How To Strengthen Your Teeth And Gums Naturally

If you’ve developed gum disease or dental carries you may be wondering how you strengthen your teeth and gums naturally at home.

Many people ask that question, in fact, it’s thought that globally around 2 billion people suffer from caries of permanent teeth (1) and 50-90% of the population (USA & UK) suffer from some degree of gingivitis (2, 3).

The good news is that you can strengthen your teeth and gums at home with good oral hygiene and modifying some lifestyle factors. 

The aim of this post is to explain what causes dental decay and gum disease in order to detail how you can keep teeth and gums healthy and strong at home.

Signs And Symptoms Of Unhealthy Teeth And Gums

If you have any of the following symptoms your teeth and gums may not be as healthy as you think:

• Bad breath
• Red, swollen and inflamed gums that bleed (they might start to look darker)
• Tooth Sensitivity
• Loose, wobbly teeth 
• Darkening teeth
• Receding gums
• Tooth loss

Good Oral Hygiene and Why It’s Important

Good oral hygiene is the best way to keep your teeth and gums healthy.  Decay and gum disease are caused by harmful bacteria that reside in the mouth. The bacteria can be removed before they cause damage by manually brushing them away. 

How The Bacteria Cause Damage to the Teeth and Gums

Bacteria build up on the teeth and along the gumline in a sticky film in what dentists refer to as a biofilm. As the biofilm accumulates we call it plaque. The harmful bacteria in the plaque and chemicals they produce damage the teeth and gums.

Cavities

The bacteria and the acid they produce causes tiny openings or holes in the enamel – the first stage of cavities. This exposes tiny tubes called tubules in the dentin layers underneath the enamel. If stimuli such as hot, cold and sweet foods and drinks come into contact with the tubules the teeth can become sensitive. Movement in the tubules can trigger nerves in the pulp, which may induce a short, sharp pain. 

The acid and bacteria can destroy the dentin and then access the pulp, the inner tooth material that contains nerves and blood vessels. The pulp can swell and press on the nerve causing pain in the tooth root and even the bone.

Gum Disease

The harmful bacteria can also produce enzymes and other substances which irritate the gums leading to gingivitis (early gum disease). The gums become red, swollen and may bleed. 

Untreated gingivitis progresses to periodontitis where the gums pull away from the teeth creating periodontal pockets. The bacteria, enzymes and other substances they produce can enter the pockets and irritate the soft tissues below the gum line. Our body mounts an immune response to eliminate the bacteria and causes the destruction of the alveolar bone that holds the teeth in place. They may become loose, wobbly and at risk of falling out.  

Developing Good Oral Hygiene

As we said above the best way to remove the bacteria before they destroy your teeth, and harm your gums and the bone holding the teeth in place is by manually brushing the bacteria away. 

Here’s how to do it….

• Brush twice a day for 2 minutes 
• Use a soft toothbrush that has a small head so you can access all sides of all of your teeth and not damage the gums.
• Use fluoride toothpaste and don’t rinse with water or mouthwash afterwards as fluoride helps teeth to repair themselves and it also makes bacteria less able to produce acid.
• Carefully clean the interdental space with a gum pocket brush, single tufted brush, interdental brushes, floss, water flossers or a combination. 
• Don’t forget to give your tongue a quick brush to remove any bacteria hiding on the rough surface

Other Things You Can Do

There are a number of risk factors that can contribute to the development of cavities and gum disease. By modifying some lifestyle choices you can strengthen your teeth and gums. 

Drink Water 

Dentists, doctors and nutritionists recommend that we drink H₂O. It’s naturally sugar-free so doesn’t provide bacteria with the fuel to grow and isn’t acidic so it doesn’t wear the enamel away like soda and juices. 

Chew Sugar-Free Gum

Chewing gum after a meal can help with the production of saliva which helps to wash away bacteria from around the teeth and gums. It also helps to dilute acids and enzymes produced by the bacteria. As saliva is full of teeth-strengthening minerals increasing its production can be beneficial.

Bruxism 

Bruxism can seriously exacerbate existing periodontal disease, making the gums more vulnerable to attack. Grinding also weakens the teeth and damages the enamel making people more susceptible to cavities, tooth decay and breakage. Gum shields or retainers are advised for those who grind their teeth overnight as it reduces the pressure placed upon the teeth and gums, potentially reducing periodontal pockets and decay. 

Stop Smoking and Control your Blood Sugars

Smoking and diabetes are two of the major causes of gum disease. Controlling blood sugars and stopping smoking can help reduce the chances of gum disease developing. 

Foods To Help Remineralise Teeth & Keep Gums Healthy

As well as developing oral hygiene that’s first-class, eliminating risk factors can help remineralise the teeth which can contribute to restoring strength and function within the tooth structure.

Eat Mineral-Rich Foods 

Calcium, Collagen, Magnesium and Vitamins B12, K2 and D3 can help to remineralise the teeth, preventing cavities.   Vitamins C & K are important for gum health (4). 

Improve Digestion

Maintaining a healthy gut is critical for proper nutrient absorption of minerals and nutrients. If you aren’t eating or absorbing the nutrients remineralisation of the teeth won’t occur.  

Consuming healthy fats can help with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K (5).  Probiotic-rich foods or supplements will help balance the microbes in the digestive tract that help absorb macro and micronutrients essential for healthy teeth and gums (6). 

Don’t Snack On Carbs

Snacking on carbohydrate snacks provide bacteria with a constant source of fuel all day long. The well-fed bacteria produce more acids and enzymes that weaken tooth enamel and irritate the gums. 

If you do eat carbohydrate snacks try giving your mouth a rinse with water afterwards. The water will help dilute the sugar in the mouth, rinse away some bacteria and help the saliva to buffer the acids. 

Eliminate Refined Sugars

The harmful bacteria that cause decay and gum disease feast on sugar, and the bacteria population multiplies. 

Eliminating refined sugars such as table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup will reduce the bacteria’s food supply and prevent the bacterial population from growing and producing their harmful substances. 

Do You Need Help At Home Strengthening Your Teeth And Gums Naturally?

The best way to strengthen your teeth and gums to protect them from decay and gum disease is with good oral hygiene, brushing your teeth twice a day and carefully cleaning the interdental spaces. 

Using the right technique when you brush and clean in between the teeth is really important.

Sources

1. Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019). Seattle: Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME); 2020. Available from http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool.
2. Albandar, J.M. and Kingman, A. (1999) Gingival recession, gingival bleeding, and dental calculus in adults 30 years of age and older in the United States, 1988-1994. Journal of Periodontology 70(1), 30-43. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10052768/
3. Coventry, J., Griffiths, G., Scully, C. and Tonetti, M. (2000) ABC of oral health: periodontal disease. British Medical Journal 321(7252), 36-39. [erratum appears in BMJ (2000) 321(7260), 526]. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10875835/
4. https://www.dentaly.org/
5. National Research Council (US) Committee on Diet and Health. Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1989. 11, Fat-Soluble Vitamins. Available here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218749/
6. Barkhidarian, Bahareh et al. “Probiotic Supplementation and Micronutrient Status in Healthy Subjects: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.” Nutrients vol. 13,9 3001. 28 Aug. 2021, doi:10.3390/nu13093001. Available here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8472411/