Author Archives: generalcaringdental

Electric vs manual brushing, which is better?

We are honored to have been asked to contribute to an expert roundup regarding whether electric or manual toothbrushes are better for maintaining oral health. 

In our opinion, the question, ‘which is better, electric or manual brushes?’ is a little too narrow, so it’s missing some important considerations. Let’s expand this a bit and give it the attention it deserves.

As we consider the reasons why brushing is so important, we see several tooth-brushing-related questions that could be addressed, including:

• What is the best method to reduce the plaque (biofilm) which is implicated with tooth decay? Is electric or manual brushing more helpful for this application?
• If electric is superior, which brand/style of brush performs the best? 
• If the manual is the way to go, which brand/style/brushing technique performs the best (and why)? 
• Where is the research that shows this benefit? 
• What do clinicians report when it comes to electric or manual brushing and their relative effectiveness at reducing plaque?
• Since the foods that we consume on a regular basis can influence the plaque in our mouths when clinicians found the plaque, did they take the patient’s diet into consideration?
• What about brushing to reduce gum disease–is electric brushing or manual brushing more helpful for this application? 

I’m sure each of us can easily add some additional related questions to this list.

(For full disclosure, we are not medical or dental professionals. We are self-educated, and we draw from our own personal experiences as well as our experience creating a global brand that helps people navigate to greater oral health.)

With all of this on the table, let’s jump into the most important aspect to consider when it comes to the electric vs. manual brushing issue…

HOW you brush is more important than WHAT you brush with.

In other words, it is somewhat important to consider what tool you’re using to brush your teeth. However, if your goal is to navigate to greater oral health, then being mindful of how you brush is even more important.

How much conscious attention are you applying when brushing? 

 We feel that our level of awareness/attention while brushing is a much more critical factor than whether we’re using a manual brush, electric brush, brushing stick (miswak), etc. 

After all, any tool we use in the mouth can help or harm depending on how we’re using it. Are we brushing gently and consciously, or are we quickly and mindlessly scrubbing away just to “get it done” prior to rushing out the door?

Any tool is only as useful as the amount of skill and attention with which we use it.

Our attention is one of the most precious resources we have. We’ve found that the best way for us to get the most benefit out of an activity is to choose to give our attention to one task at a time. 

This also applies to our efforts to support our mouths (and bodies, too).

If we use conscious awareness while brushing, we can more effectively navigate to greater oral health. You see, consistent, gentle, and conscious brushing efforts help reduce plaque accumulation, disrupt ‘thug bugs’, and gently stimulate gum tissue.

However, if we go about the twice-daily brushing habit with the same unconscious, overly vigorous technique that we used when we first learned how to brush our teeth as toddlers, then over the years we may end up with receding gums and reduced enamel on our teeth. 

Yup, repeatedly brushing in a rough, unconscious way is a common contributing factor in gum recession and enamel etching.

So, before we jump into considering what tools to use, we must first bring more conscious attention to our brushing. 

The goal here is to get into the habit of brushing gently, thoroughly, and mindfully. We definitely want to avoid the temptation to take a mental vacation while scrubbing away.

For a deeper dive on brushing strategies, feel free to check out our articles, “How To Brush Your Teeth To Reduce Gum Disease” and “How to avoid 3 common tooth brushing mistakes that can damage your teeth and gums“.

Action step:

Here’s an exercise that anyone can do to bring more attention to their oral hygiene routine. It’s really simple: have a date with your mouth!  

What we mean is actually sit down somewhere comfortable and explore gently cleaning your teeth without a time limitation. After all, whoever said 2 minutes was the golden rule for brushing your teeth anyway?

Additionally, there are a lot of common questions about, “How long should I brush my teeth?”

To do this exercise, gently brush until you can sweep your tongue over all the surfaces of your teeth and find no plaque. 

Some areas will require a little more support than others. It may take a few times of stopping, feeling around with your tongue, and then going back over it until you feel zero plaque. 

The areas behind the back molars and behind the lower front teeth tend to be particularly challenging. Here’s an article that explains more on how to remove plaque from lower front teeth.

Remember, bring conscious awareness to the task. 

We aren’t scrubbing away to get it done as quickly as we can (as over the years, this can lead to issues like receding gums). 

We are taking our time, gently brushing a little, feeling for more plaque, and gently brushing more where needed. 

The first time you try this, we suggest you do so with no paste; just use a moistened brush so that your tongue can really feel what’s going on.

