Four Healthy Habits to Add to Your Oral Care Routine

If you've read my blog on What Holistic Nutrition is, you'll know that nutrition does not just encompass what we eat, but everything we consume, think and do. This includes what we watch, what we put on our bodies, the air we breathe, what we think, and how we live. Our bodies are kind of like barrels, and we each have a unique capacity. When we overload our barrels with toxins, whether it be from food, commercially made beauty products, smoking, drinking or breathing in smoggy air, health issues can begin to present themselves. These can look different in everybody. It can show up as hormone imbalances, inflammation, autoimmune disease, cancer or other degenerative illnesses. By reducing the amount of toxins we are exposed to not only through our diets but in every way we can control, we reduce our risk of running into health problems. One simple way to reduce toxin exposure is through a holistic oral care routine. Sometimes the simplest and most overlooked ways to improve health can all add up and provide the most impact. Most commercially made toothpaste is loaded with questionable ingredients, and even though we aren't ingesting it, it's still getting into our systems. There are also a few simple practices that can be incorporated into your oral care routine to help eliminate toxins from the body.

FOUR HEALTHY HABITS TO ADD TO ORAL CARE ROUTINE

1. Use Natural Toothpaste or Toothpowder, Free of Fluoride & Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Fluoride and sodium lauryl sulfate are known neurotoxins. While many dentists promote fluoride to prevent tooth decay, most holistic dentists advise against it. There are plenty of natural ways to keep our mouths clean, and our pearly whites shining. Stay tuned for a homemade toothpowder recipe!

2. Use a Tongue Scraper
Tongue scraping is a great way to rid the body of many toxins, especially if it's done in the morning. Our body goes into repair mode while we sleep, eliminating many toxins, and one pathway is via the breath (hence why we all get morning breath). However, a lot of bacteria, toxins and gunk get stuck on the back of our tongues. Using a tongue scraper does an excellent job of scraping it clean. It's much more ideal than just using a toothbrush, which can actually just spread the bacteria around the mouth rather than removing it. Using a copper tongue scraper is also ideal as it's naturally antibacterial.

3. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is another excellent way to rid the body of pesky toxins. It's an ancient ayurvedic technique, traditionally using sesame oil, but coconut works just as well. You simply swish about a tablespoon of oil around in your mouth for five to twenty minutes and then spit it out into the garbage or compost, make sure not to swallow it! Fat, in a way, acts like soap, sweeping up and trapping toxins. So, when we swish coconut or sesame oil around in our mouths, it absorbs the bacteria stuck on our teeth, gums and tongue, as well as pulling other toxins from the body. That's why it's important not to swallow when oil pulling, or you'll put all those toxins and bacteria back into your body!

4. Rinse & Gargle With Warm Water & Himalayan or Sea Salt.
Salt-water rinses are great because they alkalize the mouth, reducing the chances of tooth decay from acid-producing bacteria, as well as promoting a healthy pH level in the mouth. Adding a few drops of peppermint or wintergreen essential oil is a great addition to freshen the breath and give it more of a traditional mouth-wash feel.

That's it! Four simple ways to make your oral care routine holistic and reduce toxin exposure!