TEETH AND GUMS

TEETH AND GUMS

Tooth and Gum Health

Why go natural for tooth and gum health?

Isn't it a wonder that despite the advent of latest tools for oral hygiene such as toothpastes and mouthwashes and the advancement in dental science, more people suffer from tooth and gum related diseases today than ever before?

It is now a widely recognized fact that tooth decay is really a disease of the modern civilization. Modern diet and an overemphasis on refined foods, cereals, processed or synthetic foods lead to a condition of spongy and receding gums. Various gum diseases such as pyorrhea and gingivitis are also a direct consequence of our modern living habits.

Processed and synthetic formulations such as mouthwashes and chemical-based toothpastes most often aggravate the problem that they claim to correct. Very often the consequences can be even more severe. The Dept. of Health and Human Services (USA) has issued warnings that alcohol in mouthwashes is linked to both oral and throat cancer. Fluoride in toothpastes has already been linked to cancer.

The bottom line is why use these toothpastes and mouthwashes, when in fact nature has provided a wealth of herbs and fruit that have a phenomenal effect on oral health with absolutely no side effects. These "miracles" of nature are so powerful that our forefathers have used them for thousands of years. As an example, just try pressing a clove between your teeth in cases of toothaches and feel the pain vanish!!

"Mother Nature's Gift" for Oral Health and Hygiene

• Neem : In a study to determine the most effective method for reducing plaque formation and the level of bacteria on teeth surface it was found that micro-organisms found in inflamed gums are resistant to antibiotics but not to antibacterial plant extracts like Neem. And unlike antibiotics, antibacterial plant extracts produced no allergy in the gingival that could inhibit their effectiveness. Neem extracts have been very effective in destroying cavity-causing bacteria, enhancing mouth immunity and preventing tartar and plaque buildup. They have helped millions of people avoid cavities. Neem can be a painless way to avoid severe dental problems. In a German study, 70 patients with pyorrhea in varying stages showed significant improvement after just 5 to 10 treatments with neem-based products. Bleeding gums had healed and the secretion from pockets around the teeth had stopped. The bluish-colored gums returned to a healthy pale pink color. Neem Twigs have been used by thousands of people for hundreds of years as an extremely effective method of total oral hygiene.
• The Ayurvedic and medicinal properties of the Babul tree (Acacia Arabica) are also well known. This natural ingredient strengthens the root of the teeth, cleans and maintains the whiteness of the teeth.
• Clove and its oil is an absolute wonder therapy for toothaches and gum disorders. It is an excellent pain reliever and often dentists use it to numb the gums prior to administering a shot. Besides this clove oil is also useful in relieving sore throats and is a powerful breath freshener.
• Besides, neem, babul and clove, there are several vital herbs and natural oils that work wonders on tooth and gum health. A mixture of Eucalyptus, clove, and Spearmint is extremely potent in eliminating harmful bacterial build-up in the mouth and a very good cleansing agent.
• Majuphal is a fruit that has a remarkable astringent property and it reduces over secretion of mucous. It's haemostatic property ensures its beneficial effect on bleeding gums and on gingivitis.
• The Catechu (Khadir) bark is extremely beneficial in cases of toothache and spongy gums.
• Ginger oil is an astringent for teeth. Ginger is an excellent astringent wash for the teeth while lemon is a good whitener.
• Herbodent (Orohyi) Herbal Toothpaste is a potent formulation that uses the power of these natural herbs to stimulate oral health.

HOME REMEDIES FOR TEETH WHITENING
Given below are a few important and useful tips/home remedies which will help in making your teeth sparkling white and your million dollar smile, a topic of envy for others who see it.

• Brushing teeth daily with powdered neem leaves not only makes them pearl white but also keeps them healthy.
• Brushing teeth twice regularly with a mixture of soda bicarb and powdered salt makes them sparkling white.
• Rubbing salt on the teeth and rinsing off after sometime, is equally helpful in making the teeth sparking white.
• Dry and grind orange peels to a coarse powder and brush your teeth daily with this powder for making them beautiful and sparkling white.
• You can even make dry powder and store pomegranate peels and brush your teeth every morning and night with this mixture for a good sparkle.
• Roast full turmeric and powder it. If this mixture is rubbed on the teeth daily, it not only stops and avoids any teeth related problems but also makes the teeth sparkling white.
• Another simple tip to make your teeth a topic of envy among others, is to eat sugarcane daily.
• If your teeth has tuned yellowish in colour, roast-ajwain and grind it to a fine powder. Rub this powder on your teeth and then rinse off after a few minutes. Your teeth will become sparkling white within just a few days.
• For yellowish teeth treatment, you can also rub together a mixture of turmeric powder, powdered salt and lime juice on it. Repeating this process for about 15-16 days, will bring back the natural glow.
• Boil fenugreek seeds in water, let cool and then gargle with the strained water inorder to make your teeth strong and sparkling white.
• Powdered cloves and lump sugar not only makes your teeth white but also keeps them healthy if used daily.
• After squeezing out juice from limes, do not throw away the peels. Instead rub them to your teeth well to discover a natural glow.