If you want to take your oral health to the next level, here is an exercise that we consider to be the first step to dental self-empowerment. This simple exercise is super helpful for anyone who wants to make massive positive changes in their oral health.

Wrapping up…

So, the next time you’re brushing, notice how you’re doing it. Are you gently yet thoroughly cleaning your teeth or are you mindlessly scrubbing away?

https://orawellness.com/electric-vs-manual-brushing-which-is-better-part-1/

There may be life in your old toothbrush yet: 10 amazing uses for your old toothbrush

How many toothbrushes do you think you have thrown away during your life? We are advised to change our toothbrush every three months, so in theory by the time somebody is 30 they will have already binned around 120 toothbrushes. 

Research shows that 80% of us choose to repurpose our toothbrushes, so here are the 10 best life hacks for your toothbrush which could save you valuable time and money and your environment.

1. Nail brush magic – Admit it, removing that stubborn dirt from beneath our nails can be difficult and even tedious. Use your old toothbrush to remove it in seconds! One person even told us they keep one in their handbag just in case they need to brush up on the go.

 2. Wheelie good – A surprising number of people told us they use their old toothbrushes to clean the chain on their bicycle. It is the perfect size to get into those little places. 

3. Back to the bathroom – Some toothbrushes are never destined to leave the bathroom. By far the most popular use of an old toothbrush is to help clean those hard-to-reach cracks and crannies in the bathroom, and it certainly comes in handy for scrubbing the grout between the tiles.

4. Putting the sparkle back – An old toothbrush is a perfect tool to give your jewelry back its shine and sparkle, giving you back your brilliant bling!

5. Getting fishy – This may not have been one of the most popular but was one of the more unusual uses. A few people told us they use an old toothbrush to clean ornaments in their fish tank, as they need a clean home too!

6. Paws for thought – One from the foundation team here, we think this may just be tickly torture but apparently, a toothbrush is perfect for cleaning a dog’s nails and paws.

7. Model behavior – For you modeling experts out there, and we’re talking more clay than Kate Moss, an old toothbrush is ideal to create texture on your creations.

8. Exfoliate away – To some of the male members of our office, this one surprised us as to how widely known it was. Many people use a toothbrush to exfoliate their lips when they are chapped. How somebody finds out this is an effective beauty tip is a different question!

9. Hair today – One for the home hairdressers, a toothbrush is perfect for picking out your highlights, so if you’re in the salon and see a toothbrush on the counter don’t be alarmed.

10. CRUMBS! Take a close look at your computer keyboard. Did you know that your keyboard has been proven to harbor more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat? A toothbrush is perfect for cleaning out all those little nasties. Going out for lunch might be a good idea too.

It is important to remember to change your toothbrush, or head on your electric toothbrush, every three months to help stop the spread of bacteria and to ensure you are brushing your teeth effectively. Be sure that before the next time you go to throw one away, you think about how else you can put it to use around the house – and let us know if you find any usual use for your old toothbrush.

https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/there-may-be-life-in-your-old-toothbrush-yet-10-amazing-uses-for-your-old-toothbrush

Oral health habits for life: five out and five in

If you think about your health, no matter whether you talk about your oral health, your diet, or general fitness, it does all come down to habitual behavior, whether good or bad.

Many people out there might have bad habits but perhaps aren’t aware that they could have an impact on their oral health. So, for the Oral Health Foundation, I’ve compiled a list of the top five bad habits that you need to kick and five habits to replace them with.

Don’t snack all day!

This is a habit that a lot of us are guilty of. You’re busy all day, running around like a mad person trying to get all your errands for the day done, and instead of sitting down and having a few proper meals each day, you end up having loads of snacks. I’d bet they aren’t all healthy either! Anything with sugar in it like biscuits or sweets can cause tooth decay, even more so if it’s habitual and you do it most days.

Generally, it’s much better for your oral health and general health if you eat three meals a day instead of snacking but if you’re desperate for a quick bite between mealtimes, then try to stick to the savory side. Cheese, raw vegetables, and breadsticks are just a few examples! And snack no more than twice a day.

Do chew sugar-free gum

This one’s for you serial snackers out there. Chewing sugar-free gum can be a great way of keeping your mouth busy and keeping your mind off of harmful snacks that can wreak havoc on your teeth.

In addition, after you’ve eaten a meal, sugar-free gum can reduce the acid attack which follows and help your teeth remineralize. It helps the mouth produce more saliva, which, is the mouth’s natural defense against acid. So, keep some around at your desk, in your car, or your bag and chew between meal times and take care of your oral health while you’re on the go.

