4 replies to this topic

[Mind]

Here is something I was unaware of, that diet could potentially reverse tooth decay. Changing your diet is a lot less expensive than dental work.

Reversing Tooth Decay

When enamel is poorly formed and the diet isn't adequate, enamel dissolves and decay sets in. Tooth decay is an opportunistic infection that takes advantage of poorly built or maintained teeth. If the diet remains inadequate, the tooth has to be filled or removed, or the person risks more serious complications.

Fortunately, a decaying or broken tooth has the ability to heal itself. Pulp contains cells called odontoblasts, which form new dentin if the diet is good. Here's what Dr. Edward Mellanby had to say about his wife's research on the subject. This is taken from Nutrition and Disease:

Since the days of John Hunter it has been known that when the enamel and dentine are injured by attrition or caries, teeth do not remain passive but respond to the injury by producing a reaction of the odontoblasts in the dental pulp in an area generally corresponding to the damaged tissue and resulting in a laying down of what is known as secondary dentine. In 1922 M. Mellanby proceeded to investigate this phenomenon under varying nutritional conditions and found that she could control the secondary dentine laid down in the teeth of animals as a reaction to attrition both in quality and quantity, independently of the original structure of the tooth. Thus, when a diet of high calci­fying qualities, ie., one rich in vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus was given to the dogs during the period of attrition, the new secondary dentine laid down was abundant and well formed whether the original structure of the teeth was good or bad. On the other hand, a diet rich in cereals and poor in vitamin D resulted in the production of secondary dentine either small in amount or poorly calcified, and this happened even if the primary dentine was well formed.

Also, what is up with phytic acid, and should it be avoided (in the diet) in cases other than when trying to repair tooth decay?

[JLL]

I've always had cavities ever since I was a kid. Back then everyone blamed either candy and coca-cola or lack of adequate brushing, so I eventually stopped eating candy and drinking sodas and started brushing my teeth more. Still had cavities, even as people around me were eating all kinds of candy, never brushing their teeth, and they had zero cavities.

Later, when I learned that all carbs are basically sugar, I thought my dental problems might have been related to eating bread, pasta, rice, etc. So I quit them too, and still had cavities.

Now I'm thinking I've very likely been deficient in vitamin D all my life, because we don't get much sun here in Finland, and the little we do get, I avoid because of my pale skin. Others in my family have less caries incidence and spend more time in the sun. I now supplement with 2,000 IU vitamin D3, but have yet to check my serum levels.

[imarobot]

This is going to sound unbelievable, especially since I'm the one who said one of my knuckles has recently grown back. But I don't lie about anything. I might be mistaken sometimes, but I don't make crap up.

Over the years, the top edges of my lower, front teeth have been wearing away. This was happening to three teeth. It got bad enough that I could see a cross-section of the tooth. Two of the three teeth have healed completely, while damage to the third (and worst) is much less obvious. I didn't know the repair was happening until I read the info on

I've removed wheat almost entirely from my diet. I've also increased the amount of daily D3 and K2.

[tunt01]

did you have gingivitis/periodontal disease on a mouth-wide basis or was it just the tops of your teeth were grinded down like from gritting your teeth or grinding your teeth at night?

Edited by prophets, 24 April 2009 - 05:27 PM.

[imarobot]

did you have gingivitis/periodontal disease on a mouth-wide basis or was it just the tops of your teeth were grinded down like from gritting your teeth or grinding your teeth at night?

Just the grinding. No periodontal disease. Not even a cavity in over a decade.

The top of the bottom front teeth rub against the inside of the top front teeth. I can feel the rubbing now when I clench my mouth a little. The angle at which the bottom front teeth were ground down matches the angle you'd expect when rubbing against the inside of the top teeth.

Edited by imarobot, 24 April 2009 - 06:02 PM.