Mini Monthly Mission Round-UP For DIY December

December 29th, 2011 - filed under: Furthermore » Monday Monthly Mission

With the December Holidays to keep us all stretched and stressed, I decided to give the MMM a bit of a break this month. Instead of a formal book club or an organized mission, I declared a “DIY December”. Free to choose whatever mission worked for you – however big or small you wanted.

Me, I decided to take a closer look at my oral care routine. Which was, unfortunately, pretty abysmal. For someone so focused on health and wellness, I had a big ol’ blinder on when it came to my teeth. Confession: I hadn’t been to the dentist since before I became pregnant. Um, that’s almost three years ago! I never flossed and aside from brushing twice a day, I didn’t do *anything* else to take care of my mouth.

And it was starting to show. I smoked for over a decade and I drink a lot of coffee and a lot of green juice. Super staining. Dull. Ick.

When I was pregnant, I developed swollen and sometimes-bleeding gums. It’s actually really common (about 50% of women) and it’s due to the hormones. My pregnancy-induced gingivitis didn’t go away after giving birth, though, and I still get flare-ups. Ugh.

So clearly, I was due for some dental attention. I did some research and devised a natural approach plan of action. I was curious to see how much I could reverse on my own, before visiting a dentist (which I will do of course, early in the new year).

Here’s what I did:

1. I began Oil Pulling every morning (here’s an interesting article on oil pulling, from a rationalists perspective). This is an ancient Ayurvedic technique where you swish oil (I use sesame) around in your mouth for a full 20 minutes first thing in the morning, prior to brushing. It’s supposed to detox your system and proponents claim it can alleviate all manner of disease. I don’t know about that, but I do know that I keep hearing about how it’s helped people brighten and whiten their teeth. I figured I’d give it a try.

2. I finally started flossing. Gah! What took me so long?! Every night before bed, and you know what? It feels good and it’s super easy. Again, what the hell took me so long?

3. I took out my tongue ring. It was a good run – almost 15 years! Almost half my life! But I’m pretty sure it was damaging my enamel and it certainly wasn’t helping things in there. It had to go. I miss it a lot less than I expected (now my lip ring, thats a different story – I’m not *me* without my lip ring!).

4. I switched back to using my homemade toothpaste. Yes, I had fallen off the wagon. With mommy-ing and book-writing and all of life’s other distractions, I’d gotten lazy and gone back to buying the Trader Joe’s natural toothpaste. But that stuff is crap and it has all sorts of ingredients I shouldn’t be using – ingredients that have actually been shown to damage teeth! So I’m back to using the homemade stuff and it feels really good. My mouth is thanking me.

I also picked up some tooth soap, which I’m excited to try out. It just arrived in the mail this morning, so I’ll let you guys know what I think of it after giving it a go.

5. A few other little things. Occasional baking soda “garglers” after lunch or snack (to de-acidify the mouth). Trying to be mindful about clenching my teeth (I do this a lot! Especially when I’m reading). Re-incorporating foods that are high in bone-building minerals, like nettle infusions and sea vegetables (I’d kind of loosened up on this during autumn).

And the results of all these changes?

