Dr. A.T Ashok

It often happens that one or more tender areas inside your mouth make eating, drinking or talking painful. They might deprive you of a spicy meal or of the pleasure of drinking a cup of hot chocolate. Little sores (know more about the mouth sores) that come in the way of your otherwise content life are mouth ulcers. Mouth ulcers are white or yellow open sores with an itchy red ring around them. They can appear on your lips, at the base of gums, on the soft palate, at the sides of your tongue and in the hollows of your cheeks.

They are formed on non keratinized mouth tissues and can create a constant burning sensation. Ayurveda focuses to improve a person's health through a diet regime, the use of herbal compounds and through the implementation of health practices which are mostly unheard of. This traditional branch of medicine can prove to be very effective if tried out under the supervision of a reliable practitioner. It is because of its usefulness, governments of several countries across the world endorse researches in the field of Ayurvedic medicine.

Take care of mouth ulcers in the following ways:

1. Use a decoction of leaves: It is good to gargle with the liquor of a few kinds of leaves; certain leaves can relieve you of the burning sensation. Leaves of the guava tree or mehendi and aamla leaves can be boiled in combination with alum to extract a thick decoction. Washing your mouth repeatedly with this decoction will help you to treat ulcers.
2. Remedy constipation: Constipation (know more, how to get relief from constipation) has been steadily associated with mouth ulcers. To remedy this problem one can take Triphala Choorna.
3. Avoid anything piquant: Compromise on taste and turn away from hot and spicy food. Not having anything hot and peppery results in immediate relief. Tea, coffee, curd, pickles and even tobacco or alcohol should not be consumed during this period.
4. Try Licorice: Chewing a piece of licorice can help you in getting rid of oral ulcers. Licorice is known to counter any kind of mouth decay. It also benefits the health of your teeth. When this is boiled in water, you can sip on to the resultant sweet drink and almost forget pain.
5. Try Chebulic myrobalan: Chebulic myrobalan needs to be consumed in its powdered form. You can add honey to soften the powder. Use of this compound will surprise you with is effects.
6. You may apply Irimedadi taila: Direct application of this oil on the ulcers can be of great use.

After multiple patients have asked us about the authenticity of oil pulling as a technique, here's what we have to say:

There is no denying all of us wait for a miracle cure to that terrible disease called dental decay. Much of a dentists or a dental hygienists time goes into answering the question,

why do cavities happen? or how do I prevent cavities?

While people usually assume the answer is brushing and flossing there are some lesser known ancient techniques and some ultramodern gadgets that have contributed to our arsenal of options to keep your mouth healthy.

Oil pulling being one of them has been in the limelight of late.

What is oil pulling?

This oral therapy is a type of ayurvedic medicine that dates back 3, 000 years. It involves swishing approximately 1 tablespoon of oil typically coconut, sesame, or sunflower oil in semisolid form (as shown in the pic) in your mouth for about 20 minutes and then spitting it out.

Start with just 5 minutes a day. Twenty minutes of swishing is a long time, and while the longer you pull, the more bacteria you'll remove, 5 or 10 minutes will still offer some benefit.

A gentle swishing, pushing, and sucking the oil through the teeth is all that's required

Don't swallow. if you find it hard not to, you likely have too much oil in your mouth, spit it out and try again with a smaller amount. just discard the used oil into the nearest cup or trash can.

Why oil pulling? how does it work?

Recent studies show that oil pulling helps against gingivitis, plaque, and microorganisms that cause bad breath.

How? most microorganisms inhabiting the mouth consist of a single cell, cells are covered with a lipid, or fatty, membrane, which is the cell's skin. When these cells come into contact with oil, a fat, they naturally adhere to each other.

Which oil?

Use coconut oil. While you can get the same bacteria-fighting benefits with sesame or sunflower oil, coconut oil has the added benefit of lauric acid, which is well-known for its anti-microbial agents. Also, a recent study found that coconut oil may help prevent tooth decay.

coconut and sunflower oil aren't the only oils with dental health benefits. For irritated, inflamed gums, rub a little vitamin e oil directly on the surface. It's rich in antioxidants, easily absorbed, and helps regenerate healthy gum tissue.

Additional benefits

Reducing decay
Whitening teeth by keeping clean and smooth surfaces that do not lodge food.
Eliminates bad breath
Preventing gum infections caused by harmful bacteria in the mouth

Expert tip

It doesn't reverse the effects of tooth decay, but it's a great supplemental therapy to reduce the bacterial count in the mouth thereby decreasing the likelihood of decay and other dental and systemic diseases.

The only disclaimer we would want to put in is

Do not ingest or swallow the oil in all your enthusiasm and,
Don't skip brushing and flossing. Oil pulling should never replace routine dental visits and traditional home oral care.

While oil pulling can't change your life or make you never need to go to a dentist again -try it for yourself, if it reduces your chances of decay and maybe even helps you ace your next dental visit with no new cavities.

We say thumbs up! pull away!

Please try this safe and natural practice and let us know how you find it in the comments section.