Miswak Stick
When we talk about brushing our teeth, we often forget about nature’s own toothbrushes. Nature has provided a few different ways throughout history for us to either brush our teeth or to help us prevent cavities and one of these ways is through using nature’s own toothbrush: the miswak stick.
The miswak is a stick that acts much like a plastic toothbrush and toothpaste would. It is most common in the eastern portion of the world and is already being used there by a large number of people on a daily basis. A study was done recently in Saudi Arabia that demonstrated the ability of miswak to clean teeth vs a standard plastic toothbrush. It turns out that it cleans as well your standard run of the mill plastic toothbrush.
The reason behind this is because the miswak stick contains antioxidant compounds and enzymes. Miswak also has antibiotic and antifungal properties. Some studies even show that miswak has antiplaque effects and can reduce the periodontopathogenic bacteria involved in periodontal disease. The miswak “nature’s toothbrush” has not been tested thoroughly, but it looks as though it will become a favorite amongst health professionals before too long if additional studies agree with these initial findings.
The latest craze surrounding the miswak is the packaging of miswak extracts into a toothpaste tube that anyone can purchase and use with their plastic toothbrushes. There are also stores that are selling authentic miswak sticks to anyone who is interested. While the jury is still out on whether or not miswak should replace your current oral hygiene routine, it is definitely something to keep an open mind about, so watch out plastic toothbrush the miswak stick has you in its crosshairs!