WOW! All I can say is WOW. My teeth are SO MUCH brighter, after just a month. Whiter, clearer, they look and feel cleaner, and my whole mouth feels healthier. Still not perfect – I’ll need more time and a trip to the holistic dentist before I can expect that – but honestly, WAY better than I expected after 30 days. I think the oil pulling is responsible for most of the aesthetic turnaround, which is so cool. I’d call this mission a definite success!

~~~

So what about you guys? Did you challenge yourselves this month? What came of it? What did you learn? Please share!

Jmgasso

I just want to say i have been reading your blog for quite some time, and want to say you are such an inspiration to me, to just be me. Being vegan is important to me, but i get a lot of ridicule from peers and friends…i don’t feel alone in all of this when i visit your page everyday :) thanks so much!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I just can’t tell you how happy that makes me. I’m honored, and so glad I can provide a little comfort/camaraderie/commiseration. I’m sorry you don’t have support for your veganism in your day-to-day life, but there is a *huge* and wonderful vegan community out there, especially on the Internet. At least you have us! =D

♥
Meg

Great post!!

Oil pulling totally whitens teeth. It’s amazing! (When I remember to do it) I use coconut oil because of the lauric acid/ caprylic acid and all its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. I believe we need to actually digest these fatty acids in order to activate their antifungal/bacterial properties, right?? But if its so amazing for the skin with topical application, I feel good swishing it around my teeth and gums.

Thanks for the reminder to get my oil pulling on (:
Kimberly

I’m so interested in the oil pulling – it’s something I’ve been reading about for a few weeks now after hearing about it from someone at the farmer’s market. The only problem is that you’re supposed to do it first thing in the morning before you eat and my gag reflex is so sensitive at that time… I can’t bring myself to do the oil for more than a few minutes. I think it has a lot of health benefits so I’m going to try to get back into it. Thanks for the reminder!
alyssa

hey sayward,
speaking of falling off the wagon… do you still do no poo? i did it this time last year until march- i went to visit my grandparents in florida and my hair went to crap and got very greasy and gross! i didn’t know if it was swimming in the ocean/pools/heat? but i started using shampoo again and haven’t gone back. have you found it works for you in the summer as well or have you gone back to using regular old shampoo?
i always want to just do the baking soda/acv but i’m scared to try again!

i hope you have a lovely weekend!
Sara Ann

Thanks for sharing that article about oil pulling! I love that you always have scientific studies behind what you do. Now I want to try it!
tara

I’m in the same boat with the flossing!! I’d never flossed in my life (more than once a year or so) until my dentist visit this past October (which was my first in 6 years!!). So now I’m definitely paying the price, with all kind of evil little cavities between my molars. Needless to say, I’ve flossed nearly every night since then!! Too bad that can’t undo what the last 6 years have done =(
Serenity

Please e careful with the baking soda. Its great now but can cause severe sensitivity in years to come.
Moira

I finally caught up on your posts this holiday season. It has been a crazy run-of-the-month and I’m finally winding down. That said, earlier this month I started No-poo!! Being in DC with the much dryer, but still slightly damp air, my hair felt awesome. I didn’t even feel a “transition” period. Two weeks later I headed to California, and my hair became a horrible, dry mess. Now I’m back in DC, I’ve adjusted my formula, and hoping it gets back to its silky self soon.

It’s a fun experiment, and I’m hoping that it works for me. Now I’m inspired to do oil pulling. Thanks, Sayward!
shell

Gotta say, I hear you. I am actually in a library computer lab after escaping the house a bit after a VERY tough day. I look at the pics on Bonzai, read the words and get rejuvenated. I am reminded and focused again.
http://brokencookiesdontcount.wordpress.com/ Fran@BCDC

Very interesting. I’ve never heard of oil pulling. I’ll have to read the article…Thanks, Sayward!
http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

I floss pretty often but have been wanting to try oil pulling since you first mentioned it, *and* start making toothpaste for the fam.

As for DIY December, I’ve been knitting gifts for everyone I know, pretty much during every waking hour since Thanksgiving. Two gifts to finish up today before the final gift exchange! It feels good to have an actual reason (besides lack of internet access) to stay offline. Aside from an occasional mobile tweet, I’ve been away from the internet since Christmas Eve Eve. (PS, totally including Lillejuleaften in my family’s celebration lineup next year! It will balance Boxing Day nicely, which Nina has taken a little bit too literally in 2011.)
Anonymous

This month I took on the mission of giving myself more time to rest. I am so busy and stressed out so it is hard to take time for myself, especially since I usually don’t feel like I “should”.

But this month I slept in when I felt tired. I gave myself nourishing foods when I needed them. I skipped the gym when I was feeling rundown and hit the sauna instead. I even took a few naps! It has been a really great exercise in giving myself more permission and I want to continue that practice for as long as I live :)
