Four Best Yoga Poses That Benefit Oral Health

Many scientific studies have proven the transformative power of yoga for health and well-being. It improves physical strength, flexibility, boosts immunity, cardiovascular health, and brain function. However, did you know that yoga is also beneficial for your oral health? If this is a revelation to you, keep reading to know the yoga poses that are good for your dental health.

a Khechari Mudra

Found in both hatha yoga and raj yoga, Khechari Mudra is an effective exercise to activate salivary glands and improve stammering. Saliva is the natural cleanser for your mouth. It helps wash all the food particles and resultant bacteria and toxins away. However, acidic food and drinks, not drinking enough water, stress, anxiety, and certain medications may cause dry mouth. Khechari Mudra is an effective solution to increase saliva production and promote oral cleansing. But it does not mean Khechari Mudra alone is enough to keep your mouth healthy. Brush and floss twice regularly, drink more water and limit the consumption of acidic foods and beverages to prevent xerostomia.

Steps to do Khechari Mudra

1. Sit peacefully in a quiet place.
2. Place your hands on your knees with palms facing upwards.
3. Inhale and exhale 5-7 times deeply to center yourself.
4. With your eyes closed, focus on the space between your eyebrows.
5. Now, begin the Khechari Mudra by stretching your tongue out and curling it back into your mouth.
6. With your tongue curled back, try to touch the upper palate of your mouth.
7. Do it 3-5 times. Then, bring your tongue back to its normal position if you feel any pain.
8. With practice, you will be able to stretch your tongue up to the uvula and hold it for a longer duration (1-2 minutes). There are advanced stages of this Mudra that you can check here.

b. Sukshma Yoga

This technique involves the head, neck, jaw, shoulders, fists, legs, and feet exercises. It is an easy and effective exercise to relieve jaw-related problems, for example, temporomandibular joint disorder, oral trauma, and pain because of teeth grinding. Open and close the jaw repeatedly and massage the lower jaw while doing these movements. You may also move your jaw sideways. These practices help release jaw tension and relieve jaw pain. However, consult your dentist if the pain or stiffness in the jaw makes movement difficult, or Sukshma Yoga does not help much.

c. Sheetkari Pranayam

As its name suggests, Sheetkari (means cooling). Pranayama helps regulate the body temperature and calms the body. It is helpful in mouth diseases such as pyorrhea, gum disease, and throat infection. The main feature of this pranayama is the use of teeth while inhaling. Follow these steps to do Sheetkari Pranayam.

1. Sit straight and keep your hands on your knees.
2. Keep your palm upwards and join the tips of your thumbs and index fingers.
3. Focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out deeply 5-7 times.
4. Now open your mouth and join the upper and lower set of teeth.
5. With your teeth slightly clenched, move the tip of your tongue to the center point of the clenched teeth.
6. Now, start inhaling through your mouth. A hissing sound while breathing in indicates that you are breathing correctly.
7. Tighten your jaw and move your chest a bit upwards.
8. Now close your mouth and exhale through the nose.
9. Repeat it 8-10 times daily.

d. Sudarshan Kriya

Like Khechari Mudra, Sudarshan Kriya is also a multi-step yoga exercise that involves various breathing techniques and hand movements. It promotes physical and mental well-being and helps alleviate symptoms of oral health conditions such as periodontitis. A 2018-study showed that periodontal inflammation decreased in individuals who practiced Sudarshan Kriya. You can learn to do Sudarshan Kriya here.

How Does Yoga Benefit Oral Health?

Yoga prevents oral health problems or works as an adjunct therapy to manage them. The physiological and psychological benefits of yoga prepare the body and mind to withstand stress and strain. Take note that stress is one of the prominent risk factors for oral diseases. For example, it causes teeth-grinding, gum disease, dry mouth, and canker sores, among other problems. Yoga contributes greatly to stress management and works wonders for oral health. Here are some more positive effects of yoga on dental health.

• Yoga teaches discipline

Stress can drive people up the wall, and they may resort to unhealthy habits to cope with it. Smoking, alcoholism, binge-eating, and skipping daily hygiene routine are common ways people choose to 'de-stress.' However, with yoga to the rescue, resilience and mindfulness become a part of everyday life, and help face distressing situations rationally.

• Yoga teaches breathing correctly

Yoga helps develop focused and rhythmic breathing patterns. Proper and regular breathing prevents mouth and throat dryness and the consequent growth of pathogenic micro-organisms. Yoga may also help quit smoking, restore oral health, and improve an individual's quality of life.

• Yoga aids digestion

Chewing is the first step of the digestion process. Yoga strengthens the jaw for chewing food properly and increases saliva production. As a result, food breaks down properly during mastication, making it easy to swallow.

• Yoga lowers inflammation

Cortisol secretion shoots up because of chronic stress. Though cortisol is an anti-inflammatory hormone, its unceasing release is harmful and damages the periodontal tissues. Restorative yoga poses (a restful and meditative form of yoga) help soothe the mind and decrease the release of cortisol, eventually lowering inflammation in the body.

• Yoga improves the posture

Incorrect head posture puts severe pressure on your neck and jaw and affects the dentition (arrangement and positioning of teeth). In the long run, it may cause bite issues, which means upper and lower jaws and teeth may get misaligned. This may lead to (teeth-grinding) bruxism and psychological stress because of a not-so-perfect smile. Practicing yoga every day helps inculcate the habit of maintaining the correct posture while sitting and standing.

Have you tried yoga for oral health?

Comment below and share the results with us.