Mouth should have very slightly alkaline/neutral pH

There are several ways to promote a very slightly alkaline/neutral pH (potential of Hydrogen) in the mouth, e.g. :

• by brushing your teeth with a very slightly alkaline/neutral pH toothpaste (like Weleda Salt Toothpaste or Green People Fennel & Propolis Toothpaste) about an hour after every meal, snack and drink (other than pure water) to remove:
• any food or drink residues
  
• any tartar or dental plaque that may be forming (see Edi below)
  

(https://www.weleda.co.uk/salt-toothpaste-75ml-101004)

(https://www.greenpeople.co.uk/products/fennel-propolis-toothpaste-50ml)

 

Eating or drinking anything acidic softens both dental enamel and dentine, making them more vulnerable to erosion by brushing, so brushing sooner is unwise. Please note that ‘acidic foods’ and ‘alkaline foods’ are not the same as ‘acidifying foods’ and ‘alkalising foods’ (see Edii below).

• by swilling a small mouthful of water around the mouth and between the teeth after every meal, snack or drink (to dilute any acidic residues):
  


•  Most people's tap water has a very slightly alkaline/neutral pH (7.35-7.45)
  
• You can use litmus paper (available from most local chemists/pharmacists) to check your tap water's pH score/level
  


• by leaving a little of a very slightly alkaline/neutral pH toothpaste/water solution in the mouth after brushing (allowing the teeth and gums a short very slightly alkaline/neutral pH bath)
  

• by drinking lots of water throughout the day (but not within half an hour before and one hour after a meal (so as not to interfere with the digestive system’s processing of the meal)

• by chewing very slightly alkaline/neutral pH dental gum or dental chewing sticks (given that brushing teeth no sooner than an hour after eating is not always possible/convenient)

Very slightly alkaline/neutral pH chewing gums and chewing sticks

As with toothpastes and tooth powders, dental gums and chewing sticks should ideally:

• be themselves very slightly alkaline/neutral pH (pH 7.35-7.45)
• not contain (e.g.) sugar or any artificial sweetener, but instead use a natural, therapeutic sweetener like xylitol
• not contain sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens, artificial flavourings or colours, fluoride or other nasties
• contain sodium bicarbonate for its superior cleaning and alkalising properties

One sugar- and artificial sweetener-free pH neutral chewing gum we found was Peppersmith's English Spearmint Xylitol Gum (https://peppersmith.co.uk/collections/shop/products/xylitol-english-spearmint-gum-12-x-15g-pocket-packs)

Two very slightly alkaline/neutral pH chewing sticks we found were:

• Thursday Plantation’s Cinnamon Tea Tree Chewing Sticks (https://www.essentialslondon.com/thursday-plantation-cinnamon-tea-tree-toothpicks-100picks)

• Orinko 100% Natural Toothbrush - Cleaner, Disinfectant and Whitening (https://www.amazon.co.uk/ORINKO-Disinfectant-Ecofriendly-Biodegradable-book/dp/B081D31KVG/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_2)
  

Editorial

(i) Dental plaque is a biofilm, usually a pale yellow, that is formed by oral flora (bacteria) trying to attach themselves to the teeth's smooth surfaces. It is composed of layer upon layer of the bacteria that succeed in attaching themselves. At first, the plaque is soft enough to scrape off with a fingernail. It starts to harden within 48 hours and becomes very hard and difficult to remove in about ten days. At this point it is sometimes renamed 'dental calculus' or 'tartar'.

The millions of bacteria that form plaque/calculus/tartar emit acids, leading to:

• the erosion of dental enamel, leading to the erosion of dentine, leading to dental cavities
• gingivitis, periodontal diseases

(ii) Acidity and alkalinity

The acidity/alkalinity of a fluid is indicated with a score called a pH (potential of Hydrogen) score (or pH level) running between ph 0 (completely acidic) to pH 7 (neutral) to pH 14 (completely alkaline).
The ideal pH score/level of the body is usually taken as being the pH score/level of the blood plasma running through the arteries - somewhere between pH 7.35 and pH 7.45.

(iii) To say that a food is acidic or alkaline is merely to say that the food is naturally acidic or alkaline in itself, and tells us nothing about the effects of its digestion by the human body. It may make the body/blood plasma more acidic. It may make it more alkaline.
A food that makes the human body/blood plasma more acidic when digested is said to be 'acidifying'. A food that makes the human body/blood plasma more alkaline when digested is said to be 'alkalising'.
Many lists of alkalising and acidifying foods and drinks are available on the Web, e.g. http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

(iv) There is no doubt that alkalising and acidifying foods and drinks can change the pH score of the body/blood plasma. The bodies of many people living in less industrially developed countries (LIDCs), for instance, are unhealthily acidic, for instance, because of their life-long, meat-based acidifying diets.

(v) It is equally certain that the pH score/level of the body can be changed with overall diet, but most effectively when the diet is intended to support rather than fight against the body’s own constant attempts to bring its pH score/level back to around its ideal pH 7.35-7.45 (a process called ‘homeostasis’).

(vi) Chewing sticks

Sticks of wood with anti-microbial and anti-biotic properties have been chewed for good dental and oral health for thousands of years. Millions of people in LIDCs still use them daily. One Ghanaian study¹ suggested that they would probably perform similarly to toothbrushes and toothpastes in terms of dental/oral health but tended not to because they took longer to use effectively and most people preferred the ease of toothbrush plus toothpaste.

References

1	Chewing sticks versus toothbrushes in West Africa. A pilot study. Norton MR, Addy M. Clin Prev Dent. 1989 May-Jun;11(3):11-3 PMID: 2605858

 

(16365)  Nick Anderson. Green Health Watch Magazine 54 13.9.2013
 

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