Teeth and raw.....

[blueberry]

I have been hearing so many conflicting stories about the effect that raw foods have on teeth! Is there anyone here who can let me know the truth! What does raw do to your teeth in time? Is it true that in time raw will corrode our teeth or are there certain things we should avoid or add to our diet to keep our teeth healthy? I have nightmares about my teeth falling out and so far that is the only bad thing that I have really heard about eating raw food. Can anyone dispell this theory?

[rawvegirl]

There are many conflicting messages about teeth. So I'll tell you about what I've read and what makes sense to me (since my experience is limited).

Some blame the fruit; others blame the nuts and seeds. I tend to believe it's the nuts and seeds because they are acid-forming; fruit is not -unless you were to eat tons of citrus fruits every day. The large majority of your foods should be alkaline-forming. Also, it is important to get enough minerals. Eat (or drink) your veggies. Be sure to include plenty of dark green leafy veggies. I eat lots of kale for calcium, but keep in mind calcium is not the only mineral necessary for strong gums and teeth. You also need magnesium, silicon, phosphorus and other trace minerals. So a variety of greens should do you good, since they tend to be high in many minerals.

Research has also been done that points to the phenomenon of biotransmutation, in which elements transmute into other elements within living organisms. As an example, we all know that chickens produce calcium-rich eggshells. If chickens, with not much calcium in their diet, eat mica off the ground, which is rich in silica, they produce much harder shells than those who have no silica in their diet. (Silica is found in young shoots and leaves) If you want to learn more about this, I would recommend C. Louis Cervran's "Biological Transmutations".

Another important thing to consider is the issue of snacking. Many raw fooders, since their diet is light, snack frequently. That means, unless you clean your teeth after each time you eat, your food has a longer contact with your teeth, aiding erosion. It's often recommended to brush your teeth after eating any nuts, seeds, or dried fruits and at least rinse your mouth out after eating any fruit. I try to follow these recommendations myself.

As you can tell, this is an issue that concerns me quite a bit. I also have nightmares about my teeth falling out - in fact they're my worst nightmares! :D Hope this dispels some of your fears.

[corky]

Good post, and of course dried fruits also being horrible--that one i heard as really bad and read a story of someone who had too much in his early raw days, lost many teeth and then changed his ways. He wished he would have known that sooner. So i really watch the fruit leathers and anything dry as it really sticks onto the teeth--at least the fruit you can rinse easy with some water.

[Rawkinlocs]

I haven't been raw long enough to give any personal experience, but had/have my own theories and it pretty much aligns with what Rawvegirl and corky said.

Taking care to make sure your dental hygiene is up to par (i.e. rinsing and when possible brushing or eating an apple) after each "dried" meal (rinse after citrus) is key as well as making sure you get your greens in!

Good post rawvegirl! ;)

[glad_2beme]

dental hygiene is necessary no matter what we are eating. SAD offers all kinds of things to ROT your teeth quickly. Common sense in whatever we do is necessary, just take care of yourself.

[lvg4him]

I can only speak from my experience. I am not all raw, but am high raw (working my way to 100%). I have had problems with my gum pockets (a number of 4 means trouble and 5 means really bad trouble) for about 2 years now. I usually have numbers lots of 4's and a few threes. After about 4 months high raw, my gum pockets have gone to mostly 3's and a few 4's. The dentist told me that whatever I was doing to keep it up!

My diet is mostly fruit. I drink about two fruit smoothies a day (only ingredients are bananas and frozen fruit). I drink about 2 - 3 liters of water a day. I eat one HUGE salad a day (I read somewhere that chewing greens is good for dental hygeine but don't remember where or why). I limit dried fruit, nuts and seeds, oils and fats. I do have about 1/2 an avocado a day or about 1/4 cup nuts/seeds a day (nuts or avocados).

Anyways, I do try to brush at least once a day and floss at least once a day (if not at least once a week). I do try to drink water shortly after every meal and do a rinse during that time.

I have not had any more cavities since going high raw, but won't know for certain until I get x-rays done so they can see in-between the teeth.

HTH!