Naturopathic Remedies for the Oral Cavity

Ever have a patient mention a new oral hygiene technique that you have never heard of? With the increasing popularity of naturopathic remedies, we explain some of the popular techniques that are circulating the internet right now.

Colloidal Silver

Colloidal Silver has been used for 200 years to help fight infection and inflammation all over the body. The idea first was presented because royalty used silver utensils to eat and rarely became sick. Now, Colloidal Silver can be ingested in a capsule, used as a topical lotion or spray, or rinsed in a liquid.  The most common method to use Colloidal silver for gingival or tooth infection is a three step process. First, a small amount of liquid silver is brushed on the infected area. If there is generalized bleeding present, the entire mouth is brushed with it instead of just the localized area. Next, a 10-minute rinse of fresh colloidal silver is used. If the patient is having pain or visible exudate is present, then the patient increases their oral dose until the pain is gone.

The thing about colloidal silver is that it’s silver! It can cause dark rings of stain along the gingival margin, as well as generally turning the teeth blue or brown.  It is strong too, and usually becomes intrinsic and can be hard to whiten over. Based on these risks, discouraging patients to use this method and try other natural methods is always recommended.

Tea Tree Oil

Tee treat oil has been used for hundreds of years due to properties that are antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral. It can be found in toothpastes and mouth rinses, with the most common being Therabreath. To use the oil to treat gingivitis or periodontitis, patients put 1 drop of oil on their toothbrush and brush for 2 minutes. This oil is strong, and can cause numbing in the gingiva and tongue.  It also has a very strong clove flavor, so it takes the right type of patient to use this technique regularly.

doTerra OnGuard Toothpaste

doTerra is an essential oil company that specializes in already combined oil mixes to make using essential oils easy. One of their biggest selling products is their OnGuard Toothpaste.  It contains wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, and xylitol. These essential oils have been known to help decrease inflammation, improve breathe, and increase circulation.  It does not contain any fluoride.

Oil Pulling

Oil Pulling is a technique that comes and goes every few years but has been in practice for hundreds of years. Traditionally the technique used sesame oil but with the increasing popularity of coconut oil, most patients today use that. The technique of oil pulling is simple- swish with 1 tablespoon of oil for 20 minutes at least 2 times a day. Some patients think that this is enough, and brushing and flossing are completely stopped as the oil pulling routine is started. Some use it as an addition to their regular oral hygiene techniques.

Now the next time a patient mentions their new oral hygiene routine, you can have the perfect background information to help educate!

Have you heard of any other naturopathic remedies that your patients use? Have you tried any yourself?