Dental Care, Oral Hygiene and Essential Oils

Certain essential oils have been used in dental care and oral hygiene for hundreds of years.

For instance

Clove bud essential oil is used for the symptomatic relief of toothache: the oil is applied directly without pressure on the carious tooth with a small piece of cotton. It is also extensively used as a major component in preparations for the treatment of postextraction alveolitis (dry socket) and in dental cements and fillings.

Myrrh is reported to have astringent properties on mucous membranes as well as antimicrobial activities in vitro. It is used as an astringent in certain mouthwashes and gargles. Traditionally it has been used for bad breath, weak gums, gingivitis and loose teeth.

Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients
Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics - Leung and Foster.

Other essential oils that have been used in this field include Ammi Visnaga, traditionally the plant has been used as toothpicks; Cardamom Ancient Egyptians used to chew on this to whiten their teeth and freshen their breath; Cinnamon for periodontal disease; Mastic combined with Myrrh for periodontal disease or combined with spikenard as a tooth whitener; Tea Tree as a germicidal.

Vinegar has been used for dental hygiene for many years and has been found to be helpful in reducing bacterial plaque. You can use vinegar diluted down 1:1 with water or unsweetened Cranberry Juice as your mouthwash base and as with any mouthwash just swirl around and spit out. Don't swallow.

Essential oils or hydrosols can certainly be used effectively in mouthwashes
If you choose to use essential oils as part of a mouth wash routine make sure that they are in a low dilution and don't swallow.

Oral Care Blend
First make up the blend and store in a dark bottle:
5 parts tea tree; 1 part cardamon; 1 part clove; 1 part fennel; 1 part myrrh;1 part peppermint
Store in a dark bottle.
Add 1 drop of the blend to a glass of water, swirl around your mouth, and spit out. Don't swallow.