In this article...
1. Natural Care of Gums, Mouth, Teeth
2. Review of Oral Health Benefits - Herbs and Nutraceuticals
3. Regular Maintenance Gum Treatments - support good oral health
4. Tooth paste - Natural Herbal Recipes
5. Bleeding Gums, Infected Teeth - Natural Treatments
6. Oral Rinse, Mouth Was Recipes
7. Plaque Softener Recipes
8. Foods, Herbs that Fight Oral Bacteria and Reduce Plaque
9. General Guide for Daily Intake of Herbs and Spices
1.0 Natural Care of Gums, Mouth, Teeth
There are many natural, herbal and homeopathic interventions and treatments that you can adopt to improve and maintain your dog’s and cats oral health.
If your dog or cat already has gingivitis or periodontal disease it is best to have the built-up plaque and tartar removed, and then start a regular maintenance regimen. Fragaria Vesca can be used to soften the tartar/plaque - you will find instructions on the use of Fragaria below along with many options for simple, affective natural, herbal, homeopathic oral health care, including…
- Toothpaste;
- Gum treatments;
- Oral rinse;
- Treatment/remedies for bleeding gums;
- Treatment/remedies for killing bacteria.
- Foods & herbs that fight oral bacteria and reduce plaque.
A dog that has infected teeth and gums can become weak as they do not wish to eat due to pain. You will see below that there are many herbal tinctures that you can choose from to treat the pain caused by infected teeth and gums so that your dog will be interested in eating again. These same tinctures also work to fight bacteria which causes infection while reducing inflammation and bleeding.
1.1 Note...
2.0 Review of Oral Health Benefits - 1.1 Note...
- If you are using one of the treatments below that call for use of tinctures make sure you use alcohol-free tinctures only.
- Organic ingredients have greater medicinal value than non-organic, in addition, non-organic can be high in herbicide and pesticide residue - go organic as much as you possibly can.
- If you have decided on using a particular treatment - read the related links when provided. These links are an important source of detailed information on health benefits, selection of quality and appropriate products, cautions, interactions, etc.
- Make sure that you use good quality human food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade products.
Herbs and Nutraceuticals
Before we get into the actual treatments lets take a quick look at some of the benefits of the herbs and neutraceuaticals that will be used in the oral care recipes and treatments. These include...
- Baking Soda
- Calendula
- Ceylon Cinnamon
- Coconut OIl
- Colloidal Silver
- Echinacea
- Feverfew
- Fragaria Vesca
- Goldenseal
- Grapefruit Seed Extract
- Kefir
- Manuka Honey
- Myrrh
- Oil of Oregano
- Oregon Grape
- Vitamin C
2.1 Baking Soda
Baking Soda is derived from a naturally occurring mineral called natron, which was first mined by the ancient Egyptians. I. the 1800’s to bakers from France created the modern version of Baking Soda. It is a mild abrasive and has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries.
2.2 Calendula (also known as Pot Marigold)
Calendula has been used in herbal preparations for thousands of years. Calendula is excellent for promoting the healing of wounds and stopping bleeding. It has antiviral, anti-genotoxic, anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Calendula promotes the metabolism of proteins and collagen which is necessary to grow new healthy cells and tissue. Calendula is safe for dogs and cats, including pregnant dogs and cats.
2.3 Ceylon Cinnamon
- Anti-inflammatory;
- Anti-microbial (fights bacteria, fungi, etc.)
- Anti-septic;
- Mild anesthetic;
- Helps dissolve food particles and aids in the digestion of food.
Daily Dosage
- Small Dogs and Cats - 1/8 tsp a day.
- Medium Dogs - ¼ tsp a day;
- Large Dogs - ½ tsp a day;
For detailed information about cinnamon read here.
2.4 Coconut Oil - organic
- Helps fight tooth decay and oral health issues;
- Hardens tooth enamel;
- Can help reduce sores and infections.
2.5 Colloidal Silver
Silver is a natural and powerful broad spectrum antibiotic agent, it also has excellent antiseptic, anti-fungal and disinfectant properties.
