Home remedies for oral hygiene: from salt to coconut oil

Long before there was a product for everything, people looked after their mouths with whatever was in the cupboard: salt, bicarbonate of soda, a sage infusion, a clove. Here are nine home remedies for oral hygiene, grouped by what you'd reach for them for, with how to prepare them and when it's better to leave them.

This isn't a rulebook; it's a guide. None of these remedies does the job of your toothbrush and floss, and I think they're best enjoyed that way, as habits that go alongside a good daily clean rather than replacing it. If you like this way of looking after yourself, there are more ideas in natural products for everyday life.

So do they actually work? Some have studies behind them, small but serious; others are tradition and a lot of people's experience. I'll tell you which is which, so you can choose.

For rinsing

Oil pulling with coconut oil

It comes from Ayurveda, India's traditional medicine, which describes it as part of the morning routine, like washing your face. Traditionally it was done with sesame oil; today coconut oil is more popular, as it tastes milder.

• In the morning, before you brush, take a tablespoon of coconut oil (about 10 ml). If it's solid, it melts quickly in your mouth.
• Swish it gently between your teeth, without gargling, for 5 to 20 minutes. Start short and build up if it feels comfortable.
• Spit it into a tissue and put it in the bin, never down the sink: coconut oil sets as it cools and blocks pipes.
• Rinse with water and brush as usual.

Several small studies suggest it reduces plaque a little; it doesn't replace brushing. I see it more as a quiet moment in the morning, while the coffee's brewing, than as a treatment. You can do it every day or a few days a week.

Don't give it to young children, and skip it if you choke easily, because oil mustn't get into the lungs. And use it plain, with no essential oils added.

Warm salt water

It's the rinse everyone knew, the one made up at home when someone had toothache, and dentists still recommend it for that. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, rinse for about 30 seconds, swishing it over the sore spot, and spit. You can repeat it several times a day while the soreness lasts.

It helps ease sore gums or an aching tooth while you wait for an appointment. It isn't for children, who may swallow it, and it's for a few days: used every day for a long time, it can irritate your gums.

Chamomile or sage infusion

Rinsing with warm chamomile or sage is a habit in many homes, and European herbal medicine recognises both as traditional remedies for an irritated mouth and throat.

Make an infusion with a heaped teaspoon of chamomile flowers or sage leaves (about 2 to 3 grams) in 100 ml of boiling water. Cover it for a few minutes, strain it and let it cool until warm. Rinse or gargle with it three times a day, and spit it out. Many people find it soothing when their gums or an ulcer feel tender.

If it isn't better within a week, get it checked. Sage isn't recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding or for under-18s, and chamomile isn't a good idea if you're allergic to plants in the daisy family, such as daisies or chrysanthemums. Use the plant, never drops of essential oil in water.

For cleaning

Bicarbonate of soda

Bicarbonate of soda has always been used to clean teeth, and plenty of toothpastes still contain it.

To brush, wet your toothbrush, sprinkle a little bicarbonate on top of your usual toothpaste and brush gently. Once or twice a week is enough. For a rinse, mix a teaspoon of bicarbonate and a teaspoon of salt into a litre of warm water, use a tablespoon at a time and spit it out; covered, it keeps for up to two weeks.

It lifts plaque and some surface stains well, and it's one of the gentlest abrasives there is. Even so, brush lightly with a soft brush, especially if your gums have receded or your teeth are sensitive. It doesn't replace your toothpaste, and it isn't for swallowing.

Tongue cleaning

Your tongue is the corner we forget, like the gap behind the sofa when you sweep in a hurry. Once a day, with a tongue cleaner or your toothbrush, sweep from back to front three or four times without pressing, then rinse the cleaner.

Dentists recommend it for fresher breath, although the effect is short-lived, so it works best as a daily habit. If it hurts, you're pressing too hard.

Miswak

Miswak is a twig from the Salvadora persica shrub, chewed until its fibres form a small brush. It has been used for centuries in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, and the World Health Organization recognises it as a traditional oral hygiene tool.

Peel a centimetre of bark from one end and chew it until the fibres open out. Brush your teeth gently, up and down, and when the fibres go soft, trim them off and peel back a little more.

Several studies suggest it removes plaque about as well as an ordinary toothbrush, especially if you use both. Be gentle with it: scrubbing hard with a miswak is linked to receding gums.

For fresh breath

Apple, mint and parsley

Biting into an apple, or chewing a few mint or parsley leaves after a meal, are age-old ways to deal with garlic or onion breath. In a small study, raw apple and mint reduced garlic breath for a while; there's less data on parsley, but there's no harm in trying it. After a strongly flavoured meal, an apple for pudding is the easiest option.

They mask a one-off smell. If bad breath is constant, the cause usually lies in your gums or tongue.

Sugar-free gum with xylitol

Chew sugar-free gum for about 20 minutes after eating, especially when you can't brush. It makes you produce more saliva, which helps neutralise acid after meals. Xylitol doesn't cause decay, although there's no firm evidence that it protects more than any other sugar-free gum.

Too much can upset your stomach. And if you have a dog, keep it well out of reach: xylitol is highly toxic to dogs.

For a tight spot

Clove for toothache

Clove is the classic toothache remedy. It contains eugenol, which numbs the area a little, and that's why it has always been used, even in dental surgeries.

Place a whole clove next to the aching tooth and leave it there for 20 to 30 minutes. If you'd rather use the oil, buy clove oil from the chemist, sold for toothache: put a tiny amount on a cotton bud and dab it on the tooth only, not the gum, following the leaflet.

It eases the pain for a while, until you can see a dentist. It's a stopgap, not a fix: toothache usually comes from something a dentist needs to look at. Don't use aromatherapy clove essential oil or put it on your gum, as it can burn, and keep the bottle away from children. If you're pregnant, ask your doctor or pharmacist first.

What's best not to do at home

Essential oils aren't for swallowing, not even a few drops. Some, such as eucalyptus, camphor and wintergreen, are toxic when swallowed, and children are especially vulnerable. That's why I don't recommend homemade mouthwashes with essential oils: they don't mix with water, they reach your gums undiluted and it's easy to swallow some.

They have their place at home, in a diffuser or a spray, and if you'd like ideas there's how to use your essential oils. In your mouth, no. Never put an aromatherapy product such as Ëlabba Essence in it: it's a spray for scenting your home, made for the air.

If you like the idea of an essential oil mouthwash, the ones from the chemist containing thymol, eucalyptol or menthol are formulated for the mouth, and several studies suggest that, used on top of brushing, they reduce plaque. Use them as the packaging says.

When to see a dentist

Home remedies help, but some signs are worth showing to a professional: gums that often bleed, a mouth ulcer that hasn't healed in three weeks, toothache that lasts more than two days, or bad breath that doesn't improve within a few weeks. Gums get inflamed more easily in pregnancy, so mention it at your check-up.

The kitchen cupboard helps. So does the dentist, when it's time.