holistic dentistry Archives -

I’ve been focused on holistic dental care for a while now, as it becomes more apparent to me all the time that our dental health has a huge influence over the health of our body as a whole. Last year, I had a mercury amalgam filling removed, which was a huge step in healing my whole body. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with a tooth powder recipe to help with tooth remineralization and whitening.

I’ve been obsessed with turmeric again lately. For a while, I was making turmeric capsules and taking them to fight inflammation, but it got to be kind of a hassle (as is making most things yourself).

This past week I discovered how to use it to instantly relieve headaches, which you can read about soon. Here, I’ll share why turmeric, along with a few other key ingredients, is good for your oral health, and why I’ve included it in this tooth powder recipe.

Tooth powder recipe ingredients: the why

In this tooth powder recipe, you’ll find turmeric, activated charcoal, bentonite clay, and Celtic salt. Here’s why:

Turmeric

I’ve written about the health benefits of turmeric for systemic health.

Turmeric has been extensively studied and found to be beneficial in relieving respiratory illnesses, including asthma, and is a powerful anti-mucosal.

It is a cholagogue, which means it stimulates bile production in the liver and encourages excretion of bile via the gallbladder, which improves the body’s ability to digest fats.

But what about using turmeric for oral health? One study found that:

massaging teeth with turmeric eliminates pain and swelling
applying a turmeric paste provides relief from gingivitis and periodontitis
a turmeric mouthwash reduces microbial count and plaque

Not only is using turmeric an obvious power play for oral health, but turmeric helps to whiten teeth, though its ability to do so is less understood.

Get organic turmeric powder here.

Activated charcoal

It’s pretty well-known that activated charcoal helps to whiten teeth.

Activated charcoal works like a sponge, absorbing everything it comes into contact with. It’s why it’s recommended when you have food poisoning or ingest something you aren’t supposed to.

That’s also why it works so well to whiten teeth, by absorbing stains, as well as polishing teeth with its gentle scrubbing texture.

It also helps to support overall oral health due to its ability to attach itself to a number of unwanted oral invaders, and carry them safely from your mouth.

Charcoal can also help balance the PH of the mouth as well as prevent cavities and help teeth to remineralize.

There have been concerns that activated charcoal may damage tooth enamel, and a little research leads me to believe we should be cautious but not worried. Conventional dentistry says that teeth cannot remineralized and cavities cannot be healed.

A holistic perspective tells us this is not true. Cavities can be healed without drilling. So, my opinion is that, especially since this tooth powder recipe contains additional mineral-rich ingredients, we shouldn’t worry too much about wearing away our enamel.

Get activated charcoal here.

Cute picture of me using this tooth powder. You’re welcome.

Bentonite clay

Harvested from naturally-occurring volcanic ash, calcium bentonite clay (the kind safe for internal use) is a mineral-rich substance helpful for a variety of health concerns.

Because it is absorbent like activated charcoal, I put it in my detox baths several times a week to help draw out toxins.

It’s also useful to take internally as a supplement to help absorb unwanted pathogens in the digestive tract.

I put it in this tooth powder recipe for the same reason, as well as its ability to impart minerals.

Bentonite clay contains high levels of trace minerals including silicon, magnesium, calcium and potassium, which make it the perfect ingredient for tooth remineralization.

Get calcium bentonite clay here.

Celtic salt

We’ve talked about the benefits of Himalayan salt, and I’ve told you all about sole water. I’m a pretty big salt fan.

But not just any ol’ table salt, which is devoid of nutrients and may even contain contaminants. I love using mineral-rich salts like Real Salt, pink Himalayan salt, and gray Celtic salt, all of which contain differing amounts of trace minerals.

Celtic salt is a good source, particularly, of magnesium salt. While we hear frequently that calcium is the most important mineral for dental health, the truth is that calcium is not effective without co-factors such as magnesium:

Both calcium and magnesium make up very important structural components of teeth and bone. As in the building of bone, magnesium is required for calcium to be incorporated properly into the structure of teeth. Older research has even found that the greater the magnesium content of tooth enamel, the less susceptible teeth were to decay and caries formation. (source)

It’s why I use high-quality salt in as many ways as I can daily for my health, and it’s why adding Celtic sea salt to this tooth powder recipe is a no-brainer.

Get Celtic salt here.

Tooth powder recipe: the how

In a small bowl, combine the following:

Update: I later added about a tablespoon of MCT oil (also good for oral health!) to make more of a paste, as well as clove and peppermint essential oils to freshen breath and kill germs. I really love the updated version!

I’m an equal opportunity employer of beneficial ingredients, so I just eyeballed them and put about the same amount of each one.

Stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine.
A few times a week, or as often as you’d like, dip a damp toothbrush in the bowl and give your teeth a scrub for a few minutes before thoroughly rinsing.
Be careful not to spill on floors or counters, because this tooth powder will stain grout. And clothes. And everything else it touches, except your teeth, which it will have the opposite effect on. Because science.

Enjoy whiter, healthier teeth!

Update!

Since using this tooth powder, tooth pain has eased and the gum bleeding I had at every brushing is gone. Even better is that my little sister has reported whiter teeth AND her constant tooth sensitivity is gone! This stuff works, y’all!

Read more about healing cavities here.

Do you have a super crunchy friend who’d love this tooth powder recipe? Be sure to share using one of our links below.

Holistic dentistry is just one more step on the path to whole body health. It’s closely related to mouth breathing, as your dental and oral health has a huge impact on your overall health.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might’ve seen that I posted last week about going to a holistic/biological dentist. You may be wondering, however, “what is holistic dentistry?” I can’t wait to tell you all about what I’ve learned!

