Your Guide To Holistic Oral Hygiene
*Oral Essentials sent me product to try out, but all opinions are my own! It’s also important to note that I have since continued to purchase their toothpaste every time I’m out because it’s a game changing product*
I talk a lot about how important our food is, and how food can be used to nourish your specific body and needs. I’ve also shared the importance of using clean products when it comes to skin care, makeup, sunscreen, etc. So I’m sure it won’t come as a huge surprise to you that your oral health is so important as well, and there’s a more natural way to take care of your pearly whites!!
Why does oral hygiene matter?
Besides the obvious of appearance (it’s fine, we all want good teeth! Smiles are a big deal), there’s a lot more going on inside your mouth than you think. Infections that start in the mouth can be linked to asthma and cardiovascular disease. Definitely not anything you want to mess with! The mouth essentially has its own microbiome (like the gut!) full of good and bad bacteria. Our goal is to get rid of the bad bacteria and nourish the good bacteria as best we can. Many oral health brands on the market today are full of chemicals that are not only harmful to our bodies, but actually kill the good bacteria in our mouths (sorry Crest, I’m lookin at you)! Just like any other beauty product, ingredients in our toothpaste are crucial for optimal health.
What are some more natural and holistic ways that you can achieve the best oral health possible?
– Swap out your products for more natural options!
I am obsessed with Oral Essentials. They use dead sea salt as their key ingredient, which is full of minerals to help protect your enamel and gums. All of their products are made with clean and REAL ingredients such as aloe vera, coconut oil, and essential oils.
They also have whitening strips-game changer!! They are so much safer to use than Crest white strips and actually work. Oral Essentials has a Sensitivity, Clean and Fresh, and Whitening line-all non-toxic ways to achieve those teeth goals! AND guess what? I have a discount code for you to use! Enter RUNWILD15 at checkout on their site!
-Oil Pulling
This is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that I recently started experimenting with. It involves swooshing oil in your mouth for 5-20 minutes. I realize this sounds terrible, which is honestly why I avoided trying it for so long, but I promise it is not that bad! You can use sesame oil, coconut oil, or a specific oil pulling product like this one from Dr. Tung. The benefits of oil pulling include reducing the bacteria that cause bad breath, cavities, and oral thrush. It’s also said that oil pulling can help remove stains on teeth. I’ve learned that the key is relaxing your jaw, swooshing less aggressively, and thinking/doing something else in the meantime. Try it!!
-Tongue Scraping
Another Ayurvedic practice worth working into your self-care routine, tongue scraping is exactly what it sounds like. You use a stainless steel tool (get one here) that’s U shaped and literally scrape your tongue firmly but carefully back to front a few times when you wake up in the morning. During sleep, our digestive system removes toxins and essentially leaves them on the surface of our tongue. What!? So gross. SO if we don’t scrape the toxins off, they get reabsorbed into our bodies and can affect our immune system and even digestion! Tongue scraping also improves bad breath (from bacteria) and improves taste buds! Tasting food better is a good enough reason alone to start scraping.
When you do this you’ll see a gnarly coating come off. It’s also important to note that this does not work with just a toothbrush!
Alright guys, I now feel the need to go brush and scrape ASAP! Let me know if you have any questions about any of the above practices, and don’t forget to use the code RUNWILD15 at oralessentials.com!
