One of the healthiest things you can do for your teeth has nothing to do with your toothbrush, your floss, or whatever toothpaste you are using. Sure, those things are essentials, but there is something most people have never even thought about that might matter just as much.
Gum massage.
It probably sounds a little out there because what does rubbing your gums have to do with your teeth. It has everything to do with it, and once I tell you why you are going to wonder why nobody ever brought this up before.
There is a little pocket between your gum and your tooth called the periodontal pocket. Most people have never heard of it and honestly most people never think about their gums at all until something goes wrong. That pocket is where bad bacteria set up camp, and when those bacteria build up long enough you get gingivitis, periodontal disease, receding gums, all of it. Those bacteria are anaerobic, meaning they cannot survive when oxygen shows up. That is exactly where gum massage comes in.
When you massage your gums you are pushing blood flow and oxygen directly into that pocket and the bacteria simply cannot survive in that environment. A randomized clinical trial published in the Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology found that regular gum massage produced significant reductions in harmful bacteria counts and gingival scores, and research on gingival microcirculation found that massage activates blood flow in gum tissue in a way that supports oral health long term.
For people who already have signs of gingivitis or periodontal disease, this is how you start fighting back without a dentist visit every other week. For people who do not have any issues yet, this is how you keep it that way. Both situations, same two minutes.
You just use your finger. Rub along the gum line, one minute on top, one minute on the bottom, twice a day.
Now you can do it with an oil and coconut oil is a solid choice because it has natural antibacterial properties that give you a little extra support if you are dealing with anything like a receding gum line or early gingivitis. The one I use is vitamin E oil and this is the part I get excited about because it is a full double whammy. I came across research published in PubMed showing that vitamin E improves periodontal health by reducing inflammatory responses and promoting healing because of its antioxidant properties. On top of that, when you massage vitamin E into your gums it absorbs into your body, so you are protecting your gum tissue and essentially getting a vitamin E supplement at the same time just by rubbing it in. I will link the one I use below.
That is the whole routine. Vitamin E oil, one minute on top, one minute on the bottom, morning and night. Two minutes. That is it.
Especially as we get older and things just stop working the way they used to, the simplest habits are the ones that actually hold up. This is one of them. Great for kids too!
This is the vitamin e I use and recommend. Highest quality, full spectrum E on the market in liquid dropper form. You can use code kossma for 20% off.
Stay tuned for my next post where I am sharing my full dental routine, all the products I use, and one super secret rockstar ingredient I can almost guarantee you have never heard of.
Thank you so much for this!
Brand new information to me! Thank you!