Jeevani - Cleaning the Teeth

(Extracted from Jeevani - Ayurveda for Women, by Dr. P.L.T. Girija)

Cleaning Teeth
We begin the day with the cleaning of teeth and of the oral
cavity. Most of us use sweet tooth pastes for cleansing our teeth.
If only we were to look at the variety of sticks used in our villages for
cleaning of teeth, we would see that these are taken from trees like
neem, banyan and pongamia. These sticks possess bitter, pungent
or astringent tastes. These are the tastes ideal for cleaning the teeth.
Sticks or tooth powders which have these three tastes clean the
teeth, and remove foul smell and tastelessness from the mouth.
Kapha (phlegm), which is found in the throat early in the morning,
is also removed.

Holding sesame oil in the mouth for a short period of time
strengthens the jaws, voice, facial muscles, roots of the teeth
and increases the taste for food. It prevents dryness of throat,
cracks in the lips, tooth ache, tingling sensation in the teeth
caused by sour foods and gives strength to the teeth to chew hard
food items.