Can I Treat a Gum Infection Naturally?

If you’re suffering from a gum infection, you’re likely looking for every remedy you can find. But, it’s not necessarily a good idea to rely solely on home remedies to treat an infection.

You can start by rinsing your mouth with salt water or hydrogen peroxide, which will not only help relieve the symptoms like pain and swelling, but can also help start the healing process.

However, you should also schedule a visit to the dentist. Your dentist can diagnose the infection, give you an idea of what caused it and prescribe medicines to treat it, if required. If the infection is minor, he or she may allow you to continue simply treating the infection with salt water or hydrogen peroxide, but you should let the dentist make that call.

If you’re interested in natural healing products however, there are many ways to incorporate them into your dental hygiene routine as preventive measures. Having an oral hygiene routine that kills the bacteria that causes most dental problems is crucial to good oral health.

For example, replacing your toothpaste and mouthwash with all natural products made with mint oil is a great choice. Mint oils are powerful antifungals and antibacterial, and they have no artificial ingredients.

Commercial dental care products are less effective at removing bacteria and plaque from your mouth, and they have far more artificial ingredients. Some of the things you’ll find in toothpaste include saccharin, which has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory rats, and sodium laurel sulfate, which is the same detergent found in your shampoo. Sodium laurel sulfate is associated with skin irritations and with canker sores.

Your mouthwash likely contains alcohol, which can be dangerous, especially if your children ingest it. And, many of the products contain fluoride, which is completely unnecessary for adults and which can be toxic at high levels.

So, by all means, go the natural route in taking care of your teeth. Forego those expensive products that are filled with harmful ingredients and switch to simple mint oil instead. Your mouth will feel great and you’ll kill far more bacteria than you ever could with your old products. It’s a great way to help prevent gum infections in the future.

But, see a dentist about the gum infection you have now. There’s every chance that you may need antibiotics to get it under control. And, talk with your dentist about a plan to work on the root cause of your gum infection, too.