Tag Archives: gingivitis

Check your mouthwash if you have high blood pressure

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I listened to a podcast from the Huberman Lab, How to Improve Oral Health and Its Critical Role in Brain and Body Health, recently. I learned a lot, and I want to share a couple of insights that can improve health.

(The whole podcast is a good listen if you like to keep up with the latest science about health, and… it’s 2 hours long! I listen sometimes while driving into Austin for work several days a week. It’s available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and other venues.)

First, know that some kinds of mouthwash can actually raise your blood pressure. (Timestamp on YouTube is 1:22:38.)

Wow! That was news to me!

There’s an ingredient in antiseptic mouthwashes that you want to avoid: chlorhexidine. It’s an antimicrobial substance used to treat gingivitis.

Turns out the oral cavity (mouth) has a microbiome that includes microbes that regulate blood pressure!

Who knew, right?

Chlorhexidine in mouthwash kills these helpful microbes, leading to higher systolic blood pressure. That’s the top number.

Here’s more on this finding: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324621#Mouthwash-may-do-more-harm-than-good

Dr. Huberman also recommends against using alcohol-based mouthwashes because they deplete the healthy oral microbiome.

Takeaway: read the ingredients, especially if you use mouthwash and have high blood pressure.

Second, xylitol is a low-calorie sweetener that streptococcus mutans bacteria eat (like any sugar). Unlike other sugars, xylitol prevents formation of an acid made by these bacteria that demineralizes the teeth and leads to cavities. (Timestamp is 1:14:23.)

So xylitol keeps teeth mineralized and prevents cavities.

It also helps the body produce more saliva, which also supports remineralization of the teeth.

When I do intraoral manual therapy for my clients with jaw tension, I ask them to swish with a little mouthwash before I put a gloved finger into their mouths. I’ve used salt water too. Although it doesn’t freshen breath, rinsing with salt water helps keep healthy mouth bacteria in balance.

I started doing this when the COVID virus was such a concern, and I still use an air filter.

I like to use Spry breath mints made with xylitol to freshen my breath, and when researching nontoxic mouthwashes, I learned that Spry makes a xylitol mouthwash that is not alcohol-based.

Healing a deep dental pocket

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Update, July 2021: This post was written four years ago. Find out what happened! Read Swishing with salt water reduces gum disease.

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I went to the dentist yesterday for an exam and cleaning, five months after my previous visit. The best news is that the pockets that had deepened from using the Waterpik on too high a setting and too much angle have returned to 2s, 3s, and a couple of 4s.

Since that appointment, I returned to flossing and using dental picks, as described in a previous post, Rebuilding tooth enamel after drinking water with lemon. I continued to gently brush my gumlines at a 90 degree angle.

That did the job, except for one tooth. The back part of my upper right back molar has pockets measuring 7 and 8 mm (3 or lower is healthy). It was painful when the hygienist was probing with her tool. On earlier visits it’s been 4 or 5 mm deep, concerning but not dire.

Now it’s dire.

I’ve never had any pockets this deep, and of course they want me to see a periodontist. (Beyond that, the hygienist didn’t have much scraping to do, so my plaque levels are down.)

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Image from Brandywine Dental Services

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Healing bleeding, tender gums

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I skipped going to the dentist for three years, and when I finally went, I had a few molar fillings that had decay underneath. They were old, from back when I was a teenager.

I also had several deep pockets. The worst one measured 6. One or 2 is considered good.

I got a couple of crowns to replace those decayed molars, and I got my teeth cleaned. My next appointment for cleaning was in 4 months. I was told to floss once daily and brush twice daily.

I vowed that I would floss every day. And I did. (I still usually just brush once, and again only if needed.)

Working with nutritionist/acupuncturist Olivia Honeycutt at Merritt Wellness, who was having me take Organically Bound Minerals, I also tightened my diet up — no grain, dairy,  or sugar.

When I went back four months later, the hygienist barely had any scraping to do because I had hardly any tartar.
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