Sensitive teeth

[Blazin'Jane]

Does anyone have any experience with sensitive teeth since going raw? A friend of mine is mostly raw and her teeth (gums, maybe) are sensitive. She suspects too much acidic fruit -- oranges, etc.? What say you all??

[revdrcyn]

Me too! I was thinking I'd mention it to my dentist next month when I go in for cleaning, but he'll probably just think I'm crazy like everyone else does.

I have a feeling it will take care of itself, so I'm not actively doing anything to "fix" the sensitivity.

[rawmiss]

Sensitive teeth is what drove Victoria Boutenko to research green smoothies. I looked up the specific passages (the whole book is readable at this site. Thank You Victoria!) and the surrounding paragraphs were so inspiring that I included them too!

http://www.hcgfatloss.com/victoria-boutenko/green-for-life/what-was-missing-in-our-raw-food-plan.htm
"After several years of being raw foodists, however, each one of us began to feel like we had reached a plateau where our healing process stopped and even somewhat began to go backwards. After approximately seven years on a completely raw diet, once in a while, more and more often, we started feeling discontent with our existing food program. I began to have a heavy feeling in my stomach after eating almost any kind of raw food, especially a salad with dressing. Because of that, I staled to eat less greens and more fruits and nuts. I began to gain weight. My husband started to develop a lot of gray hair. My family members felt confused about our diet and seemed often to have the question, "what should we eat?" There were odd times when we felt hungry but did not desire any foods that were "legal" for us to eat on a typical raw food diet: fruits, nuts, seeds, grains or dried fruit. Salads (with dressings) were delicious but made us tired and sleepy. We felt trapped. I remember Igor looking inside the fridge, saying over and over again, "I wish I wanted some of this stuff" ... Such periods did not last. We blamed it all on overeating and were able to refresh our appetites by fasts. exercise, hikes or by working more. In my family we strongly believe that raw food is the only way to go and therefore we encouraged each other to maintain our raw diet no matter what, always coming up with new tricks. Many of my friends told me about similar experiences at which point they gave up being 100% raw and began to add cooked food back into their meals. In my family, we continued to stay on raw food due to our constant support of each other.

A burning question began to grow stronger in my heart with each day. The question was, "Is there anything missing in our diet?" The answer would come right away: "Nope. Nothing could be better than a raw food diet."

Yet, however tiny, the unwanted signs of less than perfect health kept surfacing in minor but noticeable symptoms such as a wart on a hand or a gray hair that brought doubts and questions about the completeness of the raw food diet in its present form. Finally, when my children complained about the increased sensitivity of their teeth, I reached a state where I couldn't think about anything besides this health puzzle. I drove everybody around me crazy with my constant discussion of what could possibly he missing."

http://www.hcgfatloss.com/victoria-boutenko/green-for-life/green-smoothie-revolution.htm
"My dream had come true at last! I was consuming plenty of greens every day. I began to feel lighter and my energy increased. My tastes started to change. I discovered that my body was so starved for greens that for several weeks, I lived almost entirely on green smoothies. Plain fruits and vegetables became much more desirable for me and my cravings for fatty foods declined dramatically. I stopped consuming any kind of salt altogether, even seaweed.

Two weeks later, my husband and I were walking in California along a grassy trail when I suddenly began to salivate from looking at the dark green crispy branches of malva weeds growing in abundance along our path. I kept catching myself wanting to grab and eat them. I shared my observations with Igor and he listened attentively but didn't get excited. He had already noticed that I was eating differently lately. Instead of making myself a huge salad consisting of multiple chopped vegetables, a large avocado, sea salt, lots of onion and olive oil, I now chopped a bunch of lettuce with a tomato, sprinkled it with lemon juice and enjoyed it tremendously, rolling my eyes and humming with pleasure. I did not miss my former food, and felt completely satisfied eating so simply. Now I knew that the human body can learn to crave greens!

There was another change that astounded me. I used to have cravings for unhealthy foods when I got tired. For example, in the past, when we were traveling and we spent the night in an airplane, or after we were driving all night, I experienced severe cravings for some heavy raw foods or even some authentic Russian cooked foods from childhood that I hadn't eaten for more than a decade. These cravings were very strong and annoying. Driven by these urges, I would prepare myself some kind of dense raw food, like seed cheese with crackers, or stuff myself with nuts, sometimes late at night. I have heard from many other people that they experienced similar patterns. Also, during previous years, when I came home late from my office, often after ten p.m., I enjoyed changing my focus from work to other lighter topics, either by reading a chapter from a book or by watching a nice video. I noticed that if I allowed myself to grab an apple or a handful of nuts, I would tend to continue grazing and couldn't ever achieve a feeling of satisfaction. Even if I used my will power and didn't touch any food at home, I continued to feel discontent and food kept coming to my mind.

