Transparent Front Tooth

[vgloveforlife]

I've been high raw for almost 3 months now and the other day I noticed that my front tooth is becoming transparent at the very bottom. I am only 26! This is really concerning me. I checked my daughters and her's looks similar to mine. They were not like that before.
What can cause this? What can I do to prevent/help this?

Thanks!

[Arky]

If you do a search for 'teeth' and 'wheatgrass' and 'minerals' you will find plenty of information surrounding this topic. Bascially, you need to make a serious effort to prevent erosion of dental enamel, by including good quantities of various highly-mineralised foods in your diet. Seaweed (I recommend adding this to blended smoothies so you don't even notice it), wheatgrass (grown using OceanGrown mineral-rich hydroponic solution), celery (high in organic sodium - a primary alkaline mineral of the body, and none many people are low in), coconut juice (not intriniscally good for the teeth, on account of it's sugar content, but is high in electrolyte minerals which are of benefit to the mineral reserves of the body in general), high-silicon foods (such as most fruits and vegetables with a shiny skin - tomatoes, peppers, apples, Romaine lettuce etc.) and high-silicon drinks (e.g. horsetail/shavegrass tea) will all assist good dental health if consumed appropriately. A broad range of issues is discussed in the following threads but, as I said, if you search for the above terms using the banana icon at the top of the screen, you'll unearth a whole host of threads on dental health.

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14487

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15261

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16255&highlight=minerals

All the best,

J.

[vgloveforlife]

Thanks Arky for the reply!

Could using pascalite clay to brush cause this? I read on these boards some people used it to brush so I started. I only brushed maybe 8 times with it total though. I've also been using dr bronners.

Could the clear tooth be caused by something as simple as brushing or is it deeper like a defiency?

The only way I have changed my diet is by adding many more raw foods. My diet is so much more full with mineral rich food more than ever before. If anything I should of gotten this clear tooth on my prior diet. I'm really worrying about this!

Thanks for any more help!

[lane]

vgloveforlife,
i am 28, have been high raw for over a year now- and have 2 transparent teeth (2 upper front- bottom 1/4 or so.) i don't really have any information as to what causes this as i haven't given it much thought (they don't look bad at all and i haven't had any problems with them.) i have an appt. with a holistic dentist next month in chicago and will bring it up- see what he thinks. until then, hope you gain some insight.
cc

[Stellaluna]

Hey,
I also have some transparent teeth. Like lane, I also haven't had any problems with them.
One thing I read that can cause this is using too many whitening products or whitening too much.
That's the only thing I know of.

Maybe using your pascalite clay could have caused it. I onced used toothpaste that had clay in it, but soon stopped because I hated the way it made my teeth feel.

As I was browsing Sun Harvest I came upon this toothpaste called PEELU.
On the back it read


Clean your teeth the natural way! Peelu Toothpaste provides safe, effective dental care with a 100% natural, state-of-the-art formula. Most toothpastes and polishes contain harsh, gritty abrasives like sand (silica), chalk (calcium carbonate) or animal bone (dicalcium phosphate), all of which can irritate gums and damage teeth by thinning the enamel layer. This can cause teeth to yellow and be more sensitive to heat and cold. Peelu Toothpaste uses the soft fibers of the peelu plant to bring you a gentle, nonabrasive toothpaste that works naturally to clean and brighten your teeth. Unlike most other brands, Peelu Toothpaste is sugar-free, contains no artificial sweeteners or preservatives, and uses only natural flavorings. Discover for yourself the advantages of natural dental care with Peelu.

Just for 4-1-1, for ingredients are:

Sorbitol, Purified Water, Peelu Fiber, Vegetable Glycerine, Titanium Dioxide, Xanthan Gum, Coco Glucoside and Glycerol Oleate (Derived From Natural Sources), Natural Oil of Peppermint, Tea Tree Oil

[Sylvanring]

Without being an expert on the subect I will give some advice from the hip.

It seems to me after looking around on the net that transparency and teeth sensitivity is stemming mostly from acid hitting the teeth, either it be from fruit, bulimia, acid reflux. It is a sign of the thinning of the enamel.


I found this article on remineralization of the teeth:
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20000819/bob9.asp

I am sure that there are things in there that some people in the forum may not jive with, but it is information non-the-less

I would suggest that you try to have most of your fruits in smoothie form so that you drink them through a straw and past your teeth without having to hit your teeth with acid. (make them green smoothies too)

Try to eat more alkaline foods.

If you do eat acidic foods, wash mouth out with water.

[spicyfull]

This was very interesting. Thanks to all of you for your imput.................

