The Importance of Oral Health

In this Article:

• Ayurveda on Oral Health
• Practices that Promote Oral Health
• An Ayurvedic Oral Hygiene Routine
• Navigating Your Next Steps

Did you know that Ayurveda has a great deal to say about the importance of oral health—and the practice of oral hygiene?

We all know that brushing, flossing, and regular dental cleanings are essential. But very few of us look forward to going to the dentist, even for routine check-ups.

For whatever reason, there is a great deal of fear and shame attached to dentistry, which can mean that, on a cultural scale, oral health receives far less attention than it deserves.

But many people find that their oral health improves dramatically when they adopt Ayurvedic oral hygiene practices—which can also help reduce or eliminate the occurrence of dreaded dental problems like cavities, receding gums, tooth sensitivity, and cracked teeth.

Medical and dental professionals know that our oral health is an important window into our overall health and that issues in the mouth can (and do) affect the deeper organs and tissues of the body.¹

Prioritizing oral health ensures that our teeth and gums remain as intact as possible, rendering dental visits less scary, less painful, and minimally invasive while simultaneously supporting robust overall health and well-being.

Ayurvedic oral hygiene practices also enhance the sense of taste, support detoxification, encourage optimal digestive strength, and bolster immunity.

This resource is meant to dispel any fear or shame that you may have about the condition of your gums, mouth, or teeth. It also aims to empower you with practical tools to support your health—both in the mouth and throughout the body.

Ayurveda on Oral Health

As you may know, vata, pitta, and kapha each have five subtypes that carry out specific physiological functions. One of these subtypes—bodhaka kapha—is a primary player in the mouth.

Understanding a bit about this particular subtype of kapha offers valuable insights into the marvels of the oral cavity. It also helps explain why looking after our oral health is so essential to our overall well-being.

Functions of Bodhaka Kapha

Bodhaka kapha:²

• Initiates the first stages of digestion for simple carbohydrates (via enzymes in the mouth)
• Regulates oral bacteria
• Lubricates oral tissues to prevent friction between them
• Supports speech and the vocal cords
• Maintains an optimal oral temperature
• Helps receive the knowledge of taste
• Supports immune function, specifically via the tonsils

A healthy mouth is one in which bodhaka kapha thrives, ensuring that all of its functions can serve our overall health. Conversely, when bodhaka kapha is disordered or imbalanced, it can impact our oral health and all kapha systems throughout the body.³ Key kapha sites in the body include the pancreas, heart, brain, and joints. (Interestingly, shleshaka kapha in the joints is said to nourish the bone tissue).⁴

Ultimately, when we care for our mouths properly, we support all of these deeper organs and tissues, but there is also great potential to negatively impact them if we neglect our oral health.

Additional Benefits of Good Oral Health

In truth, robust oral health has incredibly far-reaching benefits; here is a closer look at several of them:

Enhanced Sense of Taste

Ayurveda places a great deal of emphasis on the sense of taste, describing six unique tastes, each of which is essential to a balanced diet. If the six tastes are new to you, you might appreciate our resource The Fundamentals of Taste.

When a food is ingested and its taste is perceived in the mouth, there is a critical cascade of communication between the mouth and the rest of the digestive tract, preparing the stomach and the intestines for the food that is about to be received.

This supports optimal digestion, which Ayurveda views as a cornerstone of perfect health. It is also worth noting that the sense of taste—which proper oral health helps preserve—is crucial not only to our physical health; it is also related to our overall sense of satisfaction in life.

Bolstered Digestive Strength

There is no question that digestion begins in the mouth. Almost immediately upon ingesting food or drink, enzymes in the mouth begin to break down simple carbohydrates and sugars.

Simultaneously, the action of chewing manually breaks our foods down into more manageable morsels for the stomach, setting us up for optimal digestion. If these oral functions are impaired in any way, our overall digestive strength is bound to suffer.

Issues with the teeth and gums can quickly compromise our ability to chew properly. Other oral imbalances can impact the more subtle chemical interactions crucial to these first stages of digestion. By contrast, a healthy mouth promotes optimal intelligence and coordination throughout the oral cavity and beyond.

Improved Organ and Tissue Health

At the most fundamental level, all of our tissues depend on agni (the digestive fire) for nutrition. Agni is responsible for transforming the foods that we ingest into biologically useful substances, which are then made available to cells and tissues throughout the body.

