When Was the Last Time the Words ‘Oral Health’ or ‘Gum Disease’ Were in Your Mouth?
How to protect your oral health for longevity
Who wants to slay in their 80s? We do.
And we want to do it with all our own teeth.
Minus puffy gums, too.
And it’s not just to be camera ready, it’s because oral health is a crucial part of health.
And we definitely want to do it all without ‘leaky’ gums and the heart disease that could follow. WTF? Yup - best read on!
The mouth - an oral health window
Mouths, right? Like a little window to our insides. But how often do we think about what’s going on in there beyond whether our front teeth look ok and our breath doesn’t smell? Not so often, we bet.
Mouths: they’re the beginning of our gut with their own microbiome. Gums let us know if we’re inflamed. Teeth warn us if their enamel is wearing thin. And, if our teeth suddenly start looking a little crooked, when they weren’t that way ten years ago, they could be giving us a clue to bone density depletion. It’s the shrinking skull that Davinia warned us against. Yikes!
Your mouth holds a mirror up to hormone health, too. Remember during pregnancy when those visits to the hygienist made you look like a mild-mannered vampire had suffered a slip up? Oops, and you wouldn’t have minded, but you flossed like a boss. Bloody progesterone - literally!
Yes - all manner of health - or below par health - shows up in our oral health:
- Inflamed gums are ‘leaky’ so external bacteria and viruses find a quick and easy way to enter our bloodstreams.
- Longer term, one study showed that neglected gums could link to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and diabetes, likely through oral bacteria entering the blood stream. And there we were eating dairy and low sugar and dutifully committing to cardio while our gums cried blood. It gets worse …
- … horrifyingly, although the question, can gum disease kill you is a dramatic one, there are things you need to know: bacterial matter from mouths has been found in vital organs such as the liver and heart valves, even brains. Whoa!
There’ll now be a short pause while we all go and brush and floss, twice …
But, beyond toothbrush and floss, you can supplement your oral health
If you’re already on your WillPowders Way, you’re already looking after your oral health beyond brushing, flossing and using mouthwash. Have a double check that the following are in your cupboards and in your daily routine.
WillPowders brings the science to support oral health and its surprising significance for longevity:
- Spice: Support the gum calm-down with turmeric, curcumin and piperine, alongside brushing and flossing. Does it work? Research suggests curcumin and piperine are a great addition to a scale and polish to reduce gingivitis. Puffy gums can puff off!
- Bovine Collagen: Skull shrinkage? It’s a thing. Your skull is bone and you need to tickle your osteoblasts (the hormone that helps create bone) to keep trucking. Supporting bone density with even 5g of bovine collagen a day can bring clinically meaningful gains in bone density. Just call us big heads!
- Protein Powder: All the repair and replace amino acids you need. Plus, that stevia? It might just help you get off sugary food. And, oral bacteria can’t ferment stevia - ha! - so it’s considered as non-cariogenic, which means it doesn’t cause cavities nor will it erode your tooth enamel. Stevia maintains a neutral PH in your mouth. Proof? ‘Because Stevia reduces biofilm and acid production, Stevia can be considered a non‑cariogenic sweetener’. Get it in your gob!
- MCT C8 Oil: One of our all star line up, but this time for oral health - oil pulling (swishing MCT around your mouth like a mouthwash) before brushing could harness MCT’s antimicrobial and antifungal potential. A fair summary of the latest science suggests: ‘C8-rich MCT oil may help reduce levels of harmful oral bacteria and impede their attachment to oral tissues, which could contribute to lower plaque formation and better oral microbiome balance’. Er, yes please! PULL! Boom!
- FUTUREPROOF: It works both ways - looking after your body helps look after oral health which helps look after our overall health. Read up on bone density and how to calm inflammation. There’s also a fabulous section on hydroxyapatite - Davinia’s go-to for bones and teeth - whose nanotechnology actually builds tooth enamel. Now that is a ding! for all round bone confidence.
Why is oral health important? We’re banging on about it because …
… your oral health care team might not be. But, our oral health dictates some of our overall health.
The knock on list of where neglected oral health can end up stops you in your tracks:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Depression
- Systemic inflammation
Whoa! Hold up! Why didn’t we know this before? Well, it’s often a forgotten area of our health - there’s so much talk of keeping teeth tickety-boo - but, even when we’re nagged about doing the flossing and interdentaling by the hygienist, pieces of the puzzle are still unspoken. When was the last time your dental team talked about the long term effects of neglecting your gums? We bet the phrase heart disease would have had you reaching for the floss as fast as you can say order me an extra set of interdental brushes.
