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Dental Care

Preventative Home Care

 

This guide is designed to help you and your family care for your teeth effectively and economically at home. A clean, infection-free mouth with strong, healthy teeth is an essential component of health care. The products and recommendations on this page will help you create a healthy dental care routine to ensure you protect your teeth, mouth, ears, and sinuses with the added benefit of leaving you with fresh breath and beautiful teeth. We recommend the following strategies and items in your home for daily use, as well as for emergencies if any issue arises:

Diet & Lifestyle​

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The most important care for teeth is a good lifestyle with healthy exercise, plenty of good quality water, adequate, restful sleep at night and a diet high in a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains which give us the nutrition we need to keep our tissues in our mouths (and our entire bodies!) strong and able to heal when injuries occur.

Optimize Your Digestive System

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A healthy, well-functioning digestive tract is essential for us to get the nutrition from our foods. 

Brush Your Teeth​

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Brushing teeth thoroughly at bedtime is the most effective means of protecting your teeth. Brushing with a soft bristle toothbrush followed by a good swish with clear water and/or mouthwash after meals is extremely helpful to minimize the population of the microbes which cause dental disease.

Floss​

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Flossing teeth is an essential tool for preventing growth of bacteria and damage to gums and should be done before sleeping every night. Water flossers are an alternative to dental floss and an excellent tool for those who have bridges or dental work which prevents dental floss from reaching every tooth. Adding 3-5 drops of the Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus Tincture to the water reservoir of your water flosser will aid in fighting bacteria when there is an infection. Always clean and dry the water reservoir of your machine after each use so it will not contribute to the growth of damaging microbes! 

Oil Pulling​

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Swishing about a tablespoon of oil in your mouth for 10-15 minutes helps with chronic teeth issues, weak gums, and moving food particles caught in unreachable spaces. It will also hydrate gums and soft tissues in the mouth, preventing infection and managing pain. It is also a natural way to whiten teeth.

 

Check out this short video for an example.

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Neti Pot​

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A Neti Pot is a traditional Indian tool for clearing the sinus passages when there is inflammation and infection. You can find them at any drugstore, and they usually come with a buffered saline solution (½ tsp sea salt and a pinch of baking soda OR ¼ tsp each of xylitol and sea salt can be used as a replacement for a commercial solution).

 

Check out this short video for an example

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Contrast Therapy​

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Alternating ice packs with hot packs is known as contrast therapy. When an area has inflammation (swelling), sharp pain, and/or feels hot to the touch, you will benefit from putting an ice pack over the area. When an area is stiff and cold, is an area of chronic pain, and/or is cool to the touch, a hot pack is most helpful. If you experience congested lymph nodes and/or active infection, place a warm wet washcloth between your skin and a hot pack. Follow with an ice pack. Alternate hot and cold packs until you feel relief. You can keep the packs on for as long as you are comfortable. In general, you should limit use of ice for 10-20 minutes and moderate heat for 10 minutes to an hour. Both hot and cold therapy relieve pain and increase blood flow, allow for better drainage of waste products, and open the area so healing nutrition can better reach the tissues. 

Temporary Fillngs​

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Temporary fillings can be found at most local pharmacies and can be used until you can get to a dentist. Follow the instructions before inserting the temporary filling. Cayenne Plus Oil and clove essential oil can be used while the temporary filling is in the mouth to prevent spread of infection and manage pain. Avoid swishing and gargling while the temporary filling is in place or be prepared to replace it afterwards. If you don’t have access to a local pharmacy see our Dental Kit for a homemade filling. 

Oil Pulling
Neti Pot
Temporary Fillings
Dental Care for Healthy Maintenance

Daytime​

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  • Rinse mouth with clear water after all meals and snacks

  • Floss if food is caught between teeth

  • Brush teeth gently and/or rinse with mouthwash. Limit daytime brushing to 1-2x with gentle pressure using a soft toothbrush.

Nighttime​

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  • Rinse with clear Water

  • Floss

  • Brush

  • Oil Pull if desired

  • Rinse with clear water

Care fo Infected or Injured Teeth
Care for Infected or Injured Teeth

Daytime​

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  • Clean teeth and mouth: Swish with clean water to clear debris from your teeth after eating anything. Gently brush your teeth, floss, flush your sinuses with a Neti Pot, Oil Pull, and/or swish with Herbal Mouthwash. What you can do will depend on your level of infection, pain, inflammation and ongoing dental treatments.

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  • Apply Cayenne Plus Oil on affected areas of the teeth and gums using a cotton swab. If you have pain and/or signs of infection on the face, jaw and neck, wash the area with gentle soap and water and apply the oil there as well.

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  • Apply clove essential oil (using a cotton swab) to any painful areas in the mouth, face, jaw, and neck for a temporary numbing effect. Use this oil sparingly, as it is very strong.

