Gum Disease

See also “Teeth and Gums—Ayurvedic Care”
Gum disease includes receding gums, bleeding gums, gingivitis, and swollen gums. From an Ayurvedic perspective, excess vata dosha leads to receding gums, while pitta dosha is responsible for bleeding gums, gingivitis, and swollen gums.

FOR GENERAL CARE. For general cleaning of the teeth and caring for the gums, Ayurvedic dentistry recommends the use of certain bitter and astringent herbs, particularly neem, which is bitter, and lodhra, kushtha, and bilva, which are all astringent. You can make an excellent cleanser for brushing your teeth by mixing the powdered form of these herbs. You can use neem plus any one of the other three, mixed in equal proportions.

Rinsing your mouth with a tea made from these herbs is also beneficial.

You can also buy any one of several commercial toothpastes with neem and other Ayurvedic herbs in natural food stores or by mail order (see Resources).

FOR RECEDING GUMS. Receding gums expose the roots of the teeth, and then both the gums and teeth become sensitive to cold and more susceptible to infection. To help with this problem, take a mouthful of warm sesame oil, and swish it around in your mouth for about 3 minutes before going to bed. Then massage your gums with your index finger. It is better not to rinse with water afterward; leave the oil residue in your mouth.

FOR BLEEDING GUMS AND GINGIVITIS. Triphala tea is effective for gingivitis and bleeding gums. Triphala has astringent qualities, and it is a hemostatic—that is, it stops bleeding. Gargling and swishing the mouth with triphala tea are helpful for both gingivitis and bleeding gums.

• One cup orange juice with ½ teaspoon natural sugar and a pinch of cumin will help bleeding gums.
• Drink the juice of ½ lemon squeezed into a cupful of water.
• Raw apples are also beneficial. Eating a raw apple about an hour after meals helps to clean the teeth and heal the gums. Pears are also effective.
• Eat some melon, chewing it slowly. (Again, at least an hour after meals.)
• Try eating about 10 to 20 raspberries 2 or 3 times a day on an empty stomach. (Don’t combine them with any dairy products.)
• Massaging the gums with coconut oil can also help heal gingivitis and bleeding gums.

FOR INFECTED GUMS. Tea tree oil is effective for painful infected gums, as is clove oil. Both help to reduce pain and heal the infection. All you need is one drop of tea tree or clove oil directly at the site of the pain. A small piece of natural, edible camphor will also take care of pain in the gums. (Do not use synthetic camphor; it is poisonous.)

• Dental floss with tea tree oil will take care of infected pockets in the gums below the gumline. Some dental floss treated with tea tree oil is available commercially; otherwise, just dip the floss in the oil prior to flossing.