Why polishing your teeth isn't good oral care.

INSIGHT

Naturally pearly whites starts with daily gum care.

If you can understand the health benefits derived from having consistent therapeutic massages, you may start to find it strange why we don’t massage our gums as the root of our teeth health. Relegated to periodontal dentist advice when it’s often too late, gum massage is a practice that doesn’t only have to address traumatic gum recession. The daily stimulation itself is highly beneficial to help stimulate our blood and nerve cells around our teeth. Gum massage promotes regenerative qualities needed to heal not only receding gums, but also the strengthening of gums to hold our teeth in place, bleed less and prevent disease by keeping those edges healthy from the abrasive action brushing causes. Gum disease and the rapid decline of gum health as we age is not something to take lightly, touted as one of the things that helps keep the elderly feeling spry if kept in good condition. Like any holistic practice, it takes time and consistency from a young age to build up benefits. Some oral care companies are catching onto this oral health necessity and adding rubber tips to toothbrushes as a massaging value-add to the tooth brushing experience. A good old fashioned finger massage in circular motions from the gum base tends to be the advice for beginners looking to get a feel for whether any acute pain exists (to which, back off).

Apart from massaging the actual gum flesh, it’s beneficial to also stimulate the teeth resting in the periodontal pocket. The periodontal ligament which lies between the cementum and dentin (two layers down from the enamel, the third and outer most layer of teeth we often hear about as lay people) acts like a shock absorber — so you can bite down without shattering. This shock absorbing layer is also key to our teeth regrowing, being the recipient of important proteins that build cells that help grow fibers (and stop the cells that eat bone). Periodontal techniques are entering an exciting territory where they are using proteins taken from the developing teeth in pigs to stimulate tooth and bone tissue growth and repair in humans. But relying on growing this area on our own could involve the simple mechanical act of stimulating our teeth to chop down like it used to when bark, tough meat and hard vegetables were part of our diet and we used teeth not only as mastication devices but cutlery! That stimulation is all but lost to our appropriation to softer, modern food and could be brought back with innovations that look at stimulating this periodontal ligament in ways that mimic its original design.

INSPIRATION

Jawinner

Systematic training of the jaw muscles is one of the healthiest things you can do for your oral health – with the added benefits of creating an aesthetic contour of the face. As is the case with strengthening other body parts, systematic loading of muscles causes tissues and surrounding muscles of the jaw to grow, align and create stronger structural integrity in the face. Leading to sharper facial features in the area of ​​the lower jaw and giving that chiseled look so many desire.

Jawinner are two silicone jaw contouring tools for daily jaw exercises to:

Reshape your face
Support healthy sleep
Strengthen your teeth

INNOVATION

“Jaw Gym”

An all-tooth pulsating massage brush that cleans and exercises your jaw in 20 seconds for complete oral plus strengthening care.

• Our teeth get weak for two reasons: poor diet and exercise, the same as the rest of our body. The alveolar process (portion of jawbone supporting our teeth) lacking density is often the reason our teeth get weak (tooth mobility, crackability and loss). Strengthening this happens when we chew, and is why the elderly tend to lose teeth from lack of use and poor nutritional absorption. This is also happening to adults and children who are increasingly eating comfort (read: soft) foods, lessening the time for teeth/jaw to “exercise” and increase bone density.

• This mouth bite shaped toothbrush is made from anti-bacterial silicon bristles that vibrate after you bite down on the guard; forcing you to exercise your mouth by systematically chomping while you brush. 10-20 mindful bites are enough to thoroughly clean your teeth and give your jaw the exercise it needs to support healthy bones.

• Biting action also works on daily movement patterns of your jaw bone to help line up your teeth and exercise the jaw to strengthen this often overly tense-zone of the body.