What’s the Deal with these Alternative Dental Practices?

I’m a holistic nutritionist, so I’m pretty open minded to alternate medical practices when I can see their benefit, they make logical sense or they are backed by science.

But two persistent and newly revived practices are being pushed into my health sphere and my doubts on their efficacy have been nudging me so I needed an expert’s opinion. They are:

 

• Can brushing your teeth with the spice turmeric, (which stains your hands, fingers, bench, bowl and anything it touches yellowy-orange), somehow make your teeth whiter????

And:

 

• Is the practice of oil pulling, where oil is swished and held in your mouth for a period of time, an effective remedy for dental cavities?

 

I approached Dr. Steven Lin, a Sydney based dentist and writer currently preparing his upcoming book, ‘The Dental Diet’, and asked him his thoughts on this field. His reply was:

 

“Turmeric has a wide range of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.  These properties have health benefits throughout the body, and may include a decrease in gum disease. I highly recommended the consumption of turmeric for this reason.  Although turmeric used in a toothpaste/mouthwash, the results are much less clear and it’s not a proven way to whiten your teeth.

 

While oil pulling has a history in Ayerverdic medicine due to the believed benefits to oral health. People reported a clean/fresh feeling after oil pulling however there’s no evidence to support clinical benefits in healing teeth.

For those with sugar cravings, swishing with oil is actually a great way to curb these urges and prevent sugary snacking, therefore potentially prevent future cavities”, Dr Lin states.

 

So, possibly these two emerging fads should be viewed just as that, fads.

 

I feel it’s important for people to resist from blindly following any trend or idea, no matter who presents it. Whether you’re reading a newspaper, magazine, some ones blog, a science report, a political report, you’re at church, at an ashram, at the shops, or talking with someone, always question for yourself, ‘does this make sense logically? Do I feel in my gut that what’s being spoken is truth? Who presented this information and do they have a bias anywhere?’

 

Because not only does this give you more freedom of choice, it also gives a potent power in your own convictions when they are true for you, and can safeguard you from falsities if they arise.

 

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