Dentist: You’ve got elevated levels of harmful bacteria in your mouth.
Me: Really? How is that possible? I’ve never had dental problems in my life, not even a cavity.
Dentist: Well, you do now.
Oh dear.
This conversation happened a few years ago, after many months of dealing with what I thought were minor dental issues. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a year-long journey into the land of holistic dentistry and the discovery that dental health is connected to hormonal health. In fact, women are more susceptible to oral health problems than men because of our unique hormonal makeup.
How our hormones can affect our dental health:
According to this study and this study, the increase in progesterone in the second half of your menstrual cycle can lead to swollen, bleeding gums and canker sores. This also applies to women who are pregnant (high levels of progesterone) and women who take certain progesterone-only birth control pills. Here’s another study about OCPs and how they increase the risk for gum disease. Additionally, some women experience these symptoms at ovulation time as well due to increases in estrogen. This is why it is so important for women to be on top of their dental care.
<— This picture is just to let you know that the story ends well!
As I said, the first thing the dentist found was this elevated level of harmful bacteria in my mouth. This indicated to him that my immune system wasn’t fighting off this bacteria and they were growing out of control. (Gross, I know). This was causing severe gum disease – my gums were receding at an alarming rate along with jaw bone loss – apparently when your gums recede your bone goes with it. Not cool…once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. So if you’ve got great gums now, make sure you take fabulous care of them girlfriend.
I also had pretty deep pockets – basically my gums were pulling away from my teeth – a wonderful breeding ground for more bacteria. And these pockets would only continue to get worse if I didn’t do something about it asap. “Something” meaning a very expensive series of treatments.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the dentist also noticed a cavity – eeek, up until that point I’d been rather proud of my cavity-free mouth and now with all these dental issues I was just like everybody else! Haha, I kid.
The treatment involved numerous visits to the dentist where they would perform super deep cleaning, ozone therapy and laser treatments on my gums. Pretty rad that we can use ozone and lasers to fix gum problems these days huh? Of course it also involved lots of homework for me!
Here’s the exact dental protocol that I used to address my bacterial problem and heal my cavity:
1. I bought one of those fancy electric toothbrushes.
I switched to a Philips Sonicare brand electric toothbrush, and it was somewhat life changing. I know, who says stuff like that right? Someone who is now deeply in touch with her tooth health. One of the symptoms of harmful bacteria residing in your mouth is plaque and I couldn’t keep the stuff at bay before this toothbrush came into my life. I’d have plaque buildup within a day or two of visiting a dentist – yeah, bad!
2. I also bought a dental irrigator aka a water flosser.
Pre-dental irrigator I flossed (with dental floss) daily but my holistic dentist doesn’t believe in flossing unless something is really stuck in your teeth. He says that oral irrigation is a far more effective method for removing debris from your gums and in between your teeth. I bought the Waterpik Ultra Water Flosser and never looked back. I use warm water and a splash of hydrogen peroxide every night after brushing. Amazingness!
3. I changed my toothpaste (I wasn’t using Crest or anything so don’t freak out lol).
The dentist recommended I switch from my current toothpaste to Weleda Natural Salt Toothpaste because it’s the “best”. I didn’t get much more of an explanation but I really loved using it. Currently I’m using and loving wellnesse by Katie Wells. I’ve also experimented with plain old baking soda (which there is a lot of debate about) but for me personally has worked just as well as the $8 tubes of fancy toothpaste. I also became obsessed with Living Libations dental health products. They cost a small fortune but I had good results using the Healthy Gum Drops, the Ozone Gel and the Neem Enamelizer. I wish I could have afforded to continue with their products but I was spending way too much on them!
4. I began rinsing my mouth with salt water.
My dentist told me this is supposed to strengthen your gums. I don’t do it every single day but about 2-3 times a week. I simply add a teaspoon of sea salt to warm water and swish it around for 2-3 minutes. Easy peasy.
5. I was given an oral probiotic by the dentist.
The product was Evora Pro Oral Probiotic Mints and it’s only available through dentists, however you can purchase their consumer product here. I’m not sure how effective this product was but I used it faithfully for the first eight months of my treatment, then I ran out and didn’t get anymore. There are a couple of studies on their website that corroborate what they claim the product does and my dentist seemed to really believe in them so I’m sure they work when combined with everything else.