As the entry point for the entire digestive tract, the health of the mouth directly impacts the gut and the strength of agni. Good oral health fosters resilience in the digestive tract and supports agni, which in turn affects every cell and tissue throughout the body.

And because the tongue shares a direct energetic connection with many of our most vital internal organs, proper oral hygiene impacts these deeper tissues far more directly than we might otherwise imagine.

Cleansing the tongue is both stimulating and detoxifying for all of the internal organs represented on the tongue's surface—more on that below.

Understanding Our Teeth

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about our teeth and how they function. We often assume that some of us have been gifted with inherently good teeth, while others were not so fortunate.

And even worse, when dental problems arise, we rarely look beyond the mouth for an explanation or cause. As a holistic tradition, Ayurveda takes a fundamentally different approach to dental health.

They’re Alive!

Somehow, we often tend to think of the teeth as inert and lifeless. But they are, in fact (except for the enamel) made of living tissues—just like our bones. According to Ayurveda, the teeth are a byproduct of the bone tissue, meaning that their health directly correlates to the health of the bones.

And like other tissues, the teeth can be injured, become nutrient deficient and depleted, and remarkably, they can also heal. Even cavities (depending on their size) can remineralize—which does not mean that the damaged tooth regrows, but that the decay can be halted and that a strong outer tooth surface can be reestablished, even after a cavity has formed.⁵

Unfortunately, fillings, crowns, and root canals inherently compromise the integrity of our teeth.⁶ While these procedures are sometimes necessary, recognizing that the teeth are primarily composed of living tissues allows us to adopt a more holistic approach to preserving their long-term health.

The truth is that in addition to direct influences within the oral cavity (like exposure to excess sugar, acidic foods, or bacterial imbalances), the teeth—like all other tissues—are affected by the quality of our nutrition, our overall health, and our stress levels.

So if you are aware of imbalances in your teeth, you might consider working with a qualified practitioner to determine how you can better support your teeth from the inside out. This whole-bodied approach can complement the oral health strategies we'll discuss here, as well as the care you are receiving from your dentist.

An Important Site of Vata

The teeth are considered a site of vata, which is a rather delicate dosha. Vata does best when it receives deep nourishment and tender, soothing care. The same is true of the teeth and gums, which should be cared for gently, carefully, and generally respond well to grounding and nourishing inputs.

This is one of the reasons that Ayurvedic oral hygiene practices are so supportive of our oral health; they are gentle, nourishing, and on the whole, deeply supportive of vata.

On the other hand, aggressive oral healthcare and hygiene practices are bound to be vata-aggravating, and over time will negatively impact the teeth and gums.

 

Practices that Promote Oral Health

The following Ayurvedic strategies can be practiced along with daily brushing and flossing to promote optimal oral health.

Below, we'll go over the finer points of each strategy, and cover some Ayurvedic oral health products from Banyan that can help you maximize the benefits of these timeless practices.

Tongue Cleaning

According to Ayurveda, the tongue is connected to—and mirrors the health of—many vital organs throughout the body: the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, stomach, small intestine, colon, and so on.

In Ayurveda, looking at the tongue is one of several methods for assessing the health of these organs, and scraping the tongue with a Tongue Cleaner is said to impact each of them directly. Because the tongue is soft and spongy, a firm and inflexible object like a tongue cleaner cleans it far more effectively than a supple entity like a toothbrush.

A tongue scraper simply does a superior job of loosening and clearing any accumulations from the folds and grooves of the tongue so that they can be completely eliminated from the mouth.

Benefits

Using a tongue cleaner daily:

• Improves oral hygiene
• Clears ama (toxins) and bacteria from the tongue
• Removes the unwanted coating from the tongue
• Promotes fresh breath
• Enhances the sense of taste
• Gently stimulates the internal organs
• Enriches oral, digestive, and overall health
• Encourages daily awareness of one’s current state of health as reflected via the tongue

How to Practice

Ayurveda recommends using a tongue cleaner at the start of each day on an empty stomach.

• To practice, hold the ends of the tongue cleaner in both hands, open the mouth and extend the tongue over a sink.
• Place the curved edge of the tongue cleaner on the rear surface of the tongue, as far back as is comfortable.
• Press down gently on the surface of the tongue, and pull the tongue cleaner forward, removing the unwanted coating.
• Rinse the tongue cleaner with warm water and repeat three to five times, or until the tongue is free of coating and feels fresh and clean.
• For added benefit, add up to ten additional strokes to further stimulate the internal organs and support healthy digestion and elimination.

