Introducing Oral Health as Part of Overall Health

Oral health and overall health are not two separate things

The difference between "oral" health and "overall" health is only a few extra letters. Take a moment to think about the connections between your mouth and the rest of your body. 

• Your oral microbiome links to your gut microbiome via your digestive tract. Whatever influences one of these bodily ecosystems also influences the other; in fact, they are not two separate systems at all.
  
• The lining of your mouth, particularly under your tongue, is so permeable that any substance placed in there, whether you swallow it or not, is rapidly absorbed into your blood stream. Homeopathics and some other medicines are placed under the tongue because absorption from here is more rapid and complete than if you had swallowed the medicine.
  
• The extensive blood supply to your gums and teeth mean that whatever happens in your mouth is also happening in your blood stream and therefore in your vital organs and in the rest of your body.
  
• The same immune system that's working day and night to maintain health and balance in your body, is doing the same in your mouth. An infection in your gums or in one of your teeth, has a systemic (whole body) impact.
  

The state of your teeth and gums is both an indicator of your general health and also has a direct influence on it; studies show that oral health is clearly linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other systemic health issues.

How might we define oral health?

A healthy mouth:

How might we ACHIEVE oral health?

We've been taught to assume that the way to achieve a healthy mouth is to brush twice daily and see the dentist twice yearly. That's all we're told; those two steps are all we're given.

What we're not told is that the twice-yearly dental check ups are not about preventative care. The dentist's check ups are about about waiting till things are going wrong, and then treating them.

In my opinion, there are three pieces missing from the oral care picture that most modern dentists give us. I've outlined them below.

1. Brush often and floss daily.

On this, I agree with modern dentistry: the single most important thing you can do to take care of your mouth is clean your teeth, and in between your teeth, frequently, but with a caveat - see #2, below.

"Your Oral Microbiome: A Balancing Act" explains in depth why regular brushing and flossing is so essential to keeping the bacteria in your mouth balanced and healthy. 

And in "Nature's Original Toothbrush," I share why I think that humans (and many other animals) started cleaning their teeth long before dentists started telling us to.

2. Ditch the toxic toothpastes

Modern toothpastes are counter productive to achieving oral health. You're better off brushing with nothing but water than with most of the ingredients found in off-the shelf toothpastes, including many of the so-called "natural" toothpastes. 

We'll cover this in depth, in Lesson 2 on Toxic Toothpaste Ingredients. Then in Lesson 3, I'll share safe, natural ingredients that DO support oral health.

3. Eat a nutrient dense diet

This is a big topic, mostly outside the scope of this Workshop. But it's crucial to know about the power of good nutrition in supporting oral health. Your body can't keep your teeth healthy unless you're feeding your body what it needs.

"Your Oral Microbiome: a Balancing Act" includes a summary on the huge topic of nutrition and oral health. I'll also be including a whole raft of other resources in the final Download at the end of this Workshop.

4. Take care of your whole self 

There's an association between lack of exercise, chronic stress and poor oral health just as there is a link between these factors and poor overall health. Again this topic is mostly outside the scope of this Workshop, but again, this is a crucial piece of the puzzle.

For example, unless you know that stress affects saliva quality which affects tooth enamel, you're going to be handicapped in your search for optimum oral health.

"How Your Teeth Clean and Repair Themselves" goes in depth into how and why the health of your teeth is utterly dependent on your overall health.