Daily facial care - oral hygiene

Travelling in Asia and Africa I have always been struck by the flashing smiles and the contrast with western teeth. In Africa and Asia the antiseptic qualities of plants are used to create highly effective tooth brushes not only to remove the food on which bacteria feed but to inhibit the bacteria growing and infecting the gums.

Indian medicine (Ayurveda) has used the neem tree and its products to create teeth cleaning twigs and similar products for millennia. A person chews one end of the neem twig until it somewhat resembles the bristles of a toothbrush, and then uses it to brush the teeth. In the Muslim world, the miswak, or siwak, made from a twig or root with antiseptic properties has been widely used since the Islamic Golden Age

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The neglect of teeth in Western culture not only causes expensive trips to the dentist seriously neglected gums and tongues cause serious health problems.

What the study said