6. I finally started oil pulling.
I did this a number of years ago but didn’t stay consistent with it, likely because I was not facing $1000’s in dental bills and a receding gum line back then! Anyways, I got serious about it and began oil pulling with sesame seed oil for 15-20 minutes in the morning and evening. Whoa, I gotta say I really didn’t believe the hype but I started oil pulling between my second and third dentist visits and on my third visit my cavity no longer needed filling. Wooo!! For those who don’t know….oil pulling is an ancient Indian cleansing practice in which you swish 1-3 teaspoons of oil (sesame or olive) around in your mouth for 20 minutes a day. Check out Wellness Mama or Well Wisdom for more details on how to do it. I tried all three and love the sesame seed oil the best.
7. I got serious about my MTHFR gene mutation.
I discovered I am homozygous for 677T in early 2013 and didn’t do much about it – read my blog post about this if you’re totally confused by what I mean! 🙂 Having an MTHFR mutation can cause a lot of issues for people, especially women of childbearing age. A mutated MTHFR gene means that your body doesn’t detoxify efficiently, which leads to a taxed immune system and the decreased ability to get rid of harmful pathogens and toxins (think heavy metals, excess hormones, chemicals etc). My theory is this applies to any kind of bad bacteria, including the ones in my mouth. I talked with the dentist and he confirmed that the MTHFR gene has come up in his research and this could be part of the problem. Unfortunately I haven’t found any conclusive evidence online but it makes a lot of sense.
Women with this gene mutation have a higher risk of infertility, multiple miscarriages, hormonal imbalances, PMS, anxiety and depression amongst others. This can be attributed to a number of things but I’d say the main cause is the fact that your liver just doesn’t function as well when you’ve got this mutation. See my post on liver function here and how it connects to your hormones.
If you experience any of the above issues, I highly recommend getting tested so you can take steps to mitigate any negative effects the mutation is having on your health. I take a double dose of Thorne Research Basic B Complex every day as part of my MTHFR-battling protocol and do my best to help my body detoxify every chance I get – more detoxification ideas in the MTHFR post I mentioned above, as well as this one.
8. I upped my vitamin and mineral intake in a big way.
Vitamins and minerals are essential to healthy teeth and gums so I figured I may as well try out a little dental health protocol on myself and see what happens. In addition to adding in more of my fave sea vegetables like Kombu and Wakame, I also included these supplements:
- Thorne Research Vitamin D/K2 – 5000IU/day
- ConcenTrace Trace Minerals – suggested dosage on bottle
- Thorne Research Zinc Picolinate – suggested dosage on bottle
- Magnesium in general is also great to include
I began this process last year October and a year later I’m excited by my success. There has been a lot of trial and error but I think I’ve finally got this beast under control. The bacteria is back at normal levels and my teeth have never felt better.
I just want to reiterate that your mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body and as a result your dental health is connected to your overall health in numerous ways. Inflammation in your gums is the same as inflammation in any part of your body and it needs to be addressed as part of a whole health healing protocol. Numerous studies show the correlation between gum disease and these conditions:
- Diabetes – do you know that diabetes sufferers have a higher likelihood of gum disease
- Heart disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis –
- Lung conditions
- Cognitive issues like memory loss
- Babies born prematurely and at low birth weight – some evidence suggests gum disease triggers preterm deliveries and low birth weight (women who are of child-bearing age, I’m looking at you!)
I wish I had done all of this 5 years ago but there is no point dwelling on that. Thankfully I caught all of this before I needed to have teeth extracted and hopefully this post helps you if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms I was experiencing. If you’ve got healthy teeth and gums, please don’t take them for granted. Take good care of them and yourself. xoxo
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22763599
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15088879
American Academy of Periodontology.
American Dental Association: “Healthy mouth, healthy body.”
National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition.
American Academy of Periodontology: “Gum Disease and Diabetes.”
Noble, J. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, May 5, 2009, online.