- Colloidal Silver kills virus, fungus and bacterium;
- Colloidal Silver can be used:
- Topically, and;
- As an ingested treatment;
- Or as a combined approach - both topically and ingested.
- More on the benefits...
- History;
- How Colloidal Silver works;
- Use and dosage;
- How to purchase a good quality Colloidal Silver product;
- Read this article.
- Colloidal Silver is safe for most dogs and cats - make sure you read the cautions for medical conditions provided in this article.
2.6 Echinacea (Cone Flower)
Echinacea has anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and analgesic properties. Echinacea has been used in oral care for hundreds of years, popular as a mouthwash, it aids in the fight against gingivitis and periodontal disease by supporting immunity to bacterial infections that help destroy germs and minor infections in the gums. Its analgesic properties soothe aching guns and teeth. Echinacea is safe for use with pregnant dogs and cats.
2.7 Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
Feverfew has been used in herbal preparations for thousands of years. Feverfew contains parthenolide - a naturally occurring volatile oil that inhibits the release of inflammatory substances that cause inflammation. Not all feverfew products are effective as some do not contain enough parthenolide. Look for a Feverfew tincture that contains at least 0.2% parthenolide.
Caution - dont use on pregnant or lactating dogs, dont use on dogs that have (environmental) allergies to ragweed and related plants. Dont use if your dog is on an anticoagulant/Antiplatelet drug, or on a drug that is changed and broken down by the liver.
Feverfew is safe for use on most dogs and cats. If you would like to know more about feverfew you can read here.
2.8 Fragaria Vesca (Fragaria 6x, Woodland Strawberry)
Fragaria Vesca is used for softening and removing tartar and plaque. Once softened normal use of a toothbrush is more affective and can be used to effectively help keep teeth clean. Continued use of Fragaria Vesca helps keep tartar and plaque from reforming on teeth. Fragaria Vesca is safe for use on pregnant dogs and cats.
2.9 Goldenseal
Goldenseal has been used for centuries by Native Americans and is a widely used herb today. Goldenseal has anti-inflammatory, amoebocide and antiseptic properties. Do not use on
pregnant or nursing dogs or cats.
If you would like to know more about Golden seal you can read here.
2.10 Grapefruit Seed Extract
Grapefruit is a citrus fruit. Extract from the seeds of the grapefruit are valued for their medicinal qualities. The benefits of Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) were first noted in 1972 by physicist Dr. Jacob Harich who observed its broad spectrum use as an antibacterial and antiviral remedy. You can read more about Dr. Jacob Harich and the history of GSE here.
Grapefruit seeds contain active ingredients that are:
- Anti-bacterial;
- Anti-fungal;
- Anti-inflammatory;
- Anti-microbial;
- Anti-parasitic and more.
2.11 Kefir- Fermented Milk
Kefir is a creamy, dairy based food made from the milk of cows, goats and sheep, sometimes also made from coconut milk, rice and soy. (Do not purchase kefir made from soy if you live in North America as almost all soy crops are from genetically modified seeds). Kefir contains a large amount of phosphorus and B Complex vitamins (important for maintenance of healthy teeth), it promotes the faster healing of wounds, illness, it is excellent for the immune system, and a rich source of good bacteria - these are just a few of kefirs health benefits.
To learn more about kefir and understand how to choose a good product for your dog or cat read here.
2.12 Manuka Honey
Manuka Honey is produced by bees that feed on a native tree of New Zealand. Manuka honey has been used for its great healing properties for centuries. Manuka Honey is well known for its antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic properties. It speeds up the healing process by stimulating wound tissues; initiates the healing process in dormant wounds; is an autolytic debridement (helps remove damaged, dead, infected tissue) and is an excellent moist wound healing agent.
You can also use other types of raw unpasturized honey - i.e. wild flower, lavender etc. which also have medicinal properties but Manuks honey has even stronger medicinal properties than most other honey. Do NOT attempt to use any type of pasturized honey as it has NO medicinal properties and is simply another form of sugar. Honey is safe for most dogs and cats.
