22/11/2025
Information I came across - take or leave it!
Can't shut up about this — our traditional oral care is WILDLY effective and backed by both science and generations of practice.
We don’t floss. Flossing was actually removed from world Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in 2016 due to a complete lack of evidence. It remains a controversial topic.
We use chewing sticks. The funny part, there is a far larger body of evidence supporting chewing sticks then floss.
Not just any stick only 'gifted' species — willow, birch, alder, dogwood sometimes even hazel — chewed on one end until it frays into a tough little wooden brush. Then we use that to massage our teeth and gums. Not a quick swipe — but a full, mindful massage. And here’s the wild part:
These sticks aren’t just mechanical.
They're medicine.
• Willow brings salicylates, and other anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, gum-soothing.
• Birch has xylitol, which at chewing stick level concentrations inhibits the growth of cavity-causing bacteria.
• The massage itself increases circulation and lymphatic drainage, supporting healing and gum strength in ways floss never could.
And if you want to level it up?
Add spruce/pine/cedar/fir gum.
Yup. The same sticky golden resin our ancestors chewed like gum. It's antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and full of healing compounds.
We chewed it, yes — but we also used it as a resin tooth balm. Rubbed directly on the gums or packed into damaged teeth.
This isn’t just hygiene. It’s oral pharmacology.
And it’s not about copying Western routines. It’s about knowing what our ancestors knew — that health isn’t just about removing bacteria. It’s about restoring balance, delivering medicine, and building resilience in the tissues that feed us every day.
This is the stuff I live for.
This is why I do this work.
Let’s remember that our ancestral plant knowledge didn’t stop at teas and poultices — it shaped our bones, our gums, our ability to smile into old age with every tooth still in place, and white.
Our old people are WAY more than a treasure trove of knowledge, they are the keepers of the keys that literally unlock our ability to live.
-Joseph Pitawanakwat
