Hygiene Week: Your best mouth ever!

Day three of Hygiene Week focuses on personal hygiene and personal care, so we're going in on the gums. Let’s talk about that beautiful mouth of yours.

It can get you in trouble with the words you speak. It can be the centre of so much pleasure when you’re around the one you love. It bestows showers of kisses on the little ones in your life.

Treat it badly, however and it can be the source of smelly germs and bacteria that can erode your gumline, weaken your teeth and leave you with a less than brilliant and sexy smile.

So today, we are speaking about an area that should be a big priority in your health… dental hygiene.

So many people neglect it or only do the bare minimum.

If you want to improve your dental care with a more natural approach, you might want to consider Oil Pulling.

What exactly is oil pulling, you ask?

This is an ancient practice of washing out with your mouth with oil. Yup, you got it, you basically put pure oil in your mouth and swish it around, really working hard to push and pull between your teeth.

Regular practitioners report their dental hygiene is impeccable; teeth are white, glossy and gums are a healthier pink colour.

That’s just the beginning. Oil pulling can also rev up your metabolism and literally wakes you up in the morning.

Here's what you will do:

1 Put a tablespoon of oil into your mouth.

2 Start swishing it around. Do this for 15-20 minutes (it's ok if you can only manage 10 minutes) and make sure you are swishing and pulling the oil all around your mouth and through your teeth.

3 Spit out the pulled oil in the toilet - it should be a milky, watery substance. This means that the oil is pulled and you did it for long enough.

If your mouth feels oily after, or the oil was clear, then you didn't pull long enough.

4 Rinse out your mouth with warm salty water (sea salt) and follow up with a good brushing using toothpaste or whatever cleanser you prefer.

Important things you need to know:

Always use cold-pressed, unrefined oil. We love this one.

Oil pull on an empty stomach, preferably first thing in the morning.

Don’t swallow the oil because it will be filled with bacteria once pulled.

Always spit out the oil in the toilet, since the bacteria may be harmful if spat in the sink.

Rinse out your mouth with warm salty water, then follow up with a thorough brushing.

Let your toothbrush dry thoroughly before using it again.

You still need to brush and floss your teeth daily, watch your diet, and visit your dentist.