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  • Pack a bit of white oak bark over bleeding/swollen gums or around loose teeth and use a temporary filling to protect a cavity. You can find temporary filling kits at most drugtores.

Nighttime​

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This is your most important time to care for your teeth and gums! The proper order is really important for getting the most out of your efforts!

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  • Rinse with clear water

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  • Floss (use a water flosser if you have dental treatments which cannot be cleaned with regular dental floss).

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  • Brush using a soft bristled toothbrush with gentle pressure for 2 minutes

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  • Neti pot/nasal irrigation: See “Neti Pot” above. Add 3-5 drops of Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus Tincture to the normal saline solution

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  • Oil pull: see "Oil Pulling" above. Add 3-5 drops of Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus tincture to the oil.

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  • Rinse with mouthwash. We recommend gargling with a nourishing and/or healing mouthwash

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  • Apply Cayenne Plus Oil and/or clove essential oil using a cotton swab

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  • Pack gums and cavities: Pack a bit of white oak bark powder over bleeding/swollen gums or around loose teeth and use a temporary filling to protect a cavity.​

Specific Recommendations for Common Dental Issues

Abcess/​festering infection

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See “Care for Infected or Injured Teeth” above. Repeat the cleansing and healing routine after all snacks and meals (or at least twice daily) until pus and/or infection have cleared.

Bleeding Gums & Gum Infection

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See “Care for Infected or Injured Teeth” above. Make a strong tea of oak bark and drink it throughout the day, swishing thoroughly each time. This will tighten up the gums and firm up the teeth.

Bad Breath/Halitosis​

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See “Care for Infected or Injured Teeth” above. Take the Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus tincture with all meals. Oil Pull, then gargle with the Herbal Mouthwash at bedtime. Work on healing the digestive system, as this is generally the source of chronic halitosis.

Cavities & Lost Fillings​

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See “Care for Infected or Injured Teeth” above. It is essential to clean the area where there is a cavity: brush, floss and gargle with Herbal Mouthwash. Use a cotton swab to apply Cayenne Plus Oil and clove essential oil on the tooth. Apply a temporary filling (see “Temporary Fillings” above) until you can get to a dentist. In an emergency, a small piece of a cotton ball soaked with Cayenne Plus Oil and a drop of clove oil can be gently pushed into the open cavity to prevent further spread of infection and relieve pain.

Cracked Tooth​

See “Care for Infected or Injured Teeth” routine above until you can see a dentist. Work on your digestion and diet to increase the mineral nutrition needed for healthy teeth and bones. Make a strong tea of oak bark and drink it throughout the day, swishing gently and thoroughly each time. 

Ear Infection Causing Tooth Pain​

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Place a moist washcloth and a heat pack over the ear and neck. Apply Cayenne Plus Oil to the neck and jaw to aid with infection. Oil pull in order to  open up the eustachian tubes (tubes which drain the ears into the back of the throat); adding 3 drops of the Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus Tincture to the oil will aid in fighting bacteria when there are signs of infection. Place 2-3 drops of warm olive oil OR garlic/mullein oil in the ears and cover with a piece of a cotton ball overnight.

Loose Teeth Due to an Injury or Blow​

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Using a cotton swab, apply Cayenne Plus Oil inside the mouth to stop any bleeding. Apply the oil on the skin outside of the mouth using a cotton ball. Apply an ice pack over the oil until throbbing and bleeding stops, repeating the application of the oil and ice pack every 10-20 minutes until results are achieved. Gently realign and guide teeth into place. Swab the area generously with cayenne plus oil and clove oil. Make a strong tea of oak bark and drink it throughout the day, swishing gently and thoroughly each time. Liquefy your foods and don’t chew with any force with the injured teeth until you can get to a dentist. For pain we also recommend taking homeopathic symphytum, arnica, and hypericum as well as applying an ice pack, arnica and clove oil on the face over the injured area.

Loose Teeth Due to Weak Gums​

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See “Care for Infected or Injured Teeth” above. Oil Pulling with a few drops of Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus Tincture added to the oil and gargling with the Herbal Mouthwash are highly effective for this issue. Make a strong tea of white oak bark and drink it throughout the day, swishing thoroughly each time. This will tighten up the gums and firm up the teeth. You can find white oak bark powder at most health food stores and in our Dental Kit.

Sinus Infection Causing Tooth Pain​

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See “Care for Infected or Injured Teeth” above, paying special attention to oil pulling and Neti Pot treatments in the morning and night. Add 3 drops of the Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus Tincture to the Neti Pot to aid in fighting bacteria when there are signs of infection. Apply the Cayenne Plus Oil externally on the jaw and neck, as well as inside the nose. Apply aromatic essential oils (eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, helichrysum, etc) and take a hot steamy shower. We also recommend using our Nose Calming Salve for extra relief.

Teething in Babies​

Apply clove oil to gums using a cotton swab. Give the baby a teething ring OR wet and freeze a washcloth and give it to the baby to chew on.

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