Dental hygiene has come a long way since its early days. Different communities used different dental materials, from crushed oyster shells to chewing twigs which they say offer all-day dental care. I believe some African communities still use this chewy toothbrush, which is cut from wild shrubs and trees to maintain their dental health and hygiene.

If you wander down the dental care aisle at your local grocery store, you’ll see a lot of options on the shelves, from anti-cavity fluoride toothpaste and whitening toothpaste to those made for sensitive teeth, not to mention some which claim to be made from natural ingredients.

And if you’re like me, then whenever you are on that dental hygiene aisle, you might start wondering if brushing your teeth with a certain kind of toothpaste will really help keep them clean and healthy more than if you used another kind. But, understanding what the toothpaste contains and how it can help clean your teeth and gums may help you determine which toothpaste is right for you.

Is Natural Toothpaste the Best Option for your Dental Hygiene?

According to one study, many conventional kinds of toothpaste and mouth products contain chemicals and artificial ingredients that can do more harm than good not only to your teeth but your body as well. The good news is that switching to natural toothpaste and other oral health products is easier than you think.

Toothpaste with natural ingredients such as cloves offers a variety of benefits to your dental hygiene. Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) is an aromatic dried flower bud from a tropical evergreen of the same name. Clove oil, on the other hand, is made up of between 80 to 95 percent eugenol, which is largely responsible for cloves’ antiseptic, analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatory properties.

Enter Cloves, a Game Changer in Your Dental Hygiene

According to The History of Dentistry by Walter Hoffmann-Axthelm, the first reference to cloves in dentistry was made by the 10th-century Arabian dentist, Al-Gazzar, where he presented it as a solution for mouth odors and pain. Centuries later, cloves remains a go-to solution for relieving dental pain, toothache, sore gums, and mouth ulcers. In fact, eugenol is acknowledged by modern science as a local anesthetic.

As your mouth holds more than 700 different kinds of bacterial species and not all of them are the “friendly” kind – Cloves’ unique anti-bacterial properties come in handy. It can provide a certain level of protection against bad bacteria, which in turn helps prevent gum disease and ups your dental hygiene a notch.

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This germicidal herb delivers a mouthful of dental benefits including:

Reducing gum swelling and irritation thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Stimulating circulation, due to its “hot” nature, which enhances gum tissue health.
Helping to remineralize teeth due to the protective properties of eugenol against acids (that can erode dentin), according to a 2012 research study conducted by the Indian government.

As a result, Clove oil is added to numerous dental products and medications, including, mouthwashes, and toothpaste. So, the next time you’re wandering along that dental hygiene aisle, choose a toothpaste that contains natural ingredients like cloves. A good contender would be Dabur Herb’l Toothpaste that has a blend of cloves and natural calcium, which help in fighting bacteria and protects your teeth from cavities.