36 thoughts on “The connection between your dental health + your hormones”
Pingback: Low Progesterone: Why it happens and what you can do about it - Nicole Jardim
I too have hormonal imbalance, had my tooth root canal done. My face hasn’t stopped bloating. It’s bad
Have you ever heard of Antibiotics??? Old generation also passed this issue, and without expensive treatments which today’s stomatology Dr. just want sell it ! Take 14 days Levofloxacin or 10 days Amoxicillin and not only clear infection from him, but also from all body . My Dr. opened my root and said he clear infection by drain it out and so on…expensive dental treatments which I refused. Once I took antibiotics I already feel better and can eat . Always make a Xray to see what can be solve and what not. Show it to your dr. and then decide, but don’t opt for expensive bills from start while there are still traditional old treatments available yet !
I just came across this post again. I had posted 3 years ago and now I’m dealing with deep pockets and hoping to avoid the procedure. I came across this book: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780982021361 and am wondering if anyone is familiar with it and/or has any comments…
Anna, not familiar with the book but very curious! I would check out Dr. Al Danenberg. He’s a dentist with a focus on addressing gum disease from a holistic viewpoint. He’s brilliant. You should look into a procedure called LANAP for regrowing bone that has been lost due to gum disease. He does this procedure.
Regular brushing with pure sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will make teeth sensitive.
thanks for this! just started having gum issues after quitting the BC pill. just ordered most of the things on your list and will start oil pulling again.
So glad this was helpful for you Anna-Lynne!
Hi Anna-lyne!
It’s interesting that I’ve found your comment because I’ve also been struggling with gum issues after quitting bc as well. I’ve been trying to look up information on the connection between the bc and oral health, but can only find info on women who run into trouble when beginning the pill.. not when stopping it.
I’m wondering if you’ve found any information yourself? I’m curious because I figured that my hormones would be lower after quitting the pill, but read that gum issues are linked to a rise in progesterone?
Also, have you found that the suggestions on this page have worked for you? I’m about to try them out myself ?
Wow, just like you and the other commenter, I’ve Bren diagnosed with gum issues a year after quitting birth control. Is there a correlatio here? Has anyone found more info?
Wow! I am so glad I found your article! I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, mouth pain and issues arenit fun! My back molars are receding and it’s getting worse much faster and starting on the surrounding teeth. Thank god it hadn’t reached the front but it’s only a matter of time. I’ve always had great oral health and when I would go to cleanings they said I was so clean that they barely needed to do anything! I’ve only had one cavity and I’m 32. I am wondering if my recession is hormone related. I donated my eggs about 8 years ago which involved 6 months of hormone injections. (Normally 3 months but me and the recipient didn’t link up so we had to start over) Since then I’ve had so many issues with my hormones being permanently disrupted ( my estrogen is about 800 pts above normal), a lot sexual pain, anxiety, sweating, depression, crazy like legit crazy mood swings and my endometriosis pain has literally made me borderline suicidal during my periods which aren’t all together normal anymore. I didn’t know that gum recession was related to hormones and I am beginning to think that is what’s going on. I also tested positive for an autoimmune disease and my gyno is convinced that it is all stemming from the hormones I put in my body (one of which is Lupron which is a chemotherapy drug!). I was young and dumb at the time and didn’t do a lot of research. My gums though are really starting to bother me and ache constantly. I am going to start some of the things you are doing. Did you see a regular dentist or a homeopathic from the start of all of this?? I am interested in the gene mutation you have too. I wasn’t tested for that but maybe I should be. Have your gums grown back? I am worried mine are getting to the point of bone destruction and I’ve been putting off going out of fear a. Because it hurts and I’m scared for a dentist yo touch the area and b. I don’t want to hear I need surgery or a gum transplant. I fear needles in my mouth big time! It took me 15 cancelled appts to actually get my cavity filled and I still needed to be medicated during it. I forgot to mention though that about 5 years ago I had a sealant out over the receding areas to protect from cavities and such. That’s how I know it’s getting worse because the areas of new recession hurt while the neighboring root doesn’t because it has the sealant. Do the deep cleanings hurt??? I feel that is probably what I will need. Do they do anything so you don’t feel the exposed root pain during the cleaning with the instruments touching it????? Thanks for any additional info! Ian saving this page to my favorites so I can keep referencing it. Again, I’m so happy I found you!
Contact me to aylin008 for Yahoo.com and I help you about Endo
My teeth were always perfect… Until I started taking one of the most dangerous pills on the market and my gums started receding and bleeding like crazy… I got off the pill a few days ago and I’m praying my gums will get better.