[vgloveforlife]

Hi, thanks all for the comments.
Lane-I'm thinking of bringing my dd to the dentist too. It should be interesting to find out what your holistic dentist says.

Stellaluna-Good info. It makes me think it could be the clay eventhough I didn't use it for that long, maybe it's just powerful stuff.

Sylvanring-Thanks for the link! We do not eat too many acidic foods....is there are chart anywhere telling which foods are acid and alkaline?
We swish after every meal.

Time to go to the dentist I think, I just don't know how helpful they will be...

[Leiloshka]

So, lane, what did the holistic dentist say?? I passed over these threads in the past but this week I have noticed I have about 1/2 of my front teeth becoming transparent. I've been in a hotel the last several days so I think the different bathroom lighting is the reason I've noticed. Now I'm in a panic. WHY does eating better cause your body to do this? I thought the native peoples had great teeth and jaws and they ate a lot of raw foods. :confused:

I don't want to develop bad teeth. I already have one needing work in the back. But, I don't want to lose my enamel. Has anyone heard anything else since the thread started? Lane?

Thanks.

[eachpeachpearplum]

Just a thought:

Is it possible that our teeth SHOULD be transparent but havent been due to generations eating SAD? :rolleyes:

[RawFoodieMom]

Just a thought:

Is it possible that our teeth SHOULD be transparent but havent been due to generations eating SAD? :rolleyes:

While reading this thread I started to wonder the same thing. :confused:

[Pailani]

I think Rawnora suspects the same thing, that our teeth are supposed to be transluscent.

[lane]

Hey everyone,
My appt. is this tuesday- so i'll let you know what he says--
cc

[meganthevegan]

Just a thought:

Is it possible that our teeth SHOULD be transparent but havent been due to generations eating SAD? :rolleyes:
well, according to my dentist you are correct! She told me that ideally white teeth (not fake white) are slightly transparent around the edges. I think all of us that have transparent teeth should be thrilled!!

[Leiloshka]

Well, my teeth are not just getting transparent around the edges, but are getting transparent half way up.

lane, please let us know what your dentist says. I'm very interested.

THANKS! :)

[vgloveforlife]

Meganthevegan-Interesting! I wonder if you're dentist is right. What is the purpose for this? Did your dentist say so? What is the property in teeth that make them white? To me it seems like they should be fully white, something vital is missing from the tooth if it is clear I would think.

[greeninlosangeles]

I heard that the reason people teeth become bad the first year of raw is that we are dumping a lot of acids from our tissues in our fluids(saliva too), which tends to have bad effect on teeth. The way to avoid it would be to eat a lot of mineral rich foods like greens and floss and brush gently your teeth.
Even natural tootpastes have glycerin which prevents tooth remineralization. I am brushing with baking soda, but feel that it is too harsh to use on daily basis. Maybe dried wheatgrass juice would work better?

[Gosia]

Two simple suggestions for avoiding teeth problems:
* Eat only ripe foods (unripe are acidic and are depleted from nutrients as well)
* Learn to follow your body's instincts rather than intelect when choosing your raw foods to make sure that you eat what your body needs.

Best,
Gosia.

[Leiloshka]

Gosia,
I've been trying to contact you. I wanted to know, since you eat so much fruit, if you have teeth problems. I assume from your post you don't. What about other fruitarians? Transparent tooth problems? :confused:

[lane]

went to the dentist today, and (everyone- take a deep breath of relief :) ) he said that it is very normal for the bottoms of our teeth to be transparent. the dentin under the enamel is what makes a tooth solid white- where it becomes transparent is where the dentin ends and the enamel exists-alone- which apparently is naturally translucent.
on a side note- the holistic dentist that i just started visiting is amazing! the exams are so thorough and have really impressed me.
cc

[Angelic Light]

Wow that is amazing!

[Pierre]

How do you find a holistic dentist? The dentist I've been seeing asked me all the wrong dietary questions when my teeth started breaking and prescribed a fluoride rinse which disagreed with me, and I had to figure out by myself that dulse is good for mineralizing teeth.

[RawFoodieMom]

lane, thank you so much for sharing. What great information to know that the translucent part of the teeth IS the enamel. :)

[lane]

Pierre, holisticdental.org.

RawFoodieMom, you are very welcome.

cc

[Gosia]

Hi Leiloshka,

my teeth and gums have improved since raw. The only moments where I noticed any teeth/gums problems were when I ate unripe fruit or too many dried fruit and nuts. By observing that, I learned that it is best not to repeat such mistakes.

