Naturopathic Oral Health with LoveByt

Check out the full interview here

We sat down with dental assistant and naturopathy student Dominique McGuire, founder of The Pillars Naturopathy, to gain professional insight in how to maintain and optimise the oral microbiome.

With your dental and naturopathy experience, what do you recommend to maintain good oral health?

Good oral health is important for overall health and wellbeing. Prevention is always better (and cheaper!) than cure. Having functional teeth is imperative for enhancing quality of life.

Brushing your teeth with a soft toothbrush at least twice a day is a good starting point. TIP: avoid brushing straight after eating/drinking acidic substances (think coffee, chewable vitamin C tablets, apple cider vinegar, citrus fruits, etc.), as the acid can make teeth more porous and brushing immediately can consequently damage enamel.

To avoid this, you can drink a glass of water afterwards to help stimulate saliva production to neutralise the acid, or you can use a mouthwash such as the LOVEBYT mouthwash which doesn’t compromise your mouth’s natural pH.

Regular flossing is super important too (sorry! I know it’s a chore), as no toothbrush will clean in between your teeth. I’m a big fan of tongue scraping, and I do this every day - there are numerous benefits of doing this too! A high-quality diet rich in fresh and unprocessed foods, as well as limiting simple carbohydrates and sugary foods will also help maintain healthy gums and prevent tartar build up and/or decay. Regular (6 monthly or at least yearly) dental check-ups are also necessary to avoid preventable issues and improve overall health.