So, the other day I was looking in the mirror and dropped my jaw at the huge increase in plaque on my teeth. I have always had a little bit of plaque develop between my six-month cleanings, but this seems way more than normal.
My diet has not changed at all. Very strict keto. Plenty of water. The only supplement change I have made recently is adding a Trace Mineral supplement. Any thoughts?
Edit: Oh, I do want to say I do floss once a day, and brush 2X a day. I use flossers which I know are not as great as regular floss – just my preference.
You may have some kind of persistent condition like gingivitis or periodontitis?
Not that this is the same but I had a dog that had terrible teeth/breath which included tons of plaque. She had her teeth cleaned and within a few short days, the bad breath was back and before long, her teeth looked bad again. I was feeding her low quality kibble. Poor thing … I didn’t know any better and the vet didn’t seem to either.
I think dental health can be systemic. Even if you have improved your diet, you may have a condition that is persistent. Mouth wash of some sort may help?
You know, I’ve had this happen too. Was bad, then got better, then got bad again. Not exactly sure why, though I did start eating more chocolate again. That might be bad. But I also had been doing everything perfectly, yet still had a ton of calcification. Went on cleaning every 4 months. Other than chocolate, haven’t figured out why.
Sounds like you have a highly compliant oral hygiene regimen. One additional thought as recommended by our dental hygienist: rinse/gargle each night with hydrogen peroxide (over-the-counter, I think it’s typically 2% solution?).
It’s a whitener but more importantly it’s a bacteria killer. To the extent that bacteria are involved with your mouth’s biome that are increasing plaque, it may help mitigate the effect. Also helps whiten a bit after coffee and chocolate.
Very cheap stuff that’s always good to have around the house for cuts, too.
Most mouthwashes just shy of sterilize your mouth, plaque/tarter are bacterial biofilms, sounds good, but just like our guts, we need the good stuff to keep the bad stuff in check.
Look into toothpastes that support your oral microbiome and ideally contain hydroxyappetite which is what our teeth naturally use to toughen themselves up and form enamel.
I’m a lot worse. I eat 60-70% chocolate, and usually too much of it. I just think it tastes better. And I can’t find on with allulose, and don’t have time to make (or figure out how to make) myself. So, that contributes to my problem, most likely.
Not sure this solves your time problem, but making 100% dark chocolate is super easy…
Melt coconut oil (solid at room temp - liquid at very low temps on stove) + 100% cacao powder + a splash of vanilla extract + a dash of organic stevia powder to taste for as much or as little “sweetness” as desired. Essentially zero carb.
I pour the liquid mix into tiny mini-cupcake “foils” (actually, paper) laid on a flat cookie pan. Often I’ll sprinkle in some unsweetened coconut flakes. Then chill in the