I used to suffer from gum problems before raw. My dentist was amazed how dramatically my gums improved since then. Also, my husband noticed that my teeth do not have that ugly yellowy color anymore. I can smile now without embarassment. (I thought I would mention also that I like to (gently) floss my teeth after meals.)

So, my example is the proof that fruit per se will not cause teeth problems. Rather, the mistakes that we may be making contribute to these. In fact, I attribute eating lots of fruit to the improvement in my health. In particular, fruit have a very hydrating effect on my body. I feel that before, my body was severly dehydrated, despite me carrying a bottle of water with me always, and drinking water frequently. I believe that a hydrating diet is crucial to one's health. If I feel thirsty after a meal, then this tells me that whatever I ate, was not optimal.

In my view, the main reason for any inbalances is not listening to one's body. When the needs of the body are ignored, and the intelect rather than the body is what dictates our diet, then the problems will occur. The main indicator of what our body needs is our taste*** (for example, if something does not appeal, then we should not force ourselves to eat it just because we think we should). Also, examiming oneself, and in particular, how we feel after eating something can be very helpful (for example, we can feel tired or bloated when poorly combining the foods).

(*** Our natural, healthy taste, may be compromised by our unhealthy eating patterns. For example, we may think that our body likes pizza, becasue it "tastes" good. However, if we observe how we feel afterwards, we will learn that our body does not really like it. Nevertheless, by becoming raw, we allow ourselves to become in tune with our body. Then, our taste becomes a good indicator. As long as we use the taste to choose our next meal from the range of fresh unprocessed raw foods, then we will be fine.)

So my suggestion would be: try (say) some tender greens. Do they taste good? If yes, then have them, because this is what your body is happy to have now. If no, try something else. Naturally, how things taste will change according to what our body is happy to have at the time. As far as fruit, I found that I always find some type of fruit appealing, and so I eat fruit daily. Sometimes I may prefer mandarines, some other time grapes, so in this sense, my fruit choices do change, although I do eat fruit on daily basis.

Sincerely,
Gosia

[Leiloshka]

lane, thanks for the report. But, I'm wondering....how far up is the transparent color of the tooth? Mine is now almost 1/2 way up. It's not just around the edges. And, it's not totally translparent 1/2 way up, but there is a difference. It's that solid white color on the top half and then much more "less solid" white on the bottom half. I checked over the weekend for a holistic dentist and there is one about 30 min. from me. I'm making an appt. :) Maybe I'll like him. I hate dentists in general. :p

And, if the dentin causes the teeth to be more white and it's not there, then what makes it go away??

Gosia, thanks for your input on the fruit. I definitely agree you need to listen to your body. I try to do this but every now and then I want something just because I want it or I just want something. I have cut down on my nut and seed consumption because I was taking in too many calories. Maybe this will help my teeth also.

[lane]

Leiloshka, I'm guessing that the dentin "length" can vary from person to person (even from tooth to tooth) so maybe your enamel just extends farther down??
I dislike going to dentists very much as well and am driving 5 hours (one way) to see this holistic dentist right now...it took me a loooong time to make the appt., but I believe it will be worth it as I am having some compatibility issues with a couple of restorations that conventional dentists can't seem to wrap their minds around.
Hope your experience goes well!
cc

[Leiloshka]

Wow! A five hour drive? Well, I am lucky since I made an appt. with the dentist 30 minutes from me. I go at the end of August. Thanks for updating this post. I was very curious what the dentist was going to tell you.

[greeninlosangeles]

Gosia, do you eat tree ripe fruit-do you have a garden? Most of fruitarians do not have it. You never find tree ripe fruit in the store and probably not much in the farmers market. I read that tree ripe fruit is alkaline and shelve ripe fruit is slightly acidic. Maybe the difference is enough to affect teeth?
My teeth always were bad, but I do think that they went worse faster than usual on raw.

[Gosia]

"Gosia, do you eat tree ripe fruit-do you have a garden? Most of fruitarians do not have it. You never find tree ripe fruit in the store and probably not much in the farmers market. I read that tree ripe fruit is alkaline and shelve ripe fruit is slightly acidic. Maybe the difference is enough to affect teeth?
My teeth always were bad, but I do think that they went worse faster than usual on raw."

Hi, we (my fmaily of 2+2) have several very young fruit tress in our garden and are planting more, so our long-term plan is to be able to rely mostly on our own fruit (except the tropical fruit that we can't grow here). At the moment I rely on supermarket. If the fruit I buy is not ripe, I let it ripen on the kitchen bench. My teeth are not affected by doing this. But when I once bought some mandarines (this is the type of fruit that will not ripen on the bench), then I could feel my gums getting affected as well as my body feeling like starving.

Gosia