In addition to conventional care, the main way to keep your mouth clean is to eat a sugar-free, natural foods diet. Since tooth brushing is the most basic process in oral care, it's a good place to start your natural tooth and gum care program. Traditional peoples the world over use natural tooth brushes made from healing plants. Children find them particularly fun. Of course, most of us will brush with a more modern, nylon-bristle brush.
Herbal medicine abounds with great substitutes for store-bought toothpaste.
Of course any preparation should also remove plaque. A classic Ayurvedic combination contains two parts powdered potassium alum, an astringent, and one part powdered salt. Prickly ash bark is a classic toothpowder from North America, and myrrh gum is widely used in Middle Eastern herbalism. And while you're concentrating on brushing and flossing, don't overlook the fact that cleaning the tongue is a critical part of maintaining oral health. Ayurveda, in particular, emphasizes this daily practice.