Be gentle. The tongue should not bleed or develop soreness from this practice. If your tongue is sensitive at first, start with fewer strokes and gradually build up to more. To learn more about this practice, please see Banyan’s excellent, in-depth article on Tongue Cleaning.

Brushing with Tooth Powder

Using herbal powders to clean the teeth and mouth goes back thousands of years and across various cultures.⁷ Equally prevalent was the act of chewing on sticks from miswak or neem trees, which some believe may have been the origin of the modern-day toothbrush. Miswak, in particular, has been recognized as an effective oral hygiene tool by the World Health Organization.⁸

Banyan’s Tooth Powder contains powerful cleansing ingredients, including miswak, neem, and charcoal, for a gentle and effective oral hygiene experience. It is available in mint cardamom and cinnamon clove flavors.

Using Tooth Powder is much like brushing with toothpaste. Wet your toothbrush, dip it in tooth powder, brush as normal, then rinse.

To learn more, see Banyan’s article about why you'll want to switch to tooth powder.

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is the practice of swishing a small amount of oil in the mouth for up to 20 minutes. As the oil is swished around the mouth and between the teeth, it contacts tissues throughout the oral cavity, introducing them to a very nourishing, soothing substance. Oil is, by its very nature, deeply vata-balancing. It is heavy, often warm, liquid, and well, oily—all qualities that soothe and balance vata.

An herbal oil can introduce even more supportive qualities and offer additional benefits to the tissues of the mouth. Banyan’s pulling oil, Daily Swish, is formulated in a base of sesame and coconut oils, infused with triphala, guduchi, and fennel for their oral health benefits. A potent blend for maximizing the positive effects of oil pulling, Daily Swish comes in two flavors—mint and cinnamon clove.

Oil shares a natural affinity with the lipid-based cell membranes on the exterior of a cell—including those of the many single-celled microorganisms that inhabit the mouth. When these microbes come in contact with oil, their cell membranes naturally adhere to the oil, which helps detach them from the teeth and gums, supporting the removal of plaque and odor-causing bacteria while helping protect against oral microbe imbalances and the diseases these imbalances can cause.⁹ Coconut Oil, in particular, is known to help maintain a healthy balance of microbes in the mouth.¹⁰

Swishing the oil for up to 20 minutes also engages a wide array of muscles in and around the mouth. As individuals who practice oil pulling can attest, these are muscles that do not often get exercised in quite this way. The activity strengthens and tones the muscles themselves (which has its own benefits) while simultaneously increasing circulation to the entire area, thereby supporting the oral tissues' nourishment and detoxification.

Benefits

Oil pulling:

• Encourages fresh breath
• Maintains normal oral pH
• Promotes balance in oral microbes
• Prevents plaque build-up
• Fosters strong, healthy teeth and gums
• Increases circulation to the oral tissues
• Supports natural bodily detoxification mechanisms
• Bolsters digestive health by supporting oral health (where the GI tract begins)

How to Practice

• In the morning, on an empty stomach, place about 1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil, Sesame Oil, or Daily Swish in your mouth.
• Swish the oil from side to side, front to back, and all around the teeth, gums, and cheeks—being mindful to "pull" the oil between the teeth.
• Continue swishing in this way for up to 20 minutes or until the oil has become thin and whitish in color. Spit out the oil (do not swallow it) and rinse with warm water. If desired, you can brush your teeth afterward.

Many recommend spitting out the oil in a lined trash can rather than a sink to prevent the oil from accumulating in your pipes.

For more tips on this ancient practice, see Banyan’s oil pulling 101 guide or check out the following video.

 

Gargling

The act of gargling can be much shorter in duration than oil pulling and has many of the same benefits, including reaching areas of the mouth easily missed during brushing and flossing. Additionally, studies have shown that gargling even with plain water helps soothe the throat and promote respiratory health.¹¹

Gargling is often practiced with oil in Ayurveda, but it can also be practiced separately with a mixture of salt water and turmeric.¹² 

Triphala Tea

Triphala is an ancient Ayurvedic formula consisting of three fruits: amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki.

Triphala is tridoshic, so it balances vata, pitta, and kapha. It has a unique ability to nourish and rejuvenate the tissues while simultaneously cleansing and detoxifying the system. These qualities enhance oral health in much the same way that they bolster digestive strength.

