teeth, diet, raw foods?

[twinyoga]

Hello. I've been all raw vegan, vegan and vegetarian. Right now, I'm a little bit of everything (well, no dairy). I will come out and say I completely respect all the different whole foods eating styles....but that's nothing to really to do with my question...

Here's my question. I'm having dental problems. Each tooth has a filling that has been replaced at least one to two times and many needing new fillings, again. I have two crowns. And one of those crowns just cracked. The dentist said the tooth under the crown was decayed and cracked. So, he cleaned it out and a new crown was put on. Less than two months later I'm in pain. And he says I need a root canal. Not what I want to consider. I've been researching and reading books on teeth, root canals and health.

I am now looking into the relationship of diet and teeth. Have years of processed foods and refined sugar and gum chewing caused all these problems? What about grains? What about agave and dates? If I went back to raw, are there benefits to the teeth? Is there any information on this? Anyone have any experience with dental health and the raw foods diet and or vegan diet?

I'd love to learn more and I'd be happy to share more of my diet/history if needed. Thanks. Oh, and I'm seeing my homeopath next week.

[contessa20]

I don't know how answer your questions except to impart my own experience. About 3 - 4 yrs. ago I went to the dentist where I was told I needed NINE fillings. Some were replacements of old fillings and others were brand new. I agreed to have 2 fixed that were really giving me trouble, especially with particularly hot or cold foods and declined to have the others done. One of those re-fills continued to give me trouble but the dentist told me that the only thing that could be done for it was a root canal and crown. Since going raw though, I've had no pain or sensitivity in it whatsoever like before.

Fast forward to just a few weeks ago when I went back to the dentist for the first time since the 2 replacements were put in. My teeth were thoroughly examined by both the hygienist and dentist plus a full set of x-rays were taken. I was told that, whatever I was doing I should keep doing it because my teeth were in good shape and my gums were in EXCELLENT shape. And here's the kicker, I only had ONE filling that needed to be put in and she said that even that was quite small.

I have been raw for the last 8 months and that is the only thing I can think of to which I can attribute the miraculous healing of those cavities. In my opinion, raw works!

[Humanist]

I am now looking into the relationship of diet and teeth. Have years of processed foods and refined sugar and gum chewing caused all these problems? What about grains? What about agave and dates? If I went back to raw, are there benefits to the teeth? Is there any information on this? Anyone have any experience with dental health and the raw foods diet and or vegan diet?



Yes, processed foods have probably caused these problems. Best to eliminate grains and starches. Dr. Weston Price found North Africans who practically lived on dates; they had excellent teeth. Going raw can at least prevent further damage. Best book on dentistry is "Tooth Truth" by Frank J. Jerome.

[blaqberry]

Wow, contessa20... That is really neat to read!

I've seen a huge positive difference in the health of my teeth and gums since going raw. Dental exams have been excellent since - no cavities, etc. I don't have a particular list of what to eat or what to do, but I can say that raw has definitely made an impact.

[twinyoga]

I've read up on Price, who recommends animal organs and raw milks and cheeses, no fruits or grains. My stomach can not do that as a diet, even for my teeth! (and I tried it)

I've been doing a lot of intuitive listening and I'm leaning back towards raw. I started E3live and something called oil pulling (which I'm doing as I type). Looking back over the last five years since my last crown was put in, I didn't need any fillings or dental work while I was raw. Hmmmm. I might be answering some of my own questions.

Thanks for the advice, I'll get a hold of Tooth Truth.

[streetsurfer]

One thing I noticed, which seems to still be holding true, is that I have quit clenching and grinding my teeth at night since going raw. I lost my night bite guard the day I began my raw eating style, and the clenching has no longer been a problem. Then too, being less acidic has got to be a big plus. I fully expect I will hear there is improvement to the abfraction, and the wear on my biting surfaces at my vext DDS visit.

My thoughts on oil pulling:
I also found out about oil pulling just the other day and have started it. I can certainly see how it can be good for us. The muscles around all the glands in the neck, face, and jaw do get a workout, which must stimulate those glands to function better. I looked at an anatomy chart and it looks like about 40 lymph nodes, the thyroid and parathyroid, and the salivary glands (parotoid, sublingual and submandibular) are all situated in the area of the neck and jaw. The position used, of head tilted up, must help open up those related ducts and/ or relieve pressure on the glands. I know tilting the head upward helps open the eustachian tubes (making it easier to clear the ears of pressure when diving or flying), so I think it fits.

I remember as a young child, being at moms side while she did the Jack Lalane exercise program to TV. He always included face and neck exercises. I imagine the benefits of including them in a routine are similar to oil pulling.

[DebB]

I also OP (I use coconut oil) and it has really whitened my teeth.

One tip I have (and learned from Kevin Gianni @ Renegade Health) is to brush my teeth and rinse well after my green smoothie every day. He ran into problems by sipping on his GS throughout the entire morning. Now he advocates just drinking it down and not stretching it out as it was causing problems with his teeth. *Ü*

[a1icia]

I'm a fan of oil pulling as well. It's so good for your teeth and gums. I know it's helped the pockets on my gum line because the last time I went to the dentist and they were counting the size of them, the numbers were lower. I've noticed it helps with tooth sensitivity and it definitely whitens my teeth too.

I don't do the head tilt though. Several times I've swallowed involuntarily and I don't want to poison myself, so I just keep my head normal and go about my morning routine.

[twinyoga]

I just read about OP yesterday and started it. I used coconut oil yesterday and sesame oil today. I prefered the sesame oil because it was thicker and took more work to "pull" and I liked the exercise and tugging that was going on. The oil really thinned out after the 20 minutes. Then I rinsed with hydrogen peroxide and I brused with baking soda. I started taking a vitamin D3 supplement and the E3Live. We'll see how it goes. Now I'm going to up my diet to more raw than I've been doing.

I do clench my teeth when I sleep. I did it after my twins were born and it started again after my baby was born (he's four months old)!

[Nymue]

I also clench my teeth when I sleep. When I first got back to raw 3 weeks ago, I noticed that I wasn't clenching anymore, and I was so excited! Nice to wake up without pain in my jaw and the insides of my cheeks cut up. Lately though I am back to clenching, even though I'm not having any cooked food and am also completely avoiding caffeine. Maybe it will just take more time to stick.

I also need to get back to oil pulling. I did it a couple of years ago, and mostly used castor oil. It's a nice thick oil that is supposed to be a great cleanser.