Natural Ways of Curing Gum Disease

Gum disease can be inconvenient, embarrassing and downright painful. However, if you are in the early stages of gum disease, you may be able to use a simple natural treatment to avoid an expensive trip to the dentist. If left untreated, gum disease can cause tooth, bone and muscle infections, so if your gum disease has progressed beyond the basic stages, contact a doctor or dentist before substituting natural treatment for antibiotics.

Cranberry

• A natural form of treatment for gum disease may be as close as your Thanksgiving dinner table. According to Medical News Today, "Natural compounds in cranberries may help ward off periodontitis, or severe gum disease, by serving as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent." Compounds in cranberry help keep the bacteria that causes gingivitis from sticking to your teeth underneath the gum line.

Salt Rinse

• Another gum disease remedy which might already be readily nearby is salt. Your mother may have told you to gargle with salt when you have a sore throat. Dentists will tell you that rinsing with a salt rinse has antibacterial and healing effects on your sore gums. A common mouth rinse solution prepared to prevent or treat gum disease is a ratio of 1 to 2 tsp. of salt per quart of water. If you are limited to a salt-free diet, you can substitute baking soda for the salt.

Bloodroot

• According to "The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook" by Tillotson et Al, blood root is a powerful gum disease ingredient, the extract of which has been included in commercial dental products due to its effect on gum disease. Holistic Online says bloodroot contains "Isoquinoline alkaloids, including sanguinarine" which can improve blood circulation in the affected area. Large doses of bloodroot have a sedative effect, and overdoses can be fatal. Bloodroot should only be used for limited periods of time as a gum disease treatment, and should not be employed as a long-term dental treatment supplement due to possible side effects. If you plan on taking bloodroot as an oral supplement, contact your doctor to make sure it is safe for your health.

Neem

• According to "One Earth," neem is often used by East Indians to fight gum disease. However, neem is a powerful treatment that should be a last resort behind more gentle natural treatment options. You should not take neem without the help of an herbalist. Neem has many effects that help treat gum disease, including antimicrobial and anti-fungal effects that can kill the infection at the root of the problem. Neem is often used in combination with a regimen of reduced sugar intake to fight gum disease and heal wounds.

  "One Earth" cautions against using neem on your own. Neem has reproductive effects on laboratory rats and rhesus monkeys when injected into the reproductive organs. Animals which received the neem injection had 100 percent infertility for at least 100 days following the injection. Treatment schedules with neem which last longer than three weeks put you at risk of developing digestive, reproductive and sexual side effects.

Licorice Root

• If you are experiencing gum disease and infection, it is likely that your immune system in general needs a boost. According to "One Earth," licorice root has ulcer-healing effects shown in a laboratory study performed by a scientist named Revers. Licorice root also cleans toxins from your body to allow your immune functions to work better. A 1997 study by Moon and Kim found that licorice root enhances liver detoxification in animals. Side effects of licorice root can include headache and water retention. However, Revers also found that patients who took a form of licorice called deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) licorice had significantly fewer side effects.

  Licorice root should not be used by women who are pregnant or nursing. Licorice root is not for people on blood thinners or blood pressure medication. As always, if you are taking any medications, consult with your doctor before beginning an herbal treatment program.