TOOTHACHE
A toothache is any pain or soreness within or around a tooth, indicating inflammation and possible infection. Generally a toothache happens if tooth decay penetrated the pulp chamber or is very close to it, which contains the nerves and tiny blood vessels. An improper diet favors the development of tooth disease and other maladies of the mouth. Food particles lodged in the area may provide a suitable place for the growth of bacteria, and these in turn produce a local acid reaction which then attacks the surface of the tooth. Once the enamel has been eroded away the body of the tooth is more easily damaged. Eventually inflammation develops in the pulp chamber of the tooth, resulting in the pain of tooth. At first the tooth may be merely sensitive to hot and cold substances in the mouth, or perhaps to pressure from biting. Later, as an abscess forms at the base of the tooth, the pain becomes more severe. It may be sharp, throbbing, shooting, or constant.
Some of the important causes of toothache are:

• Inflammation of the tooth pulp.
• Erosion exposure of sensitive dentine
• Involvement of peridental membrane
• Involvement of the periosteum of the jaw, traumatic, septic infection after tooth extraction
• Occasionally malposition of delayed eruption of a tooth or inflammation of the gum or the antrum.

HOME REMEDIES FOR TOOTHACHE

• Add a half tea spoon of salt to a glass of warm water and rinse your mouth with this solution every few hours as needed. This is very useful home remedy for toothache.
• For toothache treatment apply an ice bag to the side of the face where the pain is felt.
• If there is food debris in the cavity of the tooth, gently remove, and apply a small wad of cotton containing oil of cloves to reduce the pain.
• Prepare a paste by mixing oil of cloves with a small quantity of zinc oxide powder. Use this paste to fill the cavity in the aching tooth. This will prevent the food materials from accumulating in the cavity.
• Peel and crush a clove of fresh garlic and mix it with peanut butter. Apply it to the aching tooth and keep it there for some time.
• Add some limejuice to asafetida (hing) powder. Soak a piece of cotton and hold it on the tooth and gum.
• Burn some turmeric (haldi) sticks, make a fine powder and use as toothpowder.
• Chew a ginger piece slowly with the aching tooth/teeth to release its juice and leave there for half an hour. Repeat 2-3 times. This is also very useful home remedy for toothache.
• Drink the juice of 2-3 star fruit twice a day to get relief from the tooth pain.
• Boil 5 gram of peppermint and a pinch of salt in 1 cup of water. Drink it to relieve toothache and other pains.
• Pour a few drops of Vanilla extract on the paining tooth.
• For toothache treatment pour a few drops oil of oregano on the paining tooth or gum.
• Mix together fresh peanuts, shelled and crushed, and onion, peeled and crushed, to form a fine paste. The paste is smeared on one side of something, like a piece of bread. This is placed inside the mouth, pressed against the sore tooth. This is left for a few hours, and nothing is drunk or eaten etc.
• Chewing raw onion for three minutes is sufficient to kill all the germs in the mouth. Placing a small piece of onion on the bad tooth or gum often relieves toothache.
• Vitamin C, is useful in maintaining the health of the teeth and other bones of the body. It prevents decay and loosening of the teeth, dental caries, toothache, and bleeding of the gums
• The juice of wheat grass acts as an excellent mouthwash for tooth decay and cures toothaches.
• Prepare a paste of the bark of bay berry with vinegar. This paste, applied on the affected tooth, will relieve the toothache.
• Apply a mixture of a pinch of pepper powder and a quarter teaspoon of common salt on the affected tooth. Its daily use prevents dental cavities, foul breath, bleeding from the gums, painful gums, and toothaches
• It is important to restrict one's sugar intake, and to ensure that the diet includes plenty of raw vegetables and whole-wheat bread. Whole foods are ideal for the teeth. Fibreless refined foods allow particles to accumulate on the teeth in a sticky mass where they can do great harm.
• Prepare a paste by adding two teaspoons of activated charcoal powder with just enough water. Apply it to a piece of gauze and place the gauze on the tooth. Bite down.
• Boil 5-6 cloves and 2- inch bark of a Margosa tree (Neem) in 1 cup of water. Strain and bottle. Store this in the fridge. Smear this decoction on the affected tooth.
• A wad of cotton wool soaked in brandy can be squeezed against a cavity to numb the pain of toothache.