Let’s get your oral health optimised! What else can you do? How to improve oral health for longevity:
Hydroxyapatite’s your new tooth enamel friend
‘Hydroxyapatite is a rare material, in that it is a ‘bioactive material’, so it is one of the few lab-made materials that will help bones and teeth grow!’ A natural mineral that scientists have worked out how to produce at the nanotechnology scale - so it’s bioavailable. Yes! It’s the stuff your teeth are made of. It actually repairs and restores tooth enamel. Yup! Like an actual miracle - and that sensitivity when you’re sipping an ice cold functional drink (chilled kombucha, anyone?) - gone! It seals dentine tubules (that lead to your nerves), don’t you know?
Look for toothpastes and mouthwashes, minus the alcohol which dries your mouth, doing it no favours, that include hydroxyapatite.
Oil Pulling with MCT
In no way is this a substitute for brushing and interdentaling, obvs. But many people oil pull and it has some benefits for your mouth’s microbiome.
- For between 5 and 10 minutes (or as many as 20 if you’re an endurance athlete at pulling) before brushing
- Swish a mouthful of MCT around your mouth
- You can watch Love Island while you’re doing it - no law against it
- Then brush.
Don’t forget, it’s antimicrobial, particularly for the bacteria that cause decay. Get the shot glass ready!
Gum disease and heart disease? No - we need good gums and a healthy heart!
Yes - there is a link between cardiovascular disease and gum disease. And, we hear you - what does gum disease look like? Have I got gum disease symptoms?
Be on the alert for:
- Red or swollen gums
- Tender gums
- Bleeding when brushing or flossing
- Bad breath
- Beginning of receding gums
Your dentist or hygienist can help. But they might not tell you, or they might not know, curcumin and pipperine, like you’ll find in WillPowders Spice, alongside the treatment advice you get from your dental professionals, is of benefit when returning gums to health.
Get some Spice in your system. Its anti-inflammatory effects don’t suddenly stop when it comes to your mouth, gums and oral tissues - they keep going and help put out the flame there too. Phew!
What is the Oral Microbiome?
The mouth’s the beginning of your gut. It has its own eco-system of bacteria. You need to support the goodies and leave less room for the baddies. Working to build your oral microbiome should be something you’re keen to do.
What to avoid to keep your oral microbiome tip top (aka the good bacteria killers):
- Alcohol based mouthwash. Utter disaster as it doesn’t differentiate between good and bad bacteria - it’ll assassinate them all!
- Antibiotics. Again, indiscriminate killers - every strain’s a target. Amp up on oral probiotics like these from Luvbiotics after a course. Get the love bugs back!
- Sugar and frequent snacking. That fasting and sugar dodging is doing you even more good, right? Round of applause, please!
- A dry mouth. Try taping your mouth at night. Not with gaffer tape, obvs - but with a gentle surgical tape.
- Chronic stress - see our Stress and Longevity blog for how to mitigate for this.
What to amp up to make your oral microbiome feel loved and welcome:
- Xylitol neutralises acid and supports beneficial oral bacteria. It’s used to sweeten chewing gum, so, although it’s a sweetener, you might choose to let this one past your lips for your oral health
- Pop an oral probiotic to introduce more good bacteria into your mush
- Pulling with MCT Oil before you brush could support your mouth’s microbiome. Swish-swash.
Can I get a toothpaste for my oral microbiome?
You can! Many WillPowderers use Gutology Toothpaste. It’s also got that magic ingredient - hydroxyapatite so you’re restoring tooth enamel as well as amping up protective bacteria. Let’s have it!
Talking of toothpaste, if you’re looking to use a natural toothpaste …
Why avoid Fluoride in toothpaste? (It’s a personal choice kind of thing …)
Some people avoid fluoride toothpaste because of concerns over toxicity risks. If you’re one of them, the nanotechnology of hydroxyapatite is a clinically proven substitute, without the perceived toxicity risks.
Tongue scrapers
You can reduce the pongy load of dodgy bacteria in your mouth by tongue brushing. A tongue brush, or tongue scraper, removes the biofilm (that thick white layer that coats your tongue some days - yeah, it’s that) that gathers on your tongue’s surface. That way, there’s less of a motherload waiting to ruin date night. No one wants volatile sulphur compounds raising their hellishness in that scenario.
The bonus is that this could also improve your taste sensation - and you know how we WillPowderers love our food! Let’s chow down.
Get your gobstopping magic going
We’ve spent a lifetime giving the world teeth and tits; it’s all part of our magic. For the future, let’s invest in a great bra for the tits and make sure we shore up our teeth as part of our WillPowders Way.
Keep your cupboards topped up:
- Spice: to gum guard
- Bovine Collagen: for skull plumping!
- Protein Powder: for sweet-tooth tastebuds without the sugar decay risk.
- MCT C8 Oil: for pulling with the antimicrobials. Swish-swoo!
- FUTUREPROOF: for a good time and a long time!
We’ll be slaying when we’re playing bingo or bowls. Until then, we’re staying lippy and looking after our microbiomes, tooth enamel, oral health, gums, tongues and jawbones. Grrreat!
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