Don’t drink fizzy drinks

Believe it or not, this is a habit that can have a detrimental effect on your oral health for two big reasons. Not only can they cause tooth erosion, because of their acidity, but they often also contain heaps of sugar, which is known to cause decay.

Even if you just have one bottle or one can a day, it can do huge damage. It takes about an hour for your teeth to remineralize and recover after coming into contact with acid and sugar, no matter how little or long the contact time is. So, think about sipping one bottle of fizzy drink throughout a working day. Your teeth would never get a break! A habit to ditch for sure!

Do drink water

Plain and simple – water is king. Not only do our bodies need water to work properly and avoid dehydration but it is also the best choice of drink you can have when it comes to your teeth.

Water isn’t acidic. Water isn’t sugary. Water isn’t harmful to your teeth in any way. So, try to go for a drink of water especially if you like to have something to sip on throughout the day.

Don’t rinse your mouth out after you spit

This is perhaps one of the less obvious ones. It’s not a case that you harm your teeth by rinsing them out with water after brushing. It’s more that you’re taking away something that could make them stronger.

Fluoride can be a great help to your dental health because it strengthens the tooth enamel, making it more resistant to tooth decay. It’s a natural mineral and is found in many foods and water supplies but because of how good it is for your teeth, it’s also in many kinds of toothpaste. But when you rinse your mouth out after brushing you wash away the fluoride that could be giving protection to your teeth long after you’ve finished brushing. Ditch the rinse and let the fluoride work – it’s dental magic!

 Do clean in between your teeth

Did you know that your toothbrush can only clean around 60% of your teeth’ surfaces? This is because toothbrushes aren’t currently equipped to clean the spaces in-between teeth. They simply cannot reach. And guess where most tooth decay and gum disease begin…

Whether you prefer to use floss or interdental brushes, it’s so important to make sure you don’t neglect those tight spaces between your teeth. At least once a day, try and make cleaning those spaces routine.

 Don’t brush straight after eating

Now I know that I’m not the only one that’s been guilty of this in the past! Brushing straight after you’ve eaten or even drunk something. While it might make sense to do it, especially if you’re in a rush to go to bed, it’s not something you should be doing at all.

The reason being is when you eat or drink something, especially if it’s acidic or sugary, it weakens the top surface of your teeth (enamel). Brushing straight away can cause particles of enamel to be brushed away, which after time can leave your teeth sensitive and painful. You’ve got to wait that hour for your teeth to remineralize before you take a brush to them.

Do be Mouth-aware

Bit of a solemn one here but still very important. A lot of us try to ignore some problems when they arise and hope they go away but your mouth is most certainly an area you should not be taking any risks with.

Mouth cancer is a potentially deadly disease that can affect any one of us. The key to surviving is early detection and diagnosis. Any unusual changes you spot in or around your mouth whether it be ulcers that don’t heal, white or red patches, a lump, or a bump should prompt you to visit a dentist or doctor as soon as possible.

If in doubt, get checked out! Be proactive and make an appointment with your dentist or doctor.

Don’t use your mouth to open things

This one needs a little explanation. Whether it’s a bottle, a packet, or a tough nut, the bottom line is, your teeth are not tools!

The same goes for chewing pens, pencils, or even fingernails. All these things have the potential to weaken, chip, or even crack your teeth. When you’re sitting in the dental chair about to fork out hundreds for treatment, you’ll wish you just used the bottle opener for the purpose you bought it for!

Do attend your appointments!

Last but by no means least. Your dental team will be able to tell you how often you should be visiting and it’s likely to vary from person to person. For some, it may be once every three months. Others, once every six or even twelve or eighteen.

The important thing is to make sure you visit regularly, as often as they recommend, and not just when you have a problem that needs fixing. Dentists may also be able to spot problems early and tackle them before they become serious issues. Not to mention that as part of every check-up your dentist will carry out a visual examination on you to look for the early signs of mouth cancer. Put simply, a trip to the dentist could save your life.

https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/oral-health-habits-for-life-five-out-and-five-in

Medications and Oral Health

Many medications—both those prescribed by your doctor and the ones you buy on your own—affect your oral health.

A common side effect of medications is dry mouth. Saliva helps keep food from collecting around your teeth and neutralizes the acids produced by plaque. These acids have the potential to harm the hard surfaces of your teeth. A dry mouth increases your risk for tooth decay. Your soft oral tissues—gums, cheek lining, tongue—can be affected by medications as well. For example, people with breathing problems often use inhalers. Inhaling medication through your mouth can cause a fungal infection called oral candidiasis. Sometimes called thrush, this infection appears as white spots in your mouth and can be painful. Rinsing your mouth after using your inhaler may prevent this infection.

