CBD for Dental and Oral Health
Our dental health is paramount, we need our teeth for eating, speaking and smiling and yet dental issues are one of the most frequent non-communicative diseases that we humans suffer from. Tooth decay and gum disease are degenerative disorders which are unfortunately commonplace and tend to drag down our general state of well being. Tooth decay and gum disease are implicated in serious conditions like heart disease and unpleasant conditions like halitosis.
Recently research into CBD as a useful agent for oral health has yielded some very encouraging results in both the treatment of tooth decay and periodontal disease.
In 2020 research studies in Belgium showed that CBD worked as well as the market’s leading commercial products. Testing for decreases in bacteria both using CBD to clean teeth and as a mouthwash, CBD performed as well as conventional Colgate and Oral B products and had significant extra advantages over the brand formulas.
CBD slowed the development of decay in cavities and reinforced the health of teeth by enhancing bone strength.
Another advantage that showed up in CBD mouthwash tests was a selective action that chlorhexidine mouthwash ( Listerine or similar) lacks. Chlorhexidine- based mouthwash indiscriminately kills all bacteria in the mouth, whereas CBD mouthwash selectively wipes out Streptococcus Mutans and Streptococcus Sobrinus which are responsible for decay and cavities while leaving the healthy bacterias intact. Chlorhexidine also discolors teeth over time while CBD fortunately doesn’t degrade tooth enamel or color.
Gum health is essential for dental success, bone loss through gum disease undermines the integrity of the tooth by shrinking gum tissue and eroding bone mass. CBD supports gums by wiping out unhealthy bacteria
and relieving inflammation from damaging periodontal conditions.
Tooth decay and periodontal diseases like gingivitis cause the mouth to become sore and inflamed and often to bleed. CBD gum treatment will act on the bacteria which make the mouth acidic impeding healthy oral absorption of minerals in the mouth. CBD is a natural anti-bacterial and corrects the PH balance in the mouth correcting damaging acidity, this is another benefit that conventional chlorhexidine-based mouthwash doesn't offer.
Although CBD dental hygiene products are readily available it is easy to experiment and make your own CBD oral health products if you have CBD tincture available. These are some easy ways to experiment with using CBD for oral health, and the first came from a Synergy staff member. keen to improve her dental health and treat her inflamed gums. She hit on the idea of adding 10 drops of ACDC alcohol -based CBD tincture (#102) to her waterpik. This is giving her gums and teeth a daily anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory rinse which has improved the health of her gums which are no longer inflamed or sore.
A CBD-rich mouthwash can be made In a similar simple way; add 5 drops of alcohol-based CBD tincture to a small glass of water and use as a mouthwash.
As for brushing teeth with CBD toothpaste, it is an easy concoction to experiment with that can be made inexpensively from simple household ingredients. A week's supply of homemade natural toothpaste is as simple as this:
4 tablespoons of coconut oil,
4 tablespoons of non-aluminum baking soda,
20 drops of CBD tincture,
alcohol or oil based,
5 drops of peppermint essential oil ( optional for flavor, another essential oil can be used or left plain)
Mix everything together and store in a small wide-necked mason jar, use as toothpaste. Alternatively you could just add a few drops of CBD tincture on top of your regular toothpaste when you’ve already applied it to your toothbrush.
One last dental innovation is the ancient Ayurvedic practise of oil-pulling for oral health. There is no research on the ability of oil-pulling to remove plaque from teeth or pull toxins from the gums but as it has been practiced for 6,000 years there must be something in it! The Ayurvedic tradition uses raw sesame oil for oil pulling which can be infused with medicinal herbs, but any kind of pleasant tasting oil can be used; coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil are all popular choices. Add 5 drops of oil-based tincture to a generous tablespoon of liquid oil and swish in the mouth for 5 to 20 minutes. The idea is to coat the inside of the mouth, covering the gums and teeth with the oil, so you draw the oil through the teeth repeatedly as well as vigorously swilling the oil from side to side! Five minutes feels like a long time and you will probably have to work up to it. Oil-pulling leaves the mouth feeling clean with the gums feeling tighter and looking pink and healthy when it is part of a daily oral health regime.
CBD clearly has a wide reaching therapeutic role in oral health particularly by reducing gum inflammation, working as an effective anti-bacterial and a ph-balancing agent. Try making your own mouthwash or toothpaste with CBD tincture and see how your mouth likes it!
