Salt water gargling is an ancient remedy used to treat oral health issues. It is a natural and affordable treatment that provides a wide array of health benefits. It promotes dental health, reduces sore throat symptoms, and cleanses the mouth from harmful microorganisms. Additionally, it helps promote oral healing.
Consult an ENT doctor for a quick recovery from oral health conditions.
Highlights
- Salt water gargling is the best home remedy for maintaining oral health and easing sore throat symptoms.
- Saline water gargling is a simple and affordable cure for dental health issues.
- Salt water therapy flushes out toxins, promoting respiratory health.
Benefits of Gargling Salt Water
A 2016 research study records that dental health issues are 50-70% prevalent in Pakistan. This ratio is high due to the inaccessibility of adequate dental healthcare facilities. The most common dental issue is a dental cavity. If it’s left untreated, it continues affecting tooth pulp tissue, causing mild to chronic pain. This pain can be relieved by gargling with warm salt water, which can promote overall well-being in multiple ways including:
1. Diminish the risk of developing dental plaque
Gargling with salt water can help reduce gum inflammation. It reduces the risk of developing gum diseases. These diseases may include – gingivitis (gum inflammation) or periodontitis (tooth soft tissue damage). Other benefits of this home remedy are:
- Reduces dental plaque: A 2021 research article claims that gingivitis or periodontitis contributes to plaque formation around the teeth. It is caused by the growth of Streptococcus mutans bacteria. Gargling saline water helps inhibit bacterial growth, which reduces the signs of dental plaque.
- Alleviate dental infections: The antiseptic properties of salt help reduce the likelihood of dental infections, especially resulting in post-surgical treatment – such as tooth extraction, periodontal surgery, gum grafting, or root canal treatment.
Warm salt water is thus an effective home remedy to promote dental hygiene and oral health care.
2. Alleviate upper respiratory tract symptoms
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URIs) are caused by harmful pathogens. During an infection, you may experience rhinorrhea, cough, slight fever, sore throat, and headache. Generally, URIs are self-limiting yet may last for 10 days or longer, with mild cough lasting for 2 to 3 weeks. Salt water gargle benefits you by relieving these symptoms in the following ways:
- Treat throat infection: Rinsing swollen or painful throat with saline water helps reduce sore throat and nasal congestion symptoms. One 2021 research pinpoints that chloride ions in salt stimulate the production of hypochlorous acid. This acid fights well against infection-causing bacteria. infections.
- Relieves rhinorrhea: The antimicrobial properties reduce microbial load, break mucus, and expel it out of the nasal passages. This help relieves nasal itchiness caused by URI.
Gargling salt water provides quick yet temporary relief from URIs symptoms. It can’t be considered a good substitute for medical treatment. Therefore, seek immediate medical help from the best ENT specialist for rapid recovery and improved health.
3. Help Cleanse and Detoxify Mouth
The detoxifying and cleansing properties of salt water diminish the progression of oral ailments. It does so by:
- Removing harmful toxin buildups: Smoking cigarettes adds harmful toxins to the mouth – including tar and nicotine. These toxins can give rise to gum disease, dental discoloration, foul-smelling breath, and even oral cancer. Gargling salt water helps eliminate such detrimental contaminants, promoting oral health.
- Eliminating chemical contaminants: A few toothpastes and mouthwashes contain ingredients like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or carbamide peroxide. Even after multiple oral washes, these constituents may remain in your teeth. These leftover chemicals deteriorate the teeth’s enamel. But gargling salt water can help you eliminate them.
Aside from these health benefits, gargling saline water helps remove food particles from molars, reducing the risks of dental cavities.
4. Strengthen Tooth Enamel
Any damage to tooth enamel can have adverse effects on your dental health. Some of these negative consequences include – tooth sensitivity, and dental pain or decay. Even the possibility of dental fractures also increases. However, you can minimize the probability of these issues by gargling with salt water. Besides, saline water benefits your tooth enamel in the following ways:
- Balances pH: Abnormal pH levels of the mouth such as – low pH (highly acidic) levels cause enamel corrosion. Likewise, high pH (acutely alkaline) levels of the oral cavity result in demineralization. Note that demineralization occurs when oral acids begin to dissolve the mineral content of the dental enamel, weakening healthy dental structures. Saline water gargling helps maintain normal pH levels and reduce the chances of demineralization.
- Protects bacterial attack: Salt water helps provide essential minerals to the tooth, and thus, can be a potential substitute for fluoride treatment. This help strengthens dental enamel and protects against bacterial attack.
For maximum salt water gargle benefits to your tooth enamel, it is recommended to use this remedy twice daily.
5. Alleviates Bad Breath Symptoms
Harmful bacteria and other pathogens in the mouth or respiratory tract cause foul breathing. Gargling with warm salt water can help eliminate such microorganisms from your oral cavity. This helps you have a pleasant breath. Other benefits include:
- Clear sinuses: Excessive mucus can block healthy sinuses and cause bad breath. Salt water gargling helps expel mucus, unblock your sinuses, and improve your breath odor.
- Boost saliva production: Low levels of saliva in the mouth cause oral dryness. This in turn causes bad breath. Salt water gargling stimulates the production of saliva, reducing bad breathing patterns.
People who often experience foul breathing, especially after waking, should gargle with salt water to reduce these symptoms.
Insightful reading: Causes and Treatment of Foul Breathing
6. Help Mouth Ulcers
Mouth ulcers are painful sores that may develop on the inside of your cheeks, lips, or tongue. Natural remedies – especially gargling salt water can help them heal. Other oral benefits that warm saline water can provide you include:
- Reduce oral thrush: Gargling salt water effectively inhibits the growth of yeast in your mouth. Thus, this easy-to-go home remedy can be helpful in reducing the symptoms of oral thrush or candidiasis.
- Aphthous Ulcers: These oral ulcers are also called canker sores. They may occur from oral injury, stress, highly acidic dietary patterns, nutrient deficiencies, poor immune health, and allergies. However, gargling with saline water can provide you instant relief from the pain.
Salt water gargling also gives immediate relief to the oral blisters caused by viral infections – such as Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Note that this remedy can only provide temporary relief to the oral pain caused by blisters. If you’re experiencing severe oral pain due to blisters, consult your health issue with a well-reputed and highly qualified doctor.
How to Gargle with Salt Water?
Making saline water and gargling with it is an easy task. All you have to take is a mug full of warm water. And then add a spoon of salt to it. Mix it well. For gargling with this water, follow these steps:
- Take a mouthful of the saline water and gargle it all around your mouth.
- Tilt your chin up and gargle at the back of your throat.
- Keep doing this for 10 seconds.
- Spit out the solution.
Make sure to repeat this process with the remaining warm saline water. Once you’re done with the gargling, avoid drinking cold drinks, as they may cause tooth sensitivity.
Conclusion
Salt water gargling is an effective and cheap remedy. It promotes good oral health and reduces sore throat symptoms. Its disinfecting and detoxifying properties eliminate disease-causing microorganisms from your mouth.
However, salt water gargle benefits aren’t a permanent cure for oral health issues. Thus, consulting an ENT specialist for long-lasting relief and oral well-being is a better option.
FAQs
1. Does gargling reduce inflammation?
Salt water gargling can help to reduce inflammation, which can reduce the severity of throat and mouth infections.
2. Does gargling with salt water help treat coughing?
Gargling with salt water can help clear mucus from the back of your throat and relieve the urge to cough.