Cancer treatments might also have an impact on dental health. If at all feasible, consult with your dentist before initiating therapy. The dentist can ensure that your mouth is healthy and, if necessary, can prescribe treatments to help you maintain good oral health. Your dentist also is interested in the medications you are taking because many can affect your dental treatments. Your dentist may want to speak with your physician when planning your treatment. Rare but serious jaw problems also can occur in people who’ve received bone-strengthening drugs to treat cancer and, to a lesser extent, osteoporosis.

These are just a few instances of how medications might have an impact on your dental health. Your dentist must be aware of any medications you are taking in order to give you the finest dental treatment possible. Tell your dentist about your medication use and your overall health, especially if you have had any recent illnesses or have any chronic conditions. Provide a health history including both prescription and over-the-counter products. Always let your dentist know when there are changes in your health or medication use.

Be sure to talk with your dentist about how to properly secure and dispose of any unused, unwanted, or expired medications, especially if there are any children in the household. Also, take the time to talk with your children about the dangers of using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.

https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/m/medications-and-oral-health

Meth Mouth: How Methamphetamine Use Affects Dental Health

Methamphetamine (meth) is a dangerously addictive drug that can have severe health consequences, including stroke and permanent brain damage. It’s also devastating to your dental health, according to a December 2015 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in The Journal of the American Dental Association.

“Meth mouth” is characterized by severe tooth decay and gum disease, which often causes teeth to break or fall out. An examination of the mouths of 571 methamphetamine users showed:

• 96% had cavities
• 58% had untreated tooth decay
• 31% had six or more missing teeth

The teeth of people addicted to methamphetamines are characterized by being blackened, stained, rotting, crumbling, and falling apart. Often, the teeth cannot be salvaged and must be removed. The extensive tooth decay is likely caused by a combination of drug-induced psychological and physiological changes resulting in dry mouth and long periods of poor oral hygiene. Methamphetamine itself is also acidic.

The study found that the more meth a person used, the worse their tooth decay was. Meth users who were 30 years of age or older, women, or cigarette smokers were more likely to have tooth decay and gum disease.

Meth – also known as speed, ice, glass, and crystal – can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken in pill form and is highly addictive. The high (which causes the brain to feel intense pleasure) can last up to 12 hours. This can lead to long periods of poor dental hygiene. While high, users often crave high-calorie, carbonated, sugary beverages. In addition, they may grind or clench their teeth, all of which can harm teeth.

In the short term, meth can cause shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, hyperactivity, decreased appetite, tremors, and trouble breathing. Over time, meth can cause irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, stroke, violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions. It can also have a long-term negative impact on one’s capacity to learn.

If you or someone you love are struggling with meth addiction, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or find treatment online.

https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/m/meth-mouth

How to Get Rid of Canker Sores Naturally

Have you ever had a spot inside your mouth, perhaps on the inside of your cheek or tongue, that was painful and white? Most likely, this was a canker sore.

For some people, it can be difficult to get rid of canker sores quickly and naturally.

Here are some easy-to-apply solutions that anyone can use to help quickly get rid of canker sores.

Canker sores also called aphthous ulcers, are small, shallow sores on the inside of the mouth. They appear most commonly on the inner cheek, the tongue surface, and even the gum tissue.

These painful open sores tend to have a reddish inflamed ring around the sensitive white inner surface.

To understand how to naturally get rid of canker sores, it’s helpful to first briefly discuss the circumstances that provoke their creation. That way, we can try to avoid them going forward.

Western medicine hasn’t discovered the root cause of canker sores yet. However, it has identified several contributing factors that can increase the risk of developing these pesky sores.

Main triggers…

The main triggers for canker sores include:

• Nutrient deficiency
• Stress
• Acidic foods
• Trauma to cheek from biting it, braces, or ill-fitting dentures
• Food intolerances or allergies
• Gut malabsorption issues
• Poor oral hygiene 

As you can see, canker sores show up when the body is under some form of stress, whether that’s psychological, nutritional, or physical trauma.

What can be done to get rid of canker sores quickly? 

Navigating the path to optimal oral health often involves applying strategies both ‘in the mouth’ and the form of ‘whole body immune support’.

Getting rid of canker sores is no different.

Below you’ll find several ‘in the mouth’ and system-wide strategies to help you along your path.