When I began to drink green smoothies, I noticed right away that those kinds of cravings disappeared. That was when my husband really noticed the difference in my behavior. In the evening after a hard work day he would still crave something to eat while I was relaxed and content by just reading a book or talking. When Igor saw how happy I was in the evenings, along with the noticeable improvements in my health, he joined me in drinking green smoothies. He started to ask for a cup of "that green stuff" whenever I was making it.

Neither Igor nor I had any illnesses, so in the beginning it was hard to tell if we were just excited or if we really felt better. But soon both Igor and I were able to testify that we experienced rejuvenation and we began to look younger.

After only two months of drinking smoothies, Igor's mustache and beard started growing blacker, making him look like he did when we first met.

Igor became so enthusiastic about his youthful look that he became the green smoothie champion of my family. He would wake up early and make two or three gallons of smoothie every day: one for me, one for him, and one for Sergei and Valya to share. Both of our children enjoyed including this tasty green drink in their daily menu even though they were already experiencing great health. They noticed still more benefits, like the ability to sleep less, more complete .eliminations, stronger nails, and most of all, improvement in their teeth, which became less sensitive."

[RawKnitster]

I spent a wonderful evening listening to Victoria talk about her family's raw journey. She said that after 7 years they were experiencing lack of energy in the evenings and getting cavities which prompted her to search for what was missing in their diet. Is it all tied together.... ? sensitivity = thinning tooth enamel = cavities ???

[rawmiss]

Actually, sensitive teeth seem to be mostly related to the gum line eroding rather than the enamel, but I suppose that both could happen.

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tooth-sensitivity
What Causes Tooth Sensitivity?
Tooth sensitivity occurs when the underlying layer of your teeth – the dentin – becomes exposed as a result of receding gum tissue (the protective blanket that covers the tooth roots). The roots, which are not covered by hard enamel, contain thousands of tiny tubules leading to the tooth's never center (the pulp). These dentinal tubules (or channels) allow the stimuli – for example, the hot, cold, or sweet food – to reach the nerve in your tooth, which results in the pain you feel.

There are many factors that may lead to the development of tooth sensitivity, including.

Brushing too hard. Over time, brushing too hard or using a hard-bristled toothbrush can wear down enamel and cause the dentin to be exposed. It can also cause recession of the gums (the gum tissue pulls away from the teeth).

Recession of the gums. As gums move away from a tooth due to conditions such as periodontal disease, the root surface becomes exposed.

Gum disease (gingivitis). Inflamed and sore gum tissue may cause sensitivity due to the loss of supporting ligaments, which exposes the root surface that leads directly to the nerve of the tooth.

Cracked teeth. Chipped or broken teeth may fill with bacteria from plaque and enter the pulp causing Inflammation.

Teeth grinding. grinding or clenching your teeth may wear down the enamel and expose underlying dentin.

Tooth whitening products or toothpaste with baking soda and peroxide. These products are major contributors to teeth sensitivity.

Your age. Tooth sensitivity is highest between the ages of 25 and 30.

Plaque build-up. The presence of plaque on the root surfaces can cause sensitivity.

Mouthwash use. Long-term use of some mouthwashes. Some over-the-counter mouthwashes contain acids that can worsen tooth sensitivity if you have exposed dentin (the middle layer of the tooth). The acids further damage the dentin layer of the tooth. If you have dentin sensitivity, ask your dentist about the use of a neutral fluoride solution.

Acidic foods. Regular consumption of foods with a high acid content, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, pickles and tea, can cause enamel erosion.

Recent routine dental procedures. Sensitivity can occur following teeth cleaning, root planing, crown placement, and tooth restoration. Sensitivity caused by dental procedures is temporary, usually disappearing in 4 to 6 weeks.

[Invisible]

Thank you all so much for this vital information. I am buying this 'Green For Life Book" straightaway!!

So, including the greensmoothies into the lifestyle will make the raw food diet perfect?

[green jeanie]

for me it is definitely pitted fruit

i was freaking this summer during cherry and peach season

then i figured it out....slowed up on those and it stopped

now it is plum season

it is happening again ;)))