http://bittsblog.blogspot.com bitt

I LOVE toothsoap! I never would have bought it but got some for free and I was hooked. It made a huge difference in my teeth. Never tried oil pulling, I am worried for some reason i would swallow it. Flossing is huge also. I have been out of floss for a few days and it feels yucky. Need to get off the computer and get floss now.
Chelibw

i`m sorry, but how do you have 20 mins every morning for oil pulling? if i had 20 mins for swishing oil around in my mouth everyday i’d take that time and excersice or write or get into politics or something. i’m lucky i brush my teeth at all.
what i have been struggling with, though, is taking the plunge and having my fillings changed. i still have the shiny silver lead ones from eeons ago. i know, and i went throught 2 pregnancies like that… (i didnt know any better until just now). but hte idea of that drill coming towards my teeth… ugh!
what i do want to try is no-poo! (i ve been back reading haha). but does it make your hair look pretty? i need pretty hair. all i do is wash and moisteurize every 5ish days, maybe brush it once a day for the first few days… but i do want pretty soft hair. does nopoo do that?
Kathryn B.

Chelibw, I thought the same thing at first but then it came to me. . . do it while in the shower! I had bell’s palsy in 2006 and still have some side effects from it so every time I do any mouthwash I make a big mess. If I was to do it in the shower not only would it allow me to not make a mess everywhere but I would also have time to do it since I take 20 mins in the shower anyway!
http://www.tiedyefiles.com/ Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFiles

So glad your mouth is feeling better! I love the idea of homemade toothpaste, I may have to pick up some xylitol. My mission was to eat mostly raw. I succeeded and am far better for it!
Tlh3b

You could actually exercise, write, OR get into politics while swishing! The only things you really can’t do are talk and eat. I’ve heard from a few people that they start the coffee or pack their lunches while they’re swishing.
Chelibw

you both rock. thank you!
Chelibw

also, on a somewhat related topic, what about facial cleansers and moisteurizers?
and on the deodorant topic, i use baking soda, straight up. (???)
Arianna

Thank you for this! I, too, had horrible gums while pregnant that haven’t recovered. This post couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. I’ve been worried about my dental health. Especially since my first wisdom tooth started coming in while pregnant also. Lots of flare-ups there too. I am going to try oil pulling and see if it helps. Thanks again!
Anonymous

Sayward, are you planning on doing a post on oil pulling? I have a few questions about your experience that I’d love to hear. I’ve been doing it myself every day since this post popped up, and I’ve got some questions from that experience the internet hasn’t been able to answer clearly as of yet.
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I wasn’t planning on a specific Oil Pulling Method post. What questions do you have (you can email me if you prefer)
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Are you still nursing? My dentist (who I saw this morning!) said that the same hormones that cause pregnancy gingivitis actually stick around during breastfeeding, so it’s common to have gum/teeth problems for as long as you’re nursing. it should really lighten up when I (you too?) stop.
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I wash my face with water only, moisturize with coconut or sesame oil. Recently I’ve been using products by the organic company Juice Beauty, which I’ll be reviewing here soon.

For deodorant I <a href="http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2009/08/natural-homemade-deodorant/"?make my own (not baking soda only)
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Haha, well it’s not like I’m just hanging out in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror twiddling my thumbs and gazing at my reflection for 20 minutes! I take a swig of oil on my way downstairs first thing in the morning. I swish while I make my coffee and Waits’s breakfast. The timing works out perfectly.
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

This is awesome, good for you.
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

How so?
Bliss Doubt

I’ve read that grapes and raw cashews (definitely raw, not roasted or otherwise cooked) will help clear up gingivitis. You can google, and you’ll see.
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

I still do it and I love it! But yeah, changing climates can be rough.
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Thank you so much Shell. =)
Anonymous

No worries! I’d rather share the knowledge here for everyone to see if you weren’t planning on doing an oil pulling post. Here goes:

1) The information I’ve found online advises against swallowing while swishing. It says that once I feel the urge to swallow I should spit and start over. Do I start the 20 minutes over again? or does this contribute to the 20 minute swishing procedure? How was your first week of oil pulling?

2) Seriously? I can’t swallow for 20 minutes? How do you tackle that without having WAY too much oil and saliva in your mouth without the embarassing dribble that comes out the edges.