We start with some simpler strategies. If you want to ‘step up your game’ when it comes to addressing and preventing canker sores (or if you’re motivated by some serious pain from recurring flare-ups) you may want to try some of the later ideas as well.

1. Keep your mouth clean. 

Health-giving oral hygiene is about balancing our oral flora and keeping the mouth clean, but not sterile.

The goal isn’t to create a ‘scorched earth’ effect and eradicate all microbes in the mouth (after all, some of them help to support our health!).

Instead, we’re trying to use oral hygiene products and strategies that help reduce the risk of ‘thug bugs’ colonizing in the mouth. Why? These thug bugs are implicated with issues like tooth decay and gum disease, and they also encourage an acidic oral pH, which slows the healing of canker sores.

Learning how to brush your teeth, floss consciously, and clean your tongue are all excellent strategies to reduce the thug bug numbers and support optimal oral health.

It’s also important to only use products with ingredients that are designed to help support, heal, and soothe (without any fillers, coloring, or other junk that might wind up irritating the mouth and/or body).

Another (ancient) strategy that helps maintain a clean mouth and encourages a balanced oral pH is oil pulling. We dedicated an entire article to this oral hygiene strategy that has stood the test of time: How oil pulling helps improve oral health and whole-body wellness.

If you’d like to take a deeper dive on oil pulling, when you should or shouldn’t do it, and how to do it properly, we invite you to download our FREE Ultimate Oil Pulling Guidebook here.

2.  Eat consciously. 

If you have a particular spot where you tend to regularly chomp on your cheek (which can easily become a canker sore afterward), be sure you increase your awareness while chewing.

Eating while reading or while watching TV are common ways to increase your risk of accidentally biting your cheek (or tongue–OUCH).

Once the tissue is traumatized by a chomp, the risk of developing a canker sore in that area goes up substantially.

3. Reduce acidic foods. 

Speaking of eating, reducing acidic foods can help create a more balanced oral pH, which can help canker sores to heal.

I have to be conscious when a plate of ripe pineapple is in the house, as I’ve found that if I eat more than a few chunks, my risk of canker sores goes way up.

If you like to consume naturally acidic foods for their alkalinizing benefit in the body, we invite you to check out our article on how to drink kombucha and not destroy your teeth. In it, we share tips for how to benefit from naturally acidic foods (like lemon water or apple cider vinegar) without creating damage in the mouth.

4. Cut your sugar intake WAY back.

Sugar consumption can play a role in canker sores and a bunch of other whole-body issues. It contributes to nutritional deficiency, raises stress by increasing blood sugar fluctuation, causes the mouth pH to be acidic, and directly undermines our body’s ability to heal itself.

This is especially the case when it comes to sweet, between-meal snacks (and beverages!)–they spike your blood sugar and suppress our hunger sensations for real nourishment (which, over time, makes us more nutritionally deficient).

If you have to pick just one action from this list, cut the sweets.

5. Eliminate wheat and other gluten-containing foods from your diet. 

Researchers have found a very interesting correlation between semi-regular canker sores, IBD (irritable bowel disorder), and celiac disease.

A canker sore is an ulcer in the mouth, and the mouth is the start of the digestive tract.

So, it makes sense that if you are sensitive to gluten (as is the case for people with either IBD or celiac), then canker sores in the mouth might be a sign of what’s happening ‘downstream’ in the small intestine.

Wrapping up…

If you get canker sores fairly regularly, take note of the triggers that seem to stress your system.

Once you identify foods or other potential imbalance-causing stimuli, you can avoid these triggers and help prevent painful canker sores from erupting again.

https://orawellness.com/how-to-get-rid-of-canker-sores-naturally/

How to avoid the 4 most common flossing mistakes?

We all get that flossing is good for our oral health.

Research even shows that flossing helps reduce our risk of heart disease and other big hitters.

But did you know that flossing, if done incorrectly, could harm your oral health and even undermine your whole body health, too? 

Here are 4 common flossing mistakes and some tips on how to floss correctly so you can avoid these costly errors that can undermine your health.

Flossing mistake #1: Zombie flossing

The first mistake most of us make while flossing is to just go through the routine without paying attention to what we’re doing or what the floss can tell us about the current state of our oral health.

We talk a lot about the importance of bringing awareness to our oral hygiene habits. We coined the term ‘conscious flossing‘ many years ago to describe this idea that we can bring more awareness to such a mundane habit as flossing our teeth.

The problems with flossing unconsciously (zombie flossing) are that we don’t gather the precious information that can be gained from ‘reading’ the used floss segments, and we stand to cause all sorts of damage by using an incorrect flossing technique.

