teeth trouble since RAW!

[aililiu]

ive been raw almost 9 weeks now. around the same time i went raw i also stopped using toothpaste with flouride, and started using more natural types "tom's of maine" & "green beaver". ive always had gorgeous strong healthy teeth and have never had a cavity. for the past while though it seems like ive a lot more plaque on my teeth, more white on my tongue. now ive got a tooth at the back that has a VERY sensitive spot on it, like it HURTS when i touch it, and i tried to floss around it to clean it and it started bleeding, and i dont usually have trouble with flossing. im getting really worried and wondering if i should go back to my old toothpaste, as i never had this trouble before? ive just read so much about flouride being awful for you i was glad to be rid of it, but i certainly want my teeth to be healthy.

any suggestions or insight?

[JennaBoBenna]

I've been using baking soda for the past couple of days, it makes my mouth feel really good :) I think I heard someone saying that Tom's has glycerin in it, so that could be the culprit.
I hope your tooth troubles go away!! Sorry to hear that you're having a rough time :/

[Sunshine9]

how do you know you have a cavity? I think it's normal for our teeth to go through ups and downs with sensetivity. Did a dentist tell you that?

I don't like tom's toothpastes. I brush with diluted hydrogen peroxide (not for metal in the mouth), or essential oils.

If you DO have a cavity, get it fixed and then just maintain awesome oral hygiene. gargling with sea salt water or hydrogen peroxide is wonderful. flossing, especially with HP on it.

nutritionally as well, upping greens and decreasing anything acidic in your system.

:)

[raw-siobhan]

I used to be a dental assistant when I was younger. Here is what I can suggest to address the extra plaque you seem to be encountering...
1. Use water and a soft to medium toothbrush (soft just doesnt cut it for me) and scrub (not hard) in circular motions on all surfaces of your teeth (front, back, tongue side, and cheek side, and the actual chewing surface).
2. If you feel you need something on your brush besides the water then try a bit of baking soda...it isnt much on taste but it does have an abrasive element to it.
3. With regards to the sensitivity, is it possible that you might be scrubbing harder than before to compensate for your change in toothepaste? Other than that I dont really know why that is happening. Perhaps a visit to the dentist for a check up with x-rays might help to see if there is a cavity forming there.

I hope this is helpful. Best of luck to you. :)

[lydias]

http://www.perfect-prescription.com/index.html

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/toothsoap.html

HOpe these sites work,
you dont want to use anything with vegetable glycerin in it
anyway, tooth soap makes your teeth stronger and is natural, the other natural tooth pastes will actually make your teeth worse
Frederick Patenaude explains in his articles.

Also , eat tons of greens, green smoothies....

I used to use the other tooth pasted too.

Also on the health related threads there is info on oil pulling. Oil pulling will help detox your body but one thing it automatically does is: whiten your teeth naturally, pull out the plaque, and tighten your gums if you have any problems,
i think its oilpulling.com

Hope that helps!:)

[beppa66]

You may want to try oil pulling.
I used to grow plaque at an alarming rate even with regular visits to my dentist.
(I produce too much saliva and it pools by the bottom teeth and that's where it forms)
But since doing the oil pulling my gums are healthier, and plaque is less apt to form.
(?) Don't know if it is from the raw or oil pulling (?)

Good luck.

[chilove]

Hello there,

I'm sorry that you are having problems with your teeth, but I just wanted to reassure you that it has nothing to do with going raw. There is no way that changing your diet for nine weeks can affect your teeth. Keep on with raw, you are on the right track! :-)

Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[Linda1970]

Hi Aililiu,

I also had a lot of teeth pain/sensitivities/bleeding issues when I first went raw. For me, it was all a detox symptom. So amazing. I thought for sure I got lots of cavities, but it turned out that I didn't have any cavities when I went to my dentist for cleaning. It is very rare for me not to have cavities, but raw amazingly prevented that. I also switched to baking soda around the same time that I started raw.

