A step by step guide for healthy teeth

Saving your teeth could, in fact, mean so many things to different people.

To some people, it could mean doing the teeth a favor by trying to prevent them from discoloration. To others, it might mean making sure they don’t end up with gum disease or tooth decay.

There are so many dental health problems we face today and we can easily avoid most with just a little bit of dedication.

With the increase in dental products on the market nowadays (some of which are very dangerous to our health by the way), it is very easy to get confused and not know which one to turn to. It’s so hard deciding which ones are worth spending our monies on.

For this reason, many of us just tend to choose the easy way out to save us the hassle and that is doing things the NATURAL way!

Our teeth are very important features of our bodies since they are part of the first things that can be easily noticed.

They say a smile is the most beautiful accessory and best makeup anyone can wear, but what do we smile with if not our teeth?

You’re getting my point now, aren’t you?

We’ve been taught all our lives the brush twice daily rule, but really, how many of us actually obey and practice that?

You’d be surprised the number of people who don’t. With even the ones who do, they might just brush once and feel they’re “good for the day”. Others, well, others do not even brush or floss at all.

Sad. Isn’t it? And it’s funny how it’s not like “they don’t know”, they do. They just don’t do it.

We’ve all been guilty one way or another with this. The good thing is, most of us are still willing to make things right and correct our mistakes given the opportunity.

This post will help you with the general knowledge of getting healthy teeth. You’ll also get some ideas and ways in which you can do so naturally.

Watch Your Diet

What you consume plays a big role in determining how your body turns out and I’m sure most of us are already aware of this.

In case you haven’t noticed, diet is probably one of the first things you are advised to consider with issues concerning your body.

Why is this so you ask? What goes into our bodies is very important because it is what we give our bodies to feed on and how our bodies turn out to be, is usually as a result of what we put inside.

It’s as simple as that and the rule is no different with achieving healthy teeth.

Since the foods we eat go through our mouths first before getting inside the body, the teeth get affected when we don’t put in the right things.

There are certain foods like hard cheddar cheese, milk, nuts, crunchy fruits and vegetables that are more tooth-friendly. There are more advisable to consider as part of your diet. Avoid consuming foods such as candies, sodas and energy drinks which are very high in sugar since they don’t work well in our teeth’s best interest.

Others like wine, coffee and curry also do stain the teeth so we need to be careful with how often we consume them.

Stop Bad Habits

Bad habits such as smoking, grinding and clenching, biting and chewing on hard stuff or non-food substances are some examples of things that might be inhibiting you from getting the teeth you desire.

There are some who have other habits like nail-biting, chewing of ice cubes, pencil leads and many other non-food substances. It is true that this may be as a result of the medical condition Pica, but these people also normally get so caught up in their cravings and habits that they forget their teeth are gradually suffering too.

Other different people may have different habits which we might not even know or have heard of. For this reason, I cannot mention all such habits that might be preventing you from having your desirable teeth. But as a human, when you do things that aren’t good for your body, sometimes, you just know.

You don’t need anyone telling you that some of these things are wrong and do cause terrible results and consequences for you in the long run.

Try as much as possible to replace these habits with good and simple practices like drinking lots of water throughout the day, flossing regularly, brushing twice daily (in circular motion), not forgetting the habit of rinsing the mouth with water after eating as this helps to remove leftover food particles from the mouth and helps the teeth be clean as well.

And whenever you feel like chewing on something that wouldn’t be helpful to the health of your teeth, you can try chewing something like sugar-free gum or gum with green tea extracts instead! It is a better and more acceptable option.

Use Natural Herbs and Substances

Natural herbs, oils and substances are your friends if you want to go the natural way! Sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda), peroxide, neem tree (branch and leaves), guava leaves, black pepper, turmeric, licorice and oils like coconut oil, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, peppermint essential oil, spearmint essential oil are all very beneficial to our teeth and for maintaining general oral health.

Each of these natural herbs and substances have their own ways of using them. You just have to find what works best for you and add your preference to your daily or weekly routine as a step to getting healthier teeth.

Be careful when using some of these natural substances though. Some of them may not work well for you but might do just fine with another person.

Care must be taken whenever doing home remedies or using such natural products by yourselves at home. You don’t want to cause more harm than good.

Simple Natural Remedies to Add as Part of Your Routine

⦁ Use about a teaspoon of liquorice to brush your teeth twice daily.

⦁ Chew sugar-free gum made with green tea or with green tea as part of the ingredients.

⦁ Grind 2 to 3 Indian Lilac (neem tree leaves) into a paste form. Use this for one week to brush your teeth. You can use a part of the tree to brush your teeth or rub the juices of the leaves on your teeth. Do this for about 5 minutes and rinse it with warm water.

⦁ Drink green tea without sugar or any sweeteners such as honey

⦁ Mix about 1 teaspoon of baking soda with small water to form a paste. Use this to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth properly after.

⦁ Grind guava leaves into a paste and use it to brush your teeth

⦁ To alleviate tooth pain, swish your mouth with warm salt water. Use about 1 tablespoon of salt and 8oz of water.

⦁ Boil 4-5 guava leaves in about 8 oz water for about 5-8 minutes.

⦁ Allow the water to cool, strain it and use it as a mouth rinse or as a mouthwash.

⦁ Use about 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and about 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and mustard oil. Massage your teeth once daily with this.

⦁ Mash 1 strawberry with about 1 teaspoon baking soda to form a paste. Brush with this to whiten the teeth.

⦁ Rubbing banana peels on your teeth several times a day also helps improve the colour.

⦁ For those looking to try more Ayurvedic techniques; swish about 1 tablespoon of coconut, sunflower or sesame oil in your mouth on an empty stomach. Do this for about 20 minutes and then spit it out. This is an Ayurvedic dental technique which draws out the toxins from your body. It is also good for overall body health. It makes the teeth whiter, prevent gingivitis and help with cavity, headaches, and many more.
And of course…

Don’t Forget to Visit the Dentist

You might be thinking now “really?!”

Well yes. I’m sorry to burst your bubble but you really cannot and shouldn’t be running away from going to the dentist!

You might not have the time for regular visits to the dentist. That’s okay, but you shouldn’t keep this step out of your to-do list completely if you REALLY want to get better teeth in this day and age.

Yes, it may be true that you’re looking for natural ways to keep your teeth healthy and that our forefathers were able to make it without regular visits to a dentist. But that was then.

We have Starbucks now, we have Burger King. They didn’t.

Our ancestors didn’t take coffee all through the day at work or at home. They didn’t keep themselves awake with coffee just to finish up that physics assignment due the next day.

Our ancestors didn’t eat what we eat nowadays so yes, going to visit a dental clinic will not be such a bad idea after all.

It is fine to find solutions you could handle yourself at home or at your own convenient time. However, a professional will give you solutions as per your body and situation requires. This means things you wouldn’t find on the internet since you may not even know what exactly might be wrong with you.

It is always important that you seek the advice of a professional when your health is in question. Some solutions tend to cause more harm than good, so it’s always good to remember this.

No one will know which natural solutions work better for your condition than your dentist. So add that appointment on your to-do list now!