Home Remedies for Good Oral Care

Our mouth is the primary source through which our body receives its energy to function normally. Food is ingested into our digestive tract via our oral cavity and numerous digestive enzymes are released in our mouths that aid the entire digestive process. The busy humdrum of life may make it difficult for you to take specialized care. The best thing to do is to practice some simple home remedies to maintain dental health and hygiene. Here are a few things you could do:

• Sesame Oil

The method of oil pulling is quite famous in the field of Ayurveda. It not only whitens your teeth but also aids in detoxifying and cleansing your body. Rinsing your mouth with oil instead of water is what this simple and inexpensive procedure is all about! Take about one tablespoon of sesame oil in your mouth and gargle/swish it around for nearly 15-20 minutes. Make sure the oil reaches every corner of your mouth. For best results, try this every day early in the morning on an empty stomach. After gargling, spit out the oil and thoroughly cleanse/rinse your mouth with water. Regular practice will ensure sparkling teeth in no time.

• Bay Leaf

Yellowed down teeth is a sight that none of us would wish to witness or experience. Bay leaves come to our rescue when we need to fight this horrendous sight. To clean the yellow or black layer that sometimes sets on your teeth, you can grind 2-3 bay leaves or tej patta to make a fine powder and use it as a tooth powder once every three days. If grinding these leaves is a hassle, taking one bay leaf and rubbing it against your teeth will also help in achieving similar results. This remedy not only whitens the teeth but also helps to make them more luminous.

• Salt

Brushing your teeth with salt has numerous benefits as it is natural and quite safe. Sea salt is a better option here as compared to common table salt because it is unprocessed and loaded with minerals and other nutrients. Salt helps remove teeth stains and whitens teeth as well. It has anti-bacterial properties and is gently abrasive therefore, can be used as a great disinfectant. Brushing your teeth with salt helps break down the plaque build-up and destroys the disease-causing bacteria. However, results can be observed only with frequent and regular practice of this method. You can take a little salt on your palm and rub your toothbrush’s bristles over it and brush your teeth or you can mix the salt in your common toothpaste and brush with it. Make sure you rinse your mouth with water after doing this otherwise your body’s sodium intake might shoot.

• Alum and Turmeric

These two power foods are commonly known for their antiseptic properties. Take 10 gms of turmeric powder or haldi and 5 gms roasted Alum or fitkari and grind them into fine powder and use this to rub your teeth twice a day. Ideally, use this powder once in the morning when you wake up and once before you fall asleep in the night. This powder will help you get rid of the bad enamel on your teeth which will eventually lead to whiter teeth.

Alum has multiple utilities, too. Apart from using it as a powder, you can also use it for gargles. Take one cup of water and dip a small piece of alum in it. Leave it there for around half a minute and then use that water to gargle your mouth. This has several benefits as it helps in keeping bad breath away and is also effective in relieving tooth-ache, thus making it a great solution for oral hygiene maintenance.

• Bananas

Banana has numerous health benefits about which many of us are already aware. However, it might come as shock to many that the part of the banana that we throw away is quite effective to maintain white teeth. Rub the white insides of the banana peel against your teeth and leave it on for a couple of minutes and then rinse your mouth. Banana peels are loaded with minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc. Being a great anti-oxidant, it is also rich in fibres and carbohydrates.

• Neem

Ayurveda prescribes the benefits of Neem, at every stage. Neem is that one tree that is useful entirely- from the roots to the fruits, all of Neem has some benefit or the other. The tree possesses loads of anti-bacterial properties and is often used as an active ingredient in many tooth pastes manufactured by major brands. Mouthwashes that are made using Neem as an important element are revealed to fight plaque build-up and inhibit gingivitis when used twice a day. Take a few Neem leaves and rub it against your teeth daily. This stops harmful bacteria from seeking residence in your oral cavity and protects you from periodontal disease as well.

• Vitamin C

Gum health requires an uninterrupted supply of Vitamin C as it prevents bleeding. Periodontal disease vulnerability is observed much more in people who consume lesser quantities of Vitamin C in their daily diets. To pucker up your Vitamin C intake, you need to include more citrus fruits in your diet like oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, mango, strawberry and cantaloupe and vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Opting for these easy to-do methods can save a lot of cash and visits to the dentist as these procedures will help maintain your teeth and gum health. Dental health and hygiene is just as important as any other physical fitness or health routine and must be incorporated as much as possible into our daily life.