Another year has come and gone, giving us all a fresh chance to be the best versions of ourselves. When thinking about your resolutions, we want to make sure you don’t brush over your oral health routine.

You might already know this about us, but we believe oral health is the window to your overall health. While that can sound intimidating, it can also be exciting! Establishing a new elevated oral care routine in 2024 can open new doors of health, vibrancy, and balance in your life.

Don’t believe us? We hope this article brings you to the bright (pearly white) side.

why take a holistic approach to oral health?

At Davids, we’re all about minimalism. But when it comes to oral health, we know that things are never as simple as they seem. Oral health is not just oral health, it’s the window to your overall health. Your oral microbiome (mouth) works very closely with your gut microbiome to lay the foundations of your overall well-being. Think about it this way: when you swallow (which you do consciously and subconsciously all day long), bacteria, pathogens, and other microorganisms travel from your mouth to your gut.

If the bacterial balance in your mouth is out of whack (more bad than good), this can not only lead to plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease, but it can also lead to gut dysbiosis. Dysbiosis in the gut has been linked to whole-body impacts such as cognitive disease, mental health struggles, autoimmunity, mood swings, insomnia, indigestion, acid reflux, acne, insulin resistance, and beyond.

At the very least, we know that when bad bacteria take over in your mouth and gut, it can lead to inflammation throughout your entire body. We want to avoid that. To do so, we invite you to “zoom out,” see oral health as a crucial piece of the puzzle, and use it as motivation to align the rest of your self-care routine to nurture the best version of yourself.

the oral care core trifecta

Now that we’ve covered oral care as part of your overall health, it’s time to cultivate an oral care routine that checks all the boxes. It’s no secret that when flossing, brushing, and tongue scraping come together, the result is greater than the sum of its parts.

1: flossing with safe dental floss

Do you really need to floss? The answer is a resounding yes. If you’re brushing over this essential step, your oral care routine might only be reaching 65% of your teeth....leaving 35% of your pearly whites in the dark.

The new year presents a new opportunity to start your flossing routine, and our new expanding dental floss is the perfect product to get you started. It’s woven with 250+ soft threads for softness and durability, so you don’t have to worry about shredding as you reach those tight spaces.

The threads have the ability to expand, increasing the surface area as you go to grab more plaque and debris in those hard-to-reach places. Our dental floss is also infused with cocoa butter, premium mint oils, and hydroxyapatite for a fresh clean that remineralizes your enamel as you go. As a safe dental floss, it avoids the PFAS (harmful forever chemicals) that are found in many conventional floss brands.

2: brushing with a bamboo toothbrush + natural toothpaste

This probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard us talk about the importance of brushing. After all, we are a natural toothpaste brand! To avoid sounding like a broken record, we’ll leave you with a couple of interesting statistics. A 2023 report reveals that 59% of adult Americans developed better oral care habits during the pandemic, and they plan to maintain them. Yet only 79% of adults reported brushing their teeth twice a day, and 17% of people aren’t brushing long enough.

Time and time again, we’ve seen that brushing twice daily for two minutes is crucial for fighting plaque and preventing oral complications like tooth decay and gum disease. We invite you to make 2024 the year you commit to brushing twice daily for two minutes each. Our bamboo toothbrush and natural toothpaste might just be the motivation you need to hone this habit. After all, our bamboo toothbrush is soft, sustainable, and comfortable....and our natural toothpaste flavors range from delicious peppermint to perfectly sweet strawberry watermelon.

3: tongue scraping with a stainless steel tongue scraper

Tongue scraping does a lot more than simply clean your tongue and freshen your breath. Dental Ayurveda states that different areas of your tongue are connected to specific vital organs throughout your body. By using a tongue scraper, you’re directly removing toxins from these areas while simultaneously stimulating the tissue.

By association, Ayurveda suggests that this detoxification + stimulation also positively affects the associated organs, restoring inner balance and reducing your overall toxic load. On top of this, tongue scraping can also work to enhance your taste and improve your digestion by promoting a healthy bacterial balance in your mouth and gut.

Dental professionals prefer the design of our stainless steel tongue scraper, as it uses 100% medical-grade stainless steel and has smooth, rounded edges. It also has a unique one-handed design, so it’s very easy to maneuver (this is extremely important for a movement that occurs very close to your gag reflex). If you want to start your new year off on the freshest possible note, add our tongue scraper to your oral care routine. Trust us, you’ll feel a difference right away.

other important players

We can’t talk about holistic oral health without mentioning diet, mindset, and stress. All of these factors play a huge underlying role in the state of your oral and overall health.

• diet: It can be easy to see how diet impacts your oral health, as your mouth is responsible for chewing and swallowing. It’s no secret that starchy, sugary foods have more of a negative impact on your teeth, while more protein-rich and nutrient-dense foods can improve your oral health. We recommend brushing up on this food guide article written by Dr. Anu Isaac, DMD.
• mindest: your mindset can play an important role in the success of your oral care routine. In an industry that’s been dominated by the same big brands (and ingredients) for decades, it can feel uncomfortable to question these norms and embrace new habits and ingredients. For example, maybe it feels weird to try tongue scraping instead of simply brushing your tongue. Maybe it feels intimidating to switch to hydroxyapatite when you’ve used fluoride for so long. We understand how uncomfortable it can be to change your habits, but we want to encourage you to remain open-minded and follow the science.
• stress: when it comes to oral care, stress might not be the first thing that pops into your head. But let’s check in: are you clenching your jaw right now? Do you wake up with tension headaches or a tight jaw? Clenching your jaw due to stress can have a huge impact on your oral health. Additionally, chronic stress can lead to things like dry mouth, which is a huge risk factor for gum disease and tooth decay.

We invite you to take a deep breath, embrace mindfulness, explore meditation, and cultivate a mouth-friendly diet in the new year. All of these things can take your oral and overall health to new heights.

make 2024 a fresh start

The Davids essential bundle includes our bamboo toothbrush, sensitive+whitening hydroxyapatite toothpaste, and stainless steel tongue scraper for 20% off. Just add our brand-new expanding dental floss to the mix (and maybe a travel size toothpaste or two), and you have the perfect holistic oral care routine to start 2024 on the freshest possible note.

From the Davids family to yours, Happy New Year!

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