[aililiu]

wow, thanks for all the answer :)

i never knew that glycerin was bad ill def. be on the lookout for that now, cheers. and ill try the baking soda.

ive never had a cavity before, or any teeth trouble so i have no idea what one feels like! lol. so naturally i was panicking. im still worried. it hurts a LOT when i touch it.

even though ive heard it mentioned a lot around here the thought of putting hydrogen peroxide in my mouth freaks me out i know it even says on the bottle you can. it just seems strange. lol. i could try it though.

ive never seen any tooth soap in the stores. hmm. maybe ill ask around for it.

i could try the oil pulling as well!

linda thank you so much for your post. it made me feel more hopeful.

if its still hurting in a couple days though i might go see the dentist. hell probably insist that i start using flouride again or something. ugh.

anyways, thanks!

liliu

[lydias]

wow, i dont have any cavities either!!! so I know what you mean!!

the oil pulling will immediately help, :)

I also have one of those good electric toothbrushes.

I dont think you did any damage to your teeth using the toothpast for that short of a time though.

They say when you're deficient or detoxing your body is taking minerals from bones and muscles. And teeth are part of the bones. I read alot of stories of people improving their teeth with green smoothies. Lots of green has the calcium and minerals you need. Victoria Butenko wrote the book on those called Green for Life. I believe she uses soap to brush her teeth as well.

With the oil pulling, greens, new toothsoap (taste will get some getting used to and use the shreds not liquid is what I read)
- your dentist will be amazed, dont say anything to them.
Mine was like, wow, hardly no plaque at all

hee hee, I felt inside!:)

[lydias]

i dont see the toothsoap in stores or health food stores either

think you can order from website above or google tooth soap perfect prescription

i know you can use some essential oils with teeth brushing

[Little Mango]

I have kind of the same problem. My gums have been bleeding badly lately and now I find that my front teeth (lower and upper) are moving slightly. This is freaking me out and making me really sad. I too have had really healthy teeth my whole life and every trip to the dentist was no problem. I stopped using colgate and switched to a HFS natural one. Maybe this is the baddy?

I am scared to oil pull again coz I know that it leaches toxins out but, the last thing I need are more toxins in my gums.

Sorry to hijack the thread....I don't know what to do. I have a dental appointment in a couple of weeks and am scared.

[sbaker]

if i remember correctly.....didn't you say before you were pregnant? my friend got 4 cavities when she was pregnant because her body was lacking calcium! I am 25 weeks and i try to eat things that contain it, just in case. If you are lacking it the baby will steal it from you, and leave you with issues! I'd be careful with the baking soda, its great every now and then, but all the time it can be too abrasive. I use some natural jason's brand "from the sea" or something and its working pretty well. I switched when i got pregnant too because of all of the nasty chemicals in the regular stuff.

[Little Mango]

No, I've never been pregnant, but, the docs said I did have a calcium deficiency a few months ago. It was actually a life threatening one. It was caused by Vitamin D deficiency. SO now I do a blood test every 3 months just to make sure.

[Rawkinlocs]

Wanted to add some positive, inspirational stories here for encouragement:

Dental plaque that would not go away pre-raw, now gone with raw:
http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.ph...ghlight=plaque

Young girl who thought her gums were receeding got a clean bill of health from her dentist visit:
http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.ph...hlight=dentist (this is the start where she was concerned but if you go to the last page, you'll see her update!)

People had teeth improvements since GOING raw: (this is an old thread in the Archives but part of the questionnaire was about tooth issues and improvements)
http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.ph...teeth+improved

I'm not sure why some raw vegans have dental issues and some do not and there are a number of "theories" and schools of thought on it (some say it's the mouth/teeth detoxing...some say it's deficiency...some say it's whatever) but I can see that going from fluoride to none would bring about some changes as your teeth and mouth are used to that - kinda like with anything else that we "band-aid up" and once you eliminate it, your body reacts.

But just keep flossing, rinsing after eating especially sweet fruits or citrus fruits (or if rinsing is not feasible, drink some water) and if concerned, check with your dentist to see if there really IS cause for alarm or not. Also, try going back to your old toothpaste and see if it makes a difference or not. I know I've read that fluoride is bad, but never REALLY looked into it or why that is. Also it's been said that the glycerin in commercial toothpastes coats the teeth and prevents remineralization...not sure how true that is either. But you do what you have to do!