A Natural Tooth Powder

Turmeric has been piquing a lot of interest lately as a pain reliever (Read one doctor's opinion), weight suppressant, anti-inflammatory,Alzheimer preventive supplement, and the list goes on. (See this collection of articles.) So far, I haven't read anything about the way I use it as a tooth powder!

My yoga teacher, Jehangir Palkhivala told me about it a couple of years ago. These are the ingredients:

Turmeric and sea salt.  Salt for cleansing and turmeric to strengthen the gums. Buy the best quality ingredients you can find,

mix equal parts in a glass container or jar (keep it airtight),

blend it well and dip a slightly damp toothbrush to coat. Then, brush away.

I'll spare you the sight of me brushing my teeth but I will warn you that your toothbrush will turn yellow after the first use. I even fill my wash basin with a little water to keep it clean, although any discoloration cleans up right away with a little cleanser. At first I was a bit concerned about the porcelain crowns I have, but they haven't yellowed.

So what's the benefit? I've had some challenges with my gums because I'm a mouth breather when I sleep (another photo I'll spare you). Everytime I got my teeth cleaned, my gums bled, a lot. Well, after a few months of brushing with this mixture, there was hardly a speck of blood during my last cleaning.

Aside from stronger gums, as I keep reading about all the positive nutritional benefits of turmeric, I think the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin are doing wonders for my body. True, I'm ingesting very small amounts through this tooth powder but I'm definitely not swallowing all of the additives found in most toothpastes. Are you?

This post has been submitted to : Prevention Not Prescription.