Triphala tea (made from triphala powder) can be taken internally to support the entire digestive tract, but it can also be swished in the oral cavity to help maintain the health of bodhaka kapha.¹³

In fact, one study found that, among healthy adolescent boys, swishing with a decoction of triphala was as effective as chlorhexidine in maintaining the health of the teeth, gums, and oral cavity.¹⁴ Triphala also contains five of the six tastes (all but salty), and exposure to all six tastes is an important aspect of a balanced diet.

Benefits

Swishing with triphala tea:

• Preserves the proper health and function of bodhaka kapha
• Supports the body’s natural detoxification processes
• Stimulates and enhances the sense of taste
• Gently cleanses and nourishes the tissues of the oral cavity
• Encourages saliva to be thin and liquid rather than thick and viscous (which can cause problems)¹⁵

How to Practice

• Place ½ teaspoon triphala powder in a glass of freshly boiled water.
• Let it steep for one minute, cool, and then strain the triphala powder out and swish the tea throughout the mouth.
• When finished, spit out the tea and rinse.

An Ayurvedic Oral Hygiene Routine

Many people like to brush their teeth and cleanse their mouths after eating breakfast so that their mouths feel clean and fresh when they leave the house. But Ayurveda recommends cleansing and nourishing the mouth first thing upon waking. The Ayurvedic approach makes sense for a number of reasons.

First, sleep is a natural time for detoxification. Upon waking, our mouths reveal a great deal of evidence that the body was busy detoxing while we slept. There may be “morning breath,” a coating of ama on the tongue (though it will be thin and light, if the body is not burdened with accumulating ama), or just a simple awareness that the mouth feels different upon waking than it does at other times of the day.

Keep in mind that saliva naturally kills bacteria.¹⁶ And as we know, our mouths are home to a diverse array of microbes, so as we sleep, some of the oral bacteria that come in contact with our saliva will inevitably die.

Upon Waking

Thorough cleansing of the oral cavity upon waking clears out this dead and decaying matter and prevents it from entering the lower digestive tract (where it could place an unnecessary burden on other bodily detoxification mechanisms).

But cleansing the mouth first thing also serves to awaken the internal organs and the digestive capacity for the day—which, like a morning stretch, can improve bodily health and functioning throughout the day.

At a minimum:

• Scrape your tongue with a Tongue Cleaner
• Brush your teeth
• And rinse with warm water

If you want to do more, consider the addition of oil pulling.

First Food and Drink for the Day

After cleansing the mouth, consider drinking some warm water before you eat anything: 1–4 cups, depending on your constitution and your preferences. This helps cleanse the digestive tract, hydrates the tissues after an overnight fast, and serves to further awaken the digestive capacity (whereas cold water can dampen the strength of the digestive fire).

Wait for 10–20 minutes, depending on the amount of water, so that it can clear the stomach, and then enjoy your breakfast. Most find that their mouths continue to feel very clean after eating because they have offered such deep, cleansing support at the start of the day.

Once awake, our mouths are quite adept at maintaining a clean, healthy environment throughout the day. If this is not the case for you, there may be a deeper underlying imbalance at play that should be addressed, and it would be good to consult with a qualified practitioner.

Before Bed

It is not necessary to scrape the tongue twice per day. In fact, doing so can be overly aggressive and can harm the delicate tissues of the tongue.

Before bed, flossing and brushing the teeth thoroughly is usually sufficient. Dental professionals recommend brushing gently for at least two minutes to thoroughly clean the teeth and gums.

So to recap, before bed:

• Floss your teeth
• Brush your teeth
• And rinse with warm water

If you want to do more, consider swishing with triphala tea.

Navigating Your Next Steps

One thing is certain: tending to our oral health has profound and far-reaching impacts on the entire system. If these Ayurvedic practices are entirely new to you, consider starting with just one new addition at first. Over time, you can gradually incorporate as many practices as you like. If you feel especially drawn to one of the above-mentioned practices, start there.

The reality is that anything we do to improve oral health and hygiene is likely to benefit the entire system—from the oral tissues themselves, to the GI tract, to the deeper tissues that are correlated with our oral health.

Start where you are. Follow your own sense of inspiration. This is your journey, and your body will likely respond far more enthusiastically to those practices that you feel inspired to try. There are no shoulds here. Just ample opportunity to incorporate whatever pieces of ancient wisdom most resonate with you.