Do you ever wonder why gum disease is prevalent even though most households do brush and floss regularly? Most insurance companies pay for at least one dental visit a year, and still we’re suffering from receding gums, teeth loss, and cavities.

I wondered about this, too, and have been researching the best methods of at-home dental care. I interviewed Ora Wellness recently and was able to pick their brains about some dental questions I had.

Nourishing Treasures: Why is gum disease so prevalent, even though most households brush regularly?

Ora Wellness: This is a great question. First off, gum disease is very prevalent. In fact, at least 9 out of 10 adults over 30 have active gum disease; 65% of 15 year olds already are afflicted as well! In answering your question why is gum disease so prevalent, Iʼm going to have to address several factors.

First, we as a culture are relatively unhealthy. So, our immune health is generally insufficient, therefore welcome breeding grounds for the “bad bugs” that are implicated with gum disease.

In direct relation with our relative “less than optimal health” as a culture is that our diets are poor and generally way less than adequate mineral and healthy fat content. I commonly tell people that I simply donʼt have the time to eat food that doesnʼt contribute to my health. I mean, thereʼs only so many times one can eat in a day. If we choose to regularly eat foods that either donʼt contribute or actually take away from our health, how do we expect to be able to build awesome immunity?

Nourishing Treasures: I absolute love what you said about not having the time to eat food that doesn’t contribute to your health. That is a wonderful perspective!

Ora Wellness: Another point is that we generally donʼt brush to effectively address gum disease. We offer a free video tutorial called ʻhow to brush your teeth to reduce gum diseaseʼ that demonstrates a proven brushing technique to address the “bad bugs” of gum disease:

The last point Iʼll bring up in response to why gum disease is so common these days is the lack of awareness of gum disease. The general dental community has been so focused on tooth decay for decades that it has left the ʻelephant in the living roomʼ, mainly due to the fact that dentists are taught that a dental business is primarily focused on decay restoration.

So, we as a people are unhealthy, eat poor diets, are unaware of the risks of gum disease and donʼt know how to effective stop it. Itʼs a perfect set up for this quiet, rampant bacterial infection to spread through the culture. By the way, at the risk of making some readers phobic of physical contact, the bad bugs implicated with gum disease are communicable. Generally, we pick them up from the 3 Ps: parents, partners and pets!

Nourishing Treasures: I hope you liked this article. This is the first of several interview questions I asked Ora Wellness. Stay tuned next week when Ora Wellness answers the question, “Is it possible to remineralize our teeth?” And a word on oil pulling.

Ora Wellness supplied me with their Brushing Blend and I absolutely LOVE it. It’s a blend of bad bacteria-killing teeth-healthy essential oils (such as cloves, cinnamon, and myrrh) in a base of almond oil. I love that I don’t have a mouthful of lather - my kids love it, too! It’s a great breath freshener.

Ora Wellness has offered Nourishing Treasures readers a FREE Bass toothbrush with your order of OraWellness Brushing Blend. ONLY when you write “Nourishing Treasures free brush offer” in the customer note section during checkout.

*One free toothbrush per order, not per bottle of brushing blend.

Similar Posts:

What is the best way to heal receding gums?
Ora Wellness’ Thoughts on the Miswak (Natural Toothbrush)
The Bass technique of brushing your teeth and its effectiveness on teeth health

Want to learn more about herbs? proud contributor