3) It could be because I’ve been doing a 10:spit:10 regimin because I feel like I’ve been automatically swallowing too much, but when I spit it looks like (and please excuse the graphics) emulsified sesame oil salad dressing, not at all milky like the internet says I should be aiming for. Is this because of the time? In my mouth it feels like I’m just swishing spit but it doesn’t look like it when it comes out. I get that it’s a personal thing, but I don’t want to be missing out on the full benefits because of a misunderstanding.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not doing anything wrong per-say, but I’ve also found the internet to be really unsatisfactory in providing something that documents a person’s experience. I see a lot of “IT WORKS! IT’S LIKE I’M LIVING IN A HOMEOPATHIC FAIRY TALE WHERE ALL THE ENDINGS ARE FULL OF TRUFFULA TREES AND BROWN BARBALOOTS!” and a lot of “This is a load of natural hooey” and nothing really in between. I’m a university student so I was able to access the academic articles on the link you provided us with, but at this point I’m not looking for a does it work or not argument, I’m looking more for a step-by-step, hand holding with reassuring sounds and encouragement sort of informational pamphlet.

Sorry if this is way too long. If you think this is something that you’d rather respond to e-mail let me know!
Anonymous

No worries! I’d rather share the knowledge here for everyone to see if you weren’t planning on doing an oil pulling post. Here goes:

1) The information I’ve found online advises against swallowing while swishing. It says that once I feel the urge to swallow I should spit and start over. Do I start the 20 minutes over again? or does this contribute to the 20 minute swishing procedure? How was your first week of oil pulling?

2) Seriously? I can’t swallow for 20 minutes? How do you tackle that without having WAY too much oil and saliva in your mouth without the embarassing dribble that comes out the edges.

3) It could be because I’ve been doing a 10:spit:10 regimin because I feel like I’ve been automatically swallowing too much, but when I spit it looks like (and please excuse the graphics) emulsified sesame oil salad dressing, not at all milky like the internet says I should be aiming for. Is this because of the time? In my mouth it feels like I’m just swishing spit but it doesn’t look like it when it comes out. I get that it’s a personal thing, but I don’t want to be missing out on the full benefits because of a misunderstanding.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not doing anything wrong per-say, but I’ve also found the internet to be really unsatisfactory in providing something that documents a person’s experience. I see a lot of “IT WORKS! IT’S LIKE I’M LIVING IN A HOMEOPATHIC FAIRY TALE WHERE ALL THE ENDINGS ARE FULL OF TRUFFULA TREES AND BROWN BARBALOOTS!” and a lot of “This is a load of natural hooey” and nothing really in between. I’m a university student so I was able to access the academic articles on the link you provided us with, but at this point I’m not looking for a does it work or not argument, I’m looking more for a step-by-step, hand holding with reassuring sounds and encouragement sort of informational pamphlet.

Sorry if this is way too long. If you think this is something that you’d rather respond to e-mail let me know!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Okay, well like I said I’m no expert, but here goes:

1) If you have to spit and start over, you don’t need to start the 20 minutes over. Since the new oil will “stick” to the old oil and continue to pull the bacteria from your gum pockets, you can just continue on in the 20 minute time frame.

2) I haven’t had an issue with producing too much saliva, as long as I don’t start with too much oil. If I take too much oil than I make too much saliva. Also, once in a while I get the dribble, but . . . I just wipe it away? No biggie to me, maybe I’m a weirdo.

3) I’m not sure what emulsified sesame oil looks like! But if you’re doing 10-spit-10, then yes it’s less likely that the oil will be completely white. Mine usually looks thinner than oil and either white or very light yellow. After a while I also feel like I’m just swishing spit – I think that’s normal.

I know what you mean about a lack of middle-ground info on the Internet. Have you read the comments in the article I linked to? I found some interesting insight in there.

Luck!
Anonymous

Thanks Sayward! I’m glad to hear from someone I trust on the World Wide Web that I’m not doing it incorrectly. I’ll use less sesame oil from here on in. I think that is my main problem in the first place. Thanks for your science know-how from a humanities mjor!
tara

I remember when I started taking an interest in nutrition and diet a couple of years ago, I was thinking, “man, it’s too bad there’s nothing you can do to naturally heal teeth.” Well, your post reminded me that maybe I should check into it a little more before I drop $1500 for fillings. Today I came across “Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities With Nutrition.” I’ve read the first chapter on Amazon, and I think I’m going to go ahead and buy it to see what foods (if any) are specifically recommended for dental health. If anyone here has read it, give us a review!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

Hi Tara, just wanted to say, I have not read the book myself but I am quite familiar with the author’s “work”. In my opinion, which is rarely humble, I do not trust him at *all*.

(full disclosure: he is adamantly anti-vegan) (but that’s not why I distrust him, there are plenty of anti-vegan folks that I’ve learned valuable info from!)

Anyway, just my 0.02!
tara

Thanks for the candor. Glad I didn’t purchase it yet.

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