Yoga For Teeth

If you have been even a least bit interested in Yoga, this title would surprise you. However, if you realize that aim of Yoga is to create harmony among body, mind and spirit so that you can live your life with ease and in peace then it becomes easy to comprehend that toothache, bleeding gums or jaw pain cannot be consistent with Yoga philosophy.

Patanjali, who is regarded as the ultimate authority on Yoga philosophy wrote a few thousand years ago that Yoga postures should be steady and blissfully comfortable. We cannot achieve that blissfully comfortable state if our teeth, jaws, gums and tongue are not in relaxed state most of the time. Moreover, bleeding gums are likely to lead to weakened immune system, heart disease, kidney, and liver problems.

B. K.S. Iyengar, the most known living authority on Yoga has written that, “Yoga asanas involve extension, exertion, as well as relaxation of the body.” If for some reason, some muscles of the body stay in stretched or abnormally aligned position too long and do not go into rejuvenating relaxed state, we create solidified stress situations in those areas of our body. Most of us create an imperfect anatomy for ourselves by years of working and resting in improper postures. This further accentuates those stresses. Muscles around jaw joint undergo such stress on a continuing basis. This can lead to habits of grinding teeth, jaw pain, neck ache and headaches.

You may have forgotten that nature is the best healer there is. No medicine even comes close in that healing power. Since you have seen so many commercials about various medicines, most of you have become convinced that medication is the best way to heal. We need to relearn to utilize nature for the healing we need. Of course we should provide a helping hand to the nature when and where necessary. For example when we have a minor cut, we use a band aid. Similarly, for people with less than perfect anatomy B.K.S. Iyengar recommends using props to facilitate achieving proper alignment during a Yoga posture. The reality is that except for young kids, almost all of us live with a less than perfect anatomy. The props for the mouth that can relieve stress and retrain the jaw muscles are:

• Bite splint

• N.T.I. Appliance

These appliances help to establish a healthy and relaxed relationship within your jaw joint (TMJ) and all the muscles associated with it.

Now that you have the essential background information provided above we are ready to offer some practical tips for the health of muscles and joints around your teeth:

• Drink enough water (soda, coffee, tea, alcohol, etc. don’t count) so that your mouth does not feel dehydrated. This will allow your tongue to rest comfortably in your mouth without unnecessarily pressing against upper or lower teeth.

  • o Most medications have a dehydrating effect and necessitate even more water consumption.

  • o Drinks with caffeine such as coffee, tea, and some sodas can dry out the mouth.

  • o Tobacco and alcohol dry out the mouth.

• During winter use a humidifier at night.

• Even if you don’t intend to learn and practice Yoga postures, learn how to stand properly from a very good yoga teacher. Not every yoga teacher may have the ability to do that. More specifically ask them to teach you Tadasana (Mountain Posture). This knowledge will help you to improve your sitting, standing, walking, and resting postures.

• While eating food, adjust your posture and observe whether the pressure on your teeth is evenly distributed rather than the teeth near the jaws doing most of the chewing work.

• Chew each bite of food for at least 30 seconds (for a count of one hundred). This will accomplish a number of things:

  • You will produce enough saliva to digest the food properly.

  • You will eat less (and this will be more effective in controlling your weight than any other weight reduction system you have paid your good money for).

  • The extra saliva in your mouth will reduce dehydration feeling in the mouth and create relaxed condition for your tongue and jaws.

  • The saliva protects teeth from decay.

  • It also prevents infection by controlling bacteria and fungi in the mouth.

• Smile and laugh a lot. This will create more saliva in your mouth and that will lead to relaxing conditions in your mouth. This is in addition to other social and health benefits of smiling most of the time.

• Get in the habit of flossing and brushing after every meal. This is essential for keeping the gums healthy. Just like Yoga recommends props when necessary, get periodontal treatment if you have bleeding gums; get a Bite Splint or a N.T.I. Appliance if you are in a habit of grinding teeth.

• Choose your dentist with care. Make sure that they share common philosophies with you and are willing to spend enough time with you to teach you the skills necessary to take care of your own oral health.

Oct. 15, 2006
 

Ramesh Narula B.S.M.E., M.B.A. is a retired business leader and has facilitated 'Business Transformative Solutions' workshops in many countries including U.S., France, Spain, Germany, India, Japan, Brazil, Hungary, Poland, Ireland and Mexico. Additionally, 'Life Transformative Solutions' has been his passion for many decades. Now he has formally started devoting his time towards guiding others in their quest to achieve breakthrough improvements in their lives. He can be reached at (734) 424 9139.

Dr. Ross J. Hock D.D.S., P.C.

Dr. Hock owns and operates Hock Family Dentistry in Canton, Michigan. The focus of his practice is to provide the most modern, cost effective and esthetic dentistry that also enhances your total health. He can be reached at
(734) 455 – 8844.