So, let’s start by paying a little attention while we floss. Yes, we do sometimes floss while doing other things, like watching a movie. But we can still pay attention to what our flossing session tells us.

The solution to zombie flossing

Simply pay attention to any colors and smells that appear on the segment of floss that was used between two teeth.

Rather than ‘snap and run’ to the next pair of teeth, take a moment to ‘read the floss’ and see what’s going on between the two teeth you just flossed around. Do you have any color on the used floss segment? Does it smell? Did you have color/smell here the last time you flossed?

Paying just a little attention to what our floss tells us about any potential infection between two teeth (especially molars!) can be a very helpful first line of defense; we can use this information to take action and stop any gum infection from growing.

Flossing mistake #2: Using too little floss

Ok, we are a pretty thrifty family. We reuse plastic bags and tend to hoard glass bottles.

But when it comes to flossing, we each use at least 18″ per session. Here’s why…

Have you ever been doing your flossing routine and gotten to the last few teeth but have run out of floss? So you just ‘back up’ a few winds from your ‘used floss finger’ and finish up, right?

Well, doing so just may have transferred thug bugs from one infected gum pocket into another part of your mouth that’s not infected yet. Yeah, the bugs do move around the mouth pretty well on their own, but flossing is unfortunately an excellent way to ‘plant seeds’ of thug bugs into the gum pocket, where they can multiply and thrive.

It’s just not worth the risk.

Flossing mistake #3: Using vigorous, aggressive motions with floss pulled tightly

The two main reasons we floss are:

• to remove any food debris and plaque from between our teeth
• to disorganize any thug bugs and prevent them from colonizing in any gum pockets

While accomplishing the two objectives above, let’s remember that our gum tissue likes to be stimulated and massaged.

However, our gum tissue does not like to be tortured.

Snapping into the gum pocket quickly and banging on the gum tissue aggressively are sure ways to cause damage to our gums over time. Habitual torture to gums will cause the tissue to recoil and turn into gum recession.

The solution to using a vigorous flossing technique

Rather than taking an MMA (mixed martial arts) approach to flossing, try flossing with an aikido or tai chi mindset.

Allow the floss to be a bit slack while flossing rather than maintaining a super tightrope tension on the floss. Holding a slack floss will allow you to wrap the floss gently around the curve of each tooth, and this will do a much better job removing plaque and disrupting any bugs hanging around.

Once in the gum pocket and ‘hugging’ the curve of the tooth, gently but firmly slide the floss (with a soft level of tension on the string) down as far as the floss will reach (remember, no banging on the gum) and back up the tooth again. Do this 2-3 times. Then, move to the other ‘side’ of the contact between the two teeth and repeat.

Flossing mistake #4: Irregular flossing habits

Some experts speak out against flossing. Most of the experts in the ‘anti flossing’ camp reference the same research that suggests that flossing can drive bacteria from the mouth into the bloodstream and cause inflammation of heart tissue (called ‘infective endocarditis’).

Here’s the challenge: if we don’t floss regularly, populations of thug bugs grow and strengthen, which causes the gum tissue to become inflamed and bleed easily (gingivitis). It’s precisely this state of inflammation that allows the thug bugs to enter the bloodstream.

Regular flossing stops gingivitis in its tracks.

So, the problem with irregular flossing habits is we most likely are allowing bad bug populations to build, and this allows gum inflammation to develop. If we floss at that point, we are increasing our risk of driving bugs into our bloodstream.

The solution to irregular flossing

Simple enough, really: regular flossing.

While daily flossing helps, the research suggests that at least every other day is ‘regular’ enough to keep bad bug populations from colonizing the gum line.

When you consider just how effective flossing is in lowering the risk of disease throughout the whole body, it becomes clear that flossing is a simple yet important habit that we should incorporate into our daily routine.

How to maximize your benefit from flossing

Let’s sum this all up in a quick ‘To-Do’ list:

1. Floss consciously. Check for color and smell after each contact.
2. Use plenty of floss so you can use a clean segment for each contact.
3. Floss your teeth using ‘tai chi’ hands rather than a ‘no mercy’ attitude.
4. Allow the floss to wrap around each tooth to clean more effectively.
5. Floss regularly, at least every other day.

https://orawellness.com/avoid-4-common-flossing-mistakes/

Why cleaning the tongue is the most underrated oral hygiene habit?

In this article, we’re going to explore the often-overlooked oral hygiene habit of cleaning the tongue as well as the important role that tongue cleaning plays in supporting greater oral and whole-body health.