Hi Alexandra may I ask which pill it was you were taking. Are you referring to a BCP ?
? Alexandra may I ask what the pull is that you took ? Was this a BC pill ?
Great article — I wish there was more public knowledge on the link between hormones and teeth/gum decay. I had a year where I ended up using the Morning After pill (Plan B) a few times and ended up with a cavity and gum abscess around an old root canal. Until I read about holistic cures with adding a strong vitamin supplement (including Green Pasture Green Pasture’s Blue Ice Royal Butter Oil / Fermented Cod Liver Oil Blend – Non-Gelatin capsules) and changing my diet (decreasing phytic acid — I was eating quinoa everyday for breakfast) and using an intermittent garlic paste and clove oil treatment, my dentist was suggesting pulling the tooth! I read Ramiel Nagel’s book on healing and remineralizing teeth naturally and am so grateful to have had it work. So grateful!
That is so awesome Suzanne! I agree, we are sorely lacking in education in this field. You should check out Dr. Al Dannenberg. He’s got some great info on this topic 🙂
They key to cure hormone based cavity issue is to balance hormones, take supplements if there are any excess or lack of hormones such as the thyroid, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone. A girlfriend told me she suddenly got 3 cavities after her endocrinologist change her doses. I would recommend reading The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried, which could be long winded and unorganized, but describe every possible hormone disorder in detail. I summarized it in my website on menopause (not just for women going through menopause, but women within 15 years before reaching it). It can take a long time though, so my suggestion is do a lot of herbs based mouth wash and oil pulling, plus abundant supplements including vitamin A, C, D3, E, K2 and calcium + phosphorus supplement. Take them in HIGH DOSE if you are going through cavities because your body is going to need extra help during this time to remineralize.
Great article, thanks. Similar issues and long story, but the short version is that a few years ago my dentist said I needed gum transplants (!) ASAP because they were in such bad shape and I was “going down that road . . . ” — I thought, ‘no thank you.’ I’m 56 and have been recovering for 12 years from a lifetime of chronic ill heath (despite a lot of good health practices and even more not so great advice), and my 82-year-old mother’s gums recovered from all the diet/supplement work of an anti-inflammatory nature that we’ve been doing so I was sure mine would improve as well. Had just done genetic testing and found out I’m compound heterozygous for MTHFR (plus a laundry list of lesser variants) and it was challenging but I had started treating it. Six months later I’m back at the dentist’s office and he assumes I had the gum transplants. No, actually, I never even called the endodontist for an appointment. Dentist was pissed that I hadn’t followed his advice but I gave him a minute and then he said he was glad I’d improved my brushing and flossing, because “by all measures” my gums were now “optimal.” I told him I’d not changed a thing about my brushing and flossing and told him what I had been doing and he said that “might” have made a difference. I said that not being chronically anemic and electrolyte/imbalanced and dehydrated all the time (among other things) SURELY made the difference, and at that point he agreed.
Hi Christy,
This may be too long fron your initial post, but what did you implement in order to improve your anemia and symptoms from MTHFR. I am in the same boat. Also wondering if you avoid all sugar?
Hi Nicole! Just wondering if the additional vitamins/minerals were specific for tooth health? Can you explain their purpose? Thank you so much! 🙂
Hi Karen!,They were a combination. Helpful for tooth health as well as helpful for detoxification. If they body can’t detoxify properly then harmful bacteria has the chance to build up and cause health problems. 🙂
Thank you Nicole!! 🙂
This is a great article! I had no idea about the connection between oral health and hormones, but it totally makes sense and motivates me to oil pull more and dedicate more time to my dental health. I had never had any dental health issues in my life until 2 years ago when I had a sudden abscess on my gums while I was traveling in South Africa. I had no idea what to do, because I had never had any tooth pain in my life before, but I found coconut oil in South Africa so I did oil pulling and it helped about 50% . When I got back to the states I made a paste of garlic and activated charcoal (so gross) and the paste sucked out the bacteria from my abscess, then I rinsed my mouth with Dr. Schulze’s Oral Therapy formula for 3 days and by the 3rd day, the abscess was nowhere to be seen and my mouth was completely pain free again. Now when I travel, I always bring my sonicare toothbrush with me, as well as coconut oil for oil pulling and activated charcoal for any possible infections (or food poisoning-man it works so well!) Anyways, just thought I’d share what worked for me.
