mouth feeling like its undergone a deep cleansing like your car does when you put it through the car wash, I simply couldn't ever bring myself to go back to any of those other anti-fluoride methods you read about. Like bar soap. Just ick!

So everyday for the last year, I've been giving myself a squirt of this in the mouth before brushing my teeth. On the days I take a break, I'll simply use peroxide. Alternating between the two seems to have greatly improved my root canal issues as well as the pain I'd been dealing with from my wisdom tooth (second one now!) that broke. I didn't see a dentist until about 4 months after the tooth initially broke. Lets just say I had horrifying experiences all the last times I went to a dentist (which I've also discussed on this very blog).

But the fantastic news is that when I did finally drag myself into the dentist's office -- shaking so hard I literally shook the entire dental chair as he was hands-deep in my mouth -- he was able to pull the sucker right away! No infection! The only things I'd been doing was oil pulling gently with some tea tree oil at night before bed and brushing with peroxide most days (to help with the pain) and using the OraMD on other days.

Apparently, it must have done my mouth a world of good because it's quite unheard of for a dentist (conventional anyways) to extract a tooth on the very first visit.

Curious, I even asked him how much infection there was. He said either very little that he could see or none! That's never happened to me before, and I'd even tried several rounds of antibiotics and keeping garlic cloves on a previous broken wisdom tooth (pictured below, after extraction of course) in the past and still couldn't cut away the infection very successfully.

My wisdom tooth -- first extraction ever. It was awful, huh?

So, I went ahead and assumed my natural measures were doing my mouth some good. I was still in complete shock when after the x-rays, he began sticking my mouth with a needle! I nearly panicked. Whoa! Why is he numbing my mouth? He isn't about to go trying to pull this thing on the very first visit?

Oh yes he was, and although I was unprepared, I'm so grateful to have left that office less than an hour later half in shock (gauze held to my cheek, no less) and half in elation for having it gone so quick without having to wait and make another dreadful trip for the extraction.

Anyways, that glorious story aside (the very overly-priced, glorious story, that is), I have something I feel is worthy of sharing... You know, other than how awesome it is to be free of the pain and suffering caused by a broken tooth!


I have continued using the same methods for my dental care -- tea tree oil pulling, OraMD, and peroxide. I toss in the occasional ozonated oil (like olive or castor) in the hopes that it will further improve my dental health.

I feel certain that things have improved in my mouth, although I have a ways to go with one tooth.

Just two days ago, I realized the large build-up of what I believe is calculus is actually falling out from between my teeth! A large chunk fell out the other night, leaving me with a brand new space between my lower to bottom teeth that hasn't been there in years! Yes, I believe the tea tree oil pulling and other techniques are actually removing this bizarre build-up from between my teeth and leaving them intact and safe! I will be documenting that, including a photo of the large chunk of build-up (TMI?) as soon as possible.

I would say things are beginning to look up, wouldn't you? What methods do you use for safely brushing your teeth everyday? Have you had any success with improving your dental health at all? I need a dose of hope here, guys!



Citations:
1.  Shapiro S, Meier A, Guggenheim B, The antimicrobial activity of essential oils and essential oil components towards oral bacteria. University of Zurich, Switzerland. Lett Appl Microbiol.  2009 Sep;49(3):354-60.  Epub 2009 Jul 14.

Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advice of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.