We often emphasize that the health of the mouth plays a central role in the health of the whole body, so it’s important to balance our oral flora by being good conductors of the symphony of microbes in our mouths. In essence, a critical step in navigating the path to greater whole-body health is to establish and maintain a healthy microbial balance at the beginning of the digestive tract: our mouth.

So, let’s start by exploring why cleaning the tongue plays such a big part in any holistic oral hygiene routine and how it can impact our whole-body health.

Scientists have found that the mouth may function as a reservoir for microbes that can cause gut inflammation.

Why is this so important?

Well, like Hippocrates said around 2500 years ago, “All disease begins in the gut.” So, if our gut is unhealthy, it’s impossible for the body to be healthy.

Research suggests that common oral microbes may perpetuate and aggravate gut inflammation. If left unchecked, this could result in, or at least contribute to, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and leaky gut.

The mouth is the beginning…

The digestive tract actually begins in the mouth.

The mouth chews food, breaking it down into smaller pieces and mixing it with our saliva (which contains digestive enzymes), and then the masticated food travels down the throat and into the stomach. Then the stomach, spleen, and pancreas create fuel for our systems by digesting the food, the small intestine absorbs nutrients from that digested food, and the remaining food waste is eliminated through the colon (large intestine).

The big point here, the digestive tract is also home to 80% of our immune system and the mouth is the beginning of this whole system.

This is why holistic oral health strategies like oil pulling go a long way toward helping us have a healthy gut microbiome.

You see, we swallow a lot of oral microbes every day with our saliva. If the mouth is healthy and has a balanced oral flora, bathing the digestive tract with saliva definitely supports our overall health.

However, if the mouth is out of balance and ‘thug bugs’ are running the show, everything ‘downstream’ can suffer from this imbalanced mouth ecology.

For example, overpopulation of the bacteria klebsiella in the mouth can wind up causing problems in the gut. Remember, as we swallow, the bacteria hitch a ride through the rest of our digestive tract. Research has found that when strains of klebsiella populated the gut, they caused a strong inflammatory immune response in some of the test subjects.

How does this relate to cleaning the tongue?

Well, klebsiella is facultative anaerobic bacteria. That means that while they can live in environments with regular levels of oxygen, they really thrive in low-oxygen environments.

And where is the most prolific low oxygen environment located in the mouth?

Yep. When the tongue isn’t cleaned regularly, it creates a low-oxygen environment where bacteria like Klebsiella can thrive. In fact, the majority of the microbes in our mouths live on our tongues.

As we’ve shared before, the first strategy for balancing our oral flora is to maintain thin biofilms in the mouth.

Thick biofilms create low-oxygen environments, which enables thug bugs like klebsiella to build their numbers.

However, using oral hygiene techniques to maintain thin biofilms on our teeth and tongue creates an oxygen-rich environment, which discourages thug bugs while simultaneously encouraging health-giving microbes to thrive.

How to clean the tongue…

Cleaning the tongue is really simple, but it involves a little more than just brushing your tongue.

Step one is to get the ‘gunk’ (biofilm) off of our tongue in order to remove the low-oxygen environment. And brushing the tongue simply doesn’t remove the gunk.

Our preferred device for step one is a tongue cleaner, and oral hygiene tool that’s been used for centuries in the traditional Indian medicine practice called, ‘Ayurveda’.

Take your tongue cleaner (or spoon, with the bowl facing downwards, towards your tongue) and reach as far back on your tongue as is comfortable. Then, using gentle pressure, drag your tool down your tongue from the back (near your throat) to the front (towards the tip of your tongue). Then rinse the gunk off your tongue cleaner or spoon.

If you’ve never done this before, please, go do it right now.

You’ll never stop cleaning your tongue once you see the sheer volume of biofilm that comes off a tongue that hasn’t been scraped regularly.

Do this quick scrape 3-4 times and then spit and rinse. Not only will your mouth be healthier, but many people also find that this increases their ability to taste subtle flavors in foods.

https://orawellness.com/tongue-cleaning-importance/

3 Easy Ways to Keep Thug Bugs From Growing on Your Toothbrush

Have you ever looked at your toothbrush under a microscope?

I have, and it’s pretty freaky when you see all the little goobers that are clinging to the bristles.

A toothbrush is a great place for thug bugs to hang out, just waiting for another chance to recolonize your mouth.

To stop your toothbrushes from becoming a petri dish, you simply need to understand the environment that these thug bugs need to thrive.