Since I’ve had lots of experience with conventional dentistry, I got to experience the difference from the other end of the spectrum, and I can wholeheartedly say I wish I would’ve known about holistic dentistry all my life! After struggling with various health problems most of my life, I felt that getting some dental work done would be a good step in the direction of healing.

If you’re not familiar with biological or holistic dentistry, you may be wondering what the big deal is. There are a number of reasons holistic dentistry is preferable to conventional dentistry, which I’ll detail below, but first, I want to tell you about my recent experience.

My recent holistic dentistry experience

I had a little list of things that I needed done and had been putting off until I could get to the out of town holistic dentist: amalgam removal and replacement, filling replacement, and wisdom tooth removal.

The filling that needed replaced was in a tooth that had been giving me trouble for years, as I would get pain anytime I would eat sugar or too much starch. A conventional dentist had told me I needed to get a root canal, which I refused due to their propensity to cause problems later on.

Getting the amalgam removed was something I’ve wanted to do ever since I learned about how they leech mercury into your body and begun wondering if getting rid of it might help my migraines.

The wisdom tooth… well, up until I year ago, I didn’t even realize it was still up there. But it grew in in a weird angle and it needed to go. The office I used only does tooth removal with sedation, which originally made me a little nervous, but it ended up being really nice!

While I was asleep, I had the amalgam filling replaced, the filling on the bothersome tooth replaced and ozone treatment done inside the tooth, and the wisdom tooth removed.

I am so glad I used a biological dentist to have this dental work done, and below, I’ll tell you why!

What is holistic dentistry?

Finding a holistic or biological dentist may not be as easy as it would seem. Some dentists may advertise themselves as such for marketing purposes, but there are some distinct ways of scoping out a dentist to find out if he or she is truly holistic. Here are some clues:

They don’t use fluoride. A biological dental office will not offer fluoride treatments to their patients, nor will they insist that patients use fluoride-containing toothpaste. Instead, they will offer healthy, non-toxic toothpaste suggestions because they know that fluoride has been linked to lower IQ, bone weakening, thyroid problems, and even cancer.

They use biocompatible materials. Holistic dentists use filling material that is not harmful to your body. Many times they will even test you beforehand to be sure your body will not reject the material (indeed, my dentist ran a quick blood test on me prior to my procedure). This testing can also occur via kinesiology (aka muscle testing). Either way, toxic materials like amalgam are not used in holistic dental offices.

They don’t use amalgam fillings. A holistic dentist will never offer amalgam fillings. Not only is amalgam not biocompatible, it is downright toxic to the human body. Amalgam fillings contain mercury, which can essentially leak out every time you chew. These fillings also wear down over time. The mercury can also leak to a fetus during pregnancy or to a baby during breastfeeding.

Excess mercury can also cause candida overgrowth because candida actually protects your body from mercury. If you are struggling with candida and have amalgam fillings, you may consider having them removed before you tackle candida, or if you are stalled in treating candida overgrowth. But, it’s important that you go to a properly trained holistic dentist to have amalgam fillings removed.

They know how to properly remove toxic amalgam fillings. Mercury-containing amalgam fillings are very toxic, and having them removed by just anyone is not a good idea. A truly holistic dentist knows that it’s of the utmost importance to protect both the patient and himself and staff from the toxic effects of mercury during removal.

They cut away, rather than grind the amalgam, and use both suction and a dental dam to capture vapors and fragments as the filling is removed. They also protect the patient’s skin (and their own) from exposure and give the patient fresh air through a respiration device that goes over the nose so the patient has fresh air to breathe rather than any that might be tainted with mercury vapors.

Additionally, many holistic dentists (including the one I used!) will offer vitamin C via IV therapy during the treatment. This influx of vitamin and antioxidants will bolster the immune system and protect the body during the procedure. Personally, I had wanted to try vitamin c IV therapy (read: I have Lyme Disease… but it’s Not a Big Deal) for a while, so it was cool to get it as part of my dental procedure:

They offer additional services that promote healing following dental procedures. A holistic dental office will also offer unconventional methods of helping patients to heal following procedures. This may include infrared or sauna therapy, or acupressure. They may also offer alternatives to pharmaceuticals for recovery and pain management such as homeopathy.

I personally took advantage of the acupressure offered by my office last week, especially because I wanted to minimize trauma from the wisdom tooth removal. An acupressurist essentially did a light massage over my face and other areas of my body. Not only did it feel nice, but it helped with swelling, bruising, and pain.

They avoid unnecessary or unhealthy procedures like root canals, excessive x-rays, or wisdom tooth removal. Holistic dentists will help you find an alternative to healing a tooth that may otherwise need a root canal, or they may suggest complete removal of the tooth in a healthy way that will avoid complications later on.

Holistic dentists also know that x-rays should only be used on an as-needed basis to see what’s going on and create a treatment plan, and will properly protect you during x-rays, making sure your thyroid is covered. (Ask me about the couple of conventional dentists I’ve used for x-rays and how they look at me when I make a fuss about covering my thyroid during x-rays!)

Finally, a holistic dentist may suggest you leave your wisdom teeth right where they’re at if they’re not causing any trouble. Personally, because my tooth was growing in an unusual direction, I wanted it out, but if your teeth don’t bother you, there’s no reason to go through the unnecessary trauma of removing them. A holistic dentist can help you make that decision.

A safer approach

Holistic dentistry is simply a safer approach to dental health, which takes the whole body into consideration. If you are looking for a holistic dentist, I suggest you call or make an appointment and ask them what their policies are on the above topics. Their answers will help you determine if they are truly holistic!

Remineralize and Whiten Teeth with The Tooth Powder Recipe