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Turmeric and Oral Health: Can This Spice Help Your Smile?

added on: August 17, 2021
couple eating

We were doing some reading and found this article exploring the connection between turmeric and your oral health. As your biological and holistic dentists in Wilmington, we found this interesting because there’s been a huge spike in interest in all-natural medicines including the recommendation of turmeric.

Why Has Turmeric Become So Popular?

Over the years, we’ve seen where turmeric has been singled out for some very interesting benefits to our body, including:

  • A boost in cognitive function
  • The ability to fight off inflammation
  • Supporting good cardiovascular health
  • Lending itself to more youthful skin
  • Helping with joint and muscle growth

Besides these things (and many more) other claims have been made that turmeric makes for a great tooth whitener, pain reliever, and reducing gum inflammation.

Getting Rid of Gum Pain and Discomfort

There have been attempts to conduct research evaluating the effectiveness of turmeric in how well it can help control inflammation in your gums. They show that turmeric and something called chlorhexidine have comparable antiplaque and antigingivitis effects. While the results are good news for dentistry, there have been very low numbers of participants and short study times that can limit researchers ability to learn more. Your Wilmington biological and holistic dentists hope for time to be spent studying turmeric and its effect on your teeth and gums.

What You Should Know

As we always say, before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle, it’s always important to go over it with your primary care doctor and/or us. Overall, it’s been found that turmeric is considered safe for most people, but there’s still a chance you might experience some side effects which can reportedly cause:

  • Stomach irritation or upset
  • Diarrhea
  • Allergic skin reaction
  • Interference with blood clotting

Like we said earlier, there’s still more work to be done when it comes to linking the benefits of turmeric to your oral health. The LexiComp Online for Dentistry shows a wide range of suggested dosages for the daily use or turmeric, saying anywhere from “500-1,500 mg is common, and higher dosages up to 8 g per day have been studied.”

Has it been awhile since you’ve been to our biological and holistic dental office in Wilmington for a comprehensive exam and cleaning? Getting back in the routine is easy at All About Smiles. Simply schedule some time to meet with us and discuss your holistic smile care options. Contact us online or by phone at (302) 600-1165 for more information!

About The Author
Dr. Lewis Yu

Dr. Lewis Yu, who graduated with a dental degree, completed a two-year postgraduate oral surgery training in New York City and Pennsylvania. Board-certified in Naturopathic Medicine and Integrated Biological Dental Medicine, he practiced in Philadelphia and New Jersey before joining All About Smiles. Dr. Yu is affiliated with the Holistic Dental Association and Talkinternational.com.


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