By removing one or more of these conditions, you can rest easy with the knowledge that your toothbrushes are not being used as thug bug nurseries.

Fortunately, it’s really simple to keep your toothbrush free from thug bugs without having to spend any money on those newfangled toothbrush sanitizers.

Getting to know thug bugs…

The bacteria implicated with gum disease are called ‘gram-negative bacteria’.

They are anaerobic, which simply means that they thrive in low-oxygen environments.

If it had to be described as the perfect space for thug bugs, it would be a warm, dark, moist, low-oxygen environment. This is why thug bugs grow so well in oral gum pockets.

Knowing this, it’s easy to stop your toothbrush from being a thug bug sanctuary. All you need to do is remove one or more of the conditions that they require.

Here are three simple strategies you can use to keep your toothbrush germ-free.

1. Let your toothbrush fully dry out between brushings.

To allow your toothbrush to fully dry out before you use it again, you need to have more than one brush and rotate through them during the week.

This allows each brush to fully dry out before it’s used again. Since thug bugs require a moist environment, allowing the brush to dry fully helps to prevent them from living on your brush.

2. Give your brush a sunbath.

Sunlight is a powerful cleaner/disinfectant. 

Leaving your brush on a sunny windowsill for the day will allow it to fully dry and it will also take advantage of the disinfecting power of natural sunlight.

The best part about this strategy is that it’s free. So, you don’t have to purchase one of those fancy ‘brush sanitizers’ and wonder whether it’s doing its job to clean your brush.

3. Soak the bristles in hydrogen peroxide overnight.

For anyone who doesn’t have a sunny windowsill and who only has one toothbrush, here’s a third option to keep it free from thug bugs.

Just add some peroxide (3% is fine) into a small glass and put the brush head (bristles down) into the peroxide overnight.

Peroxide is a very oxygen-rich environment. So, it does a very good job of robbing these low-oxygen-environment-loving thug bugs of a major condition they need to survive.

When you’re ready to use your brush, simply remove it from the peroxide, give it a quick rinse with water, and you’re all set to begin your brushing routine.

But never try to clean it in the dishwasher or microwave…

One more note, never try to clean your toothbrush by putting it in the dishwasher or microwave. 

The high temperatures will damage the brush and you may also wind up damaging your dishwasher and/or microwave.

https://orawellness.com/3-easy-ways-to-keep-thug-bugs-from-growing-on-your-toothbrush/

Ensuring better oral health for the whole family

When it comes to increasing oral health awareness in the family, it’s important to remember that brushing and flossing aren’t enough to attain or maintain good dental health.

98% of every man, woman, and child in the United States has some form of oral disease. And among those folks, 90% of adults and 65% of 15-year-olds specifically have signs of active gum disease.

So if brushing and flossing alone created oral health and most people did at least one of these things habitually, wouldn’t these numbers be much, much lower?

Parents want the best for their children at all times. For example, many of us were raised on Twinkies and Lucky Charms (actually, I preferred Ding Dongs and Trix 🙂 –just name your poison). However, parents today want to give their children the finest start possible, especially if they themselves did not have the best nutritious start.

Circling back to our oral hygiene routine, it’s vital to note that children learn a great deal from seeing their parents go about their daily lives. As a result, taking charge of our dental health is the best thing we can do to enhance oral health for everyone in the family.

What is conscious flossing?

The term “conscious flossing” describes bringing awareness and attention to the routine habit of flossing.

By paying attention while flossing, a lot can be learned about what’s going on in our mouths, and this information can have a huge impact on the ability to create greater oral health.

How to floss consciously

1.  Start with a piece of floss that’s long enough for you to be able to use a new segment of floss between each set of teeth.

2.  Stop and look at the floss after each flossing point. Look for any discoloration on the floss. Any color (blood or yellowish color) is a clear sign that you have an active infection in the gum pockets around those teeth.

3.  Step three requires some courage, so be strong! 🙂 Smell the floss. Yep, smell it after each contact you clean. A bad smell on the floss is also a sign of an active infection in the gum pockets around those teeth. And yes, if you find any smelly floss, that directly contributes to the smell from your mouth that your partner has come to recognize as normal.

4.  As you floss, feel for any pain, sensitivity, or signs of swelling.

Wrapping up…

Once your children see you floss consciously, they will begin to do the same.

Everyone in the family will have a better understanding of how to create greater oral health in their own life. That’s what we call a win/win for all!!!

https://orawellness.com/how-to-create-greater-oral-health-for-the-whole-family/