Thanks for your input, Lizzie! I bet the charcoal and garlic was gross indeed. LOL. It’s amazing the kinds of healing powers come from some of the most natural sources! 🙂
Hi Josee, I have not experienced increased sensitivity, in fact my sensitivity has gotten better. I checked out some sites and didn’t see anything about oil pulling making teeth more sensitive but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening for people. I definitely think you should do some research online to see if anyone else is experiencing this issue.
Perhaps it’s just a short term issue and it will subside.
Question.. Does anyone have experimented a lot of sensitivity after oil pulling? This is my fifth day and I have a lot of sensitivity since the first day.I rinse well after with warm water and brush with sodium bicarbonate. I have reciding gum and was really excited to try it but this more than unpleasant… any idea?
Emily, mine does as well. I’ve found that cleansing it with a towel after every couple of uses really helps mitigate that issue. And also washing it with water and hydrogen peroxide too. Hope that helps! 🙂
I love my electronic toothbrush but find it gets pretty dirty pretty quickly and is super gross. Do you have a simple solution for preventing/cleaning? I asked my dentist and he just kind of looked at me blankly.
Ladies, such awesome comments.
Liz: Thanks for sharing your protocol!
Claudia: Hope you don’t get need that filling!
Anna: No I didn’t need to have a gum graft or anything. That is terrifying, and as Barbara says, sound like Dental Doom Day. Dental massage was never suggested but now I want to try that…maybe with sesame or coconut oil?
Barbara: I knew if anyone would be all over this it would be you! I cannot imagine how painful that procedure must have been for you! 🙁
Melissa: Yay I’m so happy to be able to share a helpful experience with people.
Leonie: Yes I feel you, there are only a handful of holistic dentists in NYC I’m not sure who’s good and who’s not. And they are so expensive. This whole thing prob cost me about $4000!
Thanks Nicole for sharing that fascinating information. I, like you, wish I’d found it all out years ago when I kept going to the dentist following a sudden and pretty drastic receding of gums. This was straight after I’d come off the pill, so I can well believe the link with hormones. It is quite difficult to find good dental care here in the UK, and particularly good holistic dentists, so I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
Great blog! So informative. I have been trying to find a great natural toothpaste. I was using Tom’s and didn’t feel like my teeth were getting clean. I do oil pulling on and off depending on when I remeber. After last night having some soreness in my mouth, and reading this, I went and got the coconut oil. I love it when I do it. I am a believer. I want to try some of the other things you’ve listed here. Thanks for the article. I’m going to share it 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m inspired. I had to have the gum graft once. I refer to that day as Dental Dome Day. I didn’t have much money back then so I went to the dental school-aful experience to say the least. I just bought the water pic and minerals through your links and I’m oil pulling as I type this.
This is so helpful! I’ve been dealing with receding gums as well and trying lots of things (like oil pulling) to avoid having to get a gum graft. You didn’t say whether you had to have any treatments for the receding gums. Did you?
Anyway, I also went to see a holistic dentist and she also recommended gum massage (rubbing my gums with my finger a few times per day). Did you come across that idea?
I’ve tried oil-pulling but never stuck with it either. But I’m prone to cavities so maybe I’m going to start again. I have a dental appt to fill a small cavity in a couple weeks. Maybe I won’t need to go! Thanks for the info.
This was actually beyond fascinating information!!! 🙂 I’ve never heard of oil-pulling and never considered genetic mutation as the reason I might get a lot more cavities than the next person. But I will tell you that for years, I HATED FLOSSING — particularly, for me, I used to use those awful Dentek flossers (the plastic things) and not once, but THREE TIMES, those things have caused me to chip a tooth. Grr. Haha, but seriously not I use like some kind of fancy floss. Maybe Glide? It’s $7 so it’s an investment and now I get 0 cavities per year instead of 2-3. Which is worth it, for sure. Also- I don’t know for sure if it’s all natural, but I do use this incredible mouthwash called Therabreath— it’s really for bad-breath people but I like it because it’s like a moisturizer for your mouth. And it doesn’t sting at all. It’s a little pricy (~$14 for a two pack? I’m not sure…) but I swear by it.