FRESH BREATH DAY
Fresh breath day (never heard of it either?), celebrated annually on 6th August, is a reminder to look at our oral health in more detail and see if there is anything we can do to better support and maintain it. Thankfully Ayurveda has a multitude of solutions to help optimise your oral health if yours is not where you would like it to be.
I am going to delve into the oral health practices I have picked up from Ayurvedic practitioners and teachers.
TONGUE SCRAPING & OIL PULLING
In the West, one of the most overlooked steps towards optimal oral health is oil pulling and tongue scraping, both of which I have shouted about loudly throughout my journey with Ayurveda.
Let's start with my all-time favourite, and first Ayurvedic love, tongue scraping. Tongue scraping is the ancient method of cleansing your tongue by gently removing any ‘Ama’ aka metabolic waste that collects on your tongue after a good night’s sleep with a tongue cleaner - aka a Tongue Tingler. It is best to do this first thing in the morning before eating, drinking, brushing your teeth, talking and even kissing! The whole process takes less than 30 seconds, then proceed with brushing your teeth.
East by West tip: You can check whether a tongue tingler is pure copper by cleaning it with a mixture of table salt and lemon.
After you’ve done the above you can add on the practice of oil pulling. Oil pulling is a method of cleaning the whole mouth by swishing a natural, and sometimes herbalised, oil around the mouth and through the teeth for 20 minutes or more to help break down plaque and draw out the harmful bacteria. Think of it as an Ayurvedic mouthwash, but a lot more gentle than commercial products on the market, some of which feel like they are burning your taste buds! Use cured sesame oil, try Georganics or this one by Earthen Livings which is an Ayurvedic formula that I love. The practice of oil pulling is also a mini-workout for your facial muscles and helps to loosen any tension around the jaw. Read more about it here.
TOOTHPASTE
There are many reasons to revisit your toothpaste brand, especially as it’s something you put in your mouth twice a day, a little of which you will no doubt ingest!
Oral health has always been a part of ancient philosophies of health and today we have the science to show how connected the microbiome (that is the living dynamic environment made up of a community of microorganisms that dictate so much of our overall health and wellbeing) of the mouth is directly related to the microbiome of the gut.
Check out this post where I’ve shared the best natural toothpastes and powders on the market.
NATURE’S ORAL HEALTH CABINET
As well as herbalised oil and natural toothpastes, nature’s medicine cabinet has even more to offer when it comes to oral health and can be as simple as using the leaves, roots, bark or fruits of a tree. Amla (Indian gooseberry) is a general rebuilder of oral health (you can find my recipes for a natural mouth rinse with powdered amla here), liquorice root helps reduce plaque and fight cavities and the twigs of the neem tree offer a famous herbal chewing stick.
Cloves are another ingredient used in Ayurveda and historically around the world for their oral health benefits. For thousands of years they were used as a treatment for an infected tooth or cavity. Placed into the area, they contain an active ingredient eugenol, a strong natural anesthetic, that numbs the skin which can help to provide temporary relief from the toothache.
You will often find all of the above ingredients included in herbal toothpaste formulations.
Ayurveda also recommends salt water gargling for those who suffer from bad breath which I also include in the recipe for my natural mouth rinse. Salt has a natural ability to purify and is a classic homeopathic remedy for helping to pull toxins and bacteria out of the mouth or throat. Use high-quality sea salt and gargle with warm purified water for 30-60 seconds each morning.
OUR LIFESTYLE
While many health factors can affect our breath, there are also some easy lifestyle swaps that can aid with our overall oral health:
NATURAL DIGESTIVE REMEDIES - For those who can suffer from post-dinner breath odour, a simple tisane is an easy habit to adopt. Ayurveda often links bad breath to digestive issues and so sipping a hot cup of CCF tea, an ancient Ayurvedic herbal digestive blend, after a meal will help with this or little mug of Tulsi (|Holy Basil) tea. If you’re out and about, carrying a little pot of this candied fennel crunch also works as a post-meal refresher for the tastebuds while enhancing Agni aka your digestive fire.
TEA OVER COFFEE - While both tea and coffee have been proven to significantly dry your mouth out (which is linked in turn to bad breath), coffee is a much worse culprit. Switch some or all of your hot drinks to warm-hot water, or to a herbal tea - from single herbal blends such as peppermint to herbal-spice concoctions. I’m currently enjoying Love tea and Peace tea from Pukka.
NOSE BREATHING - Training yourself to sleep with your mouth closed is an effective way to ward off unwanted bacteria. Mouth breathing at night dries out the mouth, creating an environment that can increase bad bacteria and in turn bad breath.
ALCOHOL-FREE - Another cause of bad breath can oftentimes come from alcohol. A simple way to avoid this is to choose a mocktail, alcohol-free or low-alcohol wine or beer as your tipple of choice. In this blog post, there is lots of inspiration for the best aperitifs on the market.
