Gum Disease:

In following this information you may be able to reverse gum disease and avoid gum surgery.

Xylitol

One of the things you might try is to chew xylitol gum or use Xylitol mints. Xylitol prevents bacteria from adhering to the surfaces of your teeth and gums. So will be less harmful bacteria in your mouth and as a result your gum health may improve.

Xylitol products can be found at most health food stores.

 

How to use Xylitol ( from http://www.xlear.com/)

It is not necessary to replace all sweeteners to get the dental benefits of xylitol. Look for xylitol sweetened products that encourage chewing or sucking to keep the xylitol in contact with your teeth. The best items use xylitol as the principal sweetener.

How much?
Studies show that 4 to 12 grams of xylitol per day are very effective. Its easy to keep track of your xylitol intake. The “all xylitol” mints and gums contain about one gram of xylitol in each piece. You could begin with as little as one piece four times a day for a total of four grams. It is not necessary to use more than 15 grams per day as higher intakes yield diminishing dental benefits.

How often?
If used only occasionally or even as often as once a day, xylitol may NOT be effective, regardless of the amount. Use xylitol at least three, and preferably 5 times every day.

 

Timing
Use immediately after eating and clearing the mouth by swishing water, if possible. Between meals, replace ordinary chewing gum, breath mints, or breath spray with comparable xylitol products.

 

CoEnzyme Q10 (CO Q10)

 

Coenzyme Q10 has been shown in several studies to have an effect on gum health. The dose was 50 mg a day. After 1-2 months all supplemented study groups showed significant improvement in gum health. You can take more COQ10 than 50mg as it has many other benefits especially for heart health.

Folic Acid

 

Folic acid as a topical mouth rinse has also been shown to make significant improvement in gum health. Rinsing for a minute twice a day with a 1% solution for four weeks in studies made a major improvement in gum health. I have a product called FOLIRINSE that works well.

Vitamin C

 

And also make sure that you’re taking enough vitamin C again anywhere from 1000 to 2000 mg a day divided up through the day for better utilization. One of the first signs of marginal vitamin C deficiency is bleeding gums. The main disease of vitamin C deficiency is scurvy, in severe cases of it the teeth will fall out so it makes sense to get enough vitamin C to help with your gum health.

Don’t forget to brush and floss

You may want to try this toothpaste:

THIEVES DENTAROME ULTRA TOOTHPASTE
Ingredients: Calcium carbonate, essential oil concentrate containing peppermint essential oil, Thieves® essential oil blend (a powerful blend of clove†, cinnamon bark†, lemon†, Eucalyptus radiata†, and rosemary†, zinc oxide, deionized water with papain, xylitol, vegetable glycerine, essential oil base (thymol from Thymus vulgaris), Eucalyptus globulus†, and methyl salycilate from wintergreen†, xanthum gum, zinc citrate, Lecithin, and stevioside.

Many of the ingredients in this toothpaste have antibacterial properties to reduce plaque and help prevent gum disease.

You can order this toothpaste from Young Living
https://www.youngliving.org/nicksoloway

 

 

The beehive bacteria-destroyer and 3 other herbs that will help keep you denture-free

By Kerry Bone

Between electric water picks and toothpastes promising everything from whiter teeth to an end to tartar buildup, I think it’s safe to say that dental hygiene has come a long way since the days when people gnawed on sticks to clean their teeth. But maybe our ancestors had the right idea all along.

 

Most commercial toothpastes and mouthwashes contain fluoride. And while it has been touted by the mainstream for decades as the best protection for your teeth, the truth is that there’s just as much—if not more—evidence showing that fluoride actually causes more problems than it solves (not the least of which being that it leads to the formation of abnormal bone crystals, which, in turn, increases your risk of fractures).

Taking a back-to-basics approach to oral health not only protects you from the potential hazards of fluoride and all the other synthetic chemicals in most toothpastes and mouthwashes, but it also does just as good a job of protecting your teeth and gums from cavities, periodontal disease, and gingivitis.

So this month I’m rounding out my series on topical uses for herbs with a few that have some proven benefits for dental hygiene. And just to put your mind at ease, you won’t have to chew on any sticks to keep your mouth healthy and denture-free.

 

The beehive secret to healthy teeth and gums

The first item on the list is one that has its roots in plant sources, so to speak, but is actually produced by bees. It’s called propolis and technically it is a resin bees manufacture from plants and use as a sealant when they’re constructing their hives. But propolis also has strong antimicrobial benefits against all kinds of bacteria, including ones that cause tooth decay.

In one placebo-controlled clinical trial, researchers investigated the effects a propolis extract as an additional treatment after scaling and root planing for chronic perio-dontitis. They found that using the propolis extract in conjunction with conventional treatment was more effective than conventional treatment alone.

Another double-blind crossover study looked at its ability to fight and prevent plaque buildup. During each 3-day study period the volunteers refrained from all oral hygiene and rinsed with a 20-percent sugar solution five times a day to enhance plaque formation. One group of volunteers also used a propolis mouthwash twice a day while the other group used a placebo rinse. Halfway through the study, the groups switched mouthwashes. At the end of the trial, the researchers found that the plaque index for the propolis treatment was significantly lower than placebo. Propolis toothpastes have shown similar results and both types of products are available in natural food stores as well as from numerous Internet sources.

 

But if beehive sealant isn’t quite your cup of tea, there are a few other options to choose from, starting with tea tree oil. In one double-blind study volunteers received treatment with either tea tree oil gel, a chlorhexidine gel, or a placebo gel. While the tea tree oil didn’t reduce the participants’ plaque levels, it did significantly improve their gum health, reducing both bleeding and gingivitis.

 

Candy for gum health?
Most people know of tannins as the substances that cause the infamous “red wine headache.” But tannins are also found in both green and black tea, and several studies have found that the tannins in tea can prevent two of the major types of bacteria involved in tooth decay, Streptococeus mutans and S. sobrinus, from adhering to teeth.

And one double-blind study also investigated the effects of chewing green tea candy on gum inflammation. A total of 47 volunteers were randomly assigned to chew either eight green tea or placebo candies per day for 21 days. At the end of the trial, the green tea group showed improvement while the placebo group had deteriorated slightly.

 

Blood root beats plaque
Last on our list is an herb that, unlike tea tree oil and tannins, you probably haven’t heard of. But the value of blood root in toothpastes and mouth rinses has been extensively explored by herbalists over the years.
Of course, like studies on most herbs and natural substances, clinical trials have produced conflicting results. But the general consensus is that one particular alkaloid in blood root, called sanguinarine, does help curb plaque formation, although it appears to be more effective as a mouth rinse than in a toothpaste.

One note of caution about blood root: It is a highly potent herb that is best used only for a few months at a time.