Yoga helps reduce stress, stay calm and promote good oral health by reducing inflammation.
It stimulates the body's salivary glands to naturally produce more saliva. This becomes useful in treating patients with Xerostomia.
Following are the few Yogasanas which help in keeping you away from oral problems:
As the name I suggests, Sheetkari is a cooling Pranayama. It is effective in dental conditions like "Pyorrhea", where the tissues around the teeth are inflamed.
Draw the tip of your tongue along the roof of the mouth towards the back of the nostrils to the upper throat and then hold that pose with your eyes and mouth closed for as long as you can. Increase in saliva production reduces the bacterial load in our oral cavity thus preventing dental problems and escape of the bacterial toxins into our bloodstream.
Several other asanas like Paschimottasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, are used to treat “Pyorrhea”(Gum infection) . It is a lesser-known fact that practicing “Kapalbhati” daily enhances the supply of blood to facial muscles and our teeth and gums.
When you are stressed, you don’t take enough care of your teeth. Stress has a deleterious effect on teeth. People clench their teeth when in stress. Clenching leads to bruxism which causes wear facets on your teeth grinding all the enamel and exposing the dentin layer of your teeth thus making it sensitive! Bruxism while asleep causes muscle spasms which you must have noticed when you wake up in the morning.
TMJ pain or discomfort while opening and closing your jaw wide is another serious ill effect of stress or overload on teeth. You may get headaches or even clicking sounds while opening and closing your jaws together. Your dentist might suggest you a thin transparent customized tray to wear while sleeping which they call “Night guard”. By improving your posture with yoga, you can take the strain off the jaw and make your mouth blissfully happy!
To Conclude, Combine Yoga with a trip to your Dentist for healthy teeth. Use dentist-recommended yoga and products to keep your teeth clean and visit your dentist every 6 months because “Oral Health is Overall Health”