Barbara O’Neill Takes on Teeth
What can we learn about a healthy mouth from renowned Author, Educator, Naturopath, Nutritionist, and International speaker Barbara O’Neill?
Dr. Azouz had the pleasure of meeting this beloved teacher in 2024 at a conference where he could discuss with her their like-minded beliefs on great oral health being a foundation of optimal overall health. A few of those mutual beliefs include the importance of removing mercury amalgam fillings (also known as silver fillings) and the potential problems associated with root canal-treated teeth.
After introducing himself to Barbara O’Neill as an Accredited Biological Holistic Dentist, she has since referred patients to Dr. Azouz’s Sacramento Natural Dentistry practice in the Sacramento, California region.
Let’s examine Barbara’s additional recommendations and then discuss the likely reason behind each one.
According to Barbara O’Neill’s YouTube video, helping maintain healthy gums and teeth, she encourages:
Brush
– Brush your teeth after every meal
Reason: Mechanically removing the food debris is very important so that you aren’t leaving particles that may feed the bacteria in your mouth that deposit acidic byproducts on your teeth. The bacteria’s acidic byproduct is what contributes to tooth decay.
Floss
– Floss your teeth after every meal
Reason: This is similar to the reason you should brush after every meal.
Flossing is also important because it eliminates plaque and food crumbs from between the teeth and under the gums, where the bristles of your toothbrush can’t always reach.
Some ask if using an oral irrigator (or water flosser) is as effective as standard flossing. The answer is – it depends on your situation.
You see, they are two very different methods of cleaning. An oral irrigator IS NOT as effective as standard dental floss because manual removal of the Sticky plaque on the sides of the teeth is necessary for thoroughly cleaning the tooth surfaces.
On the other hand, oral irrigators do have their advantages. For example, they can flush underneath the gums further than floss or a toothbrush can reach. They are helpful for those who have braces, implants, or fixed dental bridges. Most importantly, they are an excellent option for people who need help flossing by hand with standard floss since some flossing is better than nothing.
Rinse your mouth
– After ingesting any food or beverage, if you are unable to brush and floss right away,
– Rinse your mouth with salt water or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).
Reason: Rinsing your mouth will move as many large particles away from your tooth surfaces as possible and alkalize the pH in your mouth.
Saltwater has a pH of approximately 8.1, and sodium bicarbonate water has a pH of around 9. These are on the alkaline (base) side of the pH scale, in comparison to the acidic side, which is below 7 (for reference, most spring water has a pH of 7, which is neutral).
Not to get too deep into chemistry here, but suffice it to say, it is important to keep your mouth on the neutral to alkaline side of the pH scale as often as possible since teeth demineralize (start breaking down) at an acidic pH of about 5.5. Thankfully, tooth enamel can strengthen and remineralize at a pH of 7.5 or above! 3
Of course, keeping your mouth at a pH above 7.5 can be challenging since many foods are acidic. Surprising examples of foods that are below a 7 on the pH scale are Carbonated water, energy drinks, popcorn, black tea, chocolate, most purified & distilled water, pistachios, beef, white bread, nuts, eggs, fish, soy milk, coconut, oats, lima beans, oysters and the list goes on!4
How can rinsing with salt water or baking soda water be an important routine to help quickly bring your oral pH back into balance?
Oil pull with coconut oil daily
– Finally, Barbara O’Neill suggests swishing with coconut oil for 10 seconds with 10 seconds rest. Continue to repeat this for up to 20 minutes. Or do this a couple of times a day at shorter intervals. Spit the oil out into the garbage (never into the sink or toilet), then rinse your mouth with salt water.
Reason: According to Barbara, oil pulling can pull waste out of the tongue and the blood vessels under the tongue.
Additional sources have found that coconut oil may:
- Fight harmful oral bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gum disease.5 Reducing the damaging plaque6buildup created by the bacteria is great for preventing cavities and gingivitis.7
- Reduce bad breath
- Reduce inflammation8
- May whiten the teeth by removing stains
- Has natural pain-relieving effects9
- Can soothe and reduce dry mouth10
It is important to remember that oil pulling does not replace mechanically removing plaque and debris from teeth and gums with brushing and flossing.
Her website states, “Barbara is passionate about good health and natural healing. She believes in giving the body optimum conditions for it to heal itself.” 11 As a Holistic Biological Dentist, Dr. Azouz aligns with that philosophy as well and is here to help you give your body optimum conditions by caring for you and your mouth the most bio-compatible materials and techniques available in dentistry.
Give Sacramento Natural Dentistry a call at 916-961-2020 to schedule a one-on-one telehealth appointment with Dr. Darryl Azouz today. Conveniently learn more about biological dentistry and explore if our office is the right fit for you and your health journey!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes and is not intended as medical claims or advice. You should always consult your physician before stopping any medications or starting any supplementation, diet, or exercise routine. If you feel like you are having a cardiac episode, seek medical assistance as soon as possible.
- https://barbaraoneill.com/pages/about
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6A9vEBWQSQ
- https://www.dentistryiq.com/dental-hygiene/clinical-hygiene/article/16350765/the-magic-of-ph
- https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/alkaline-acidic-food-ph-chart
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32923724/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32923724/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32961569/
- https://worldofdentistry.org/oil-pull-with-coconut-oil/
- https://worldofdentistry.org/oil-pull-with-coconut-oil/
- https://worldofdentistry.org/oil-pull-with-coconut-oil/
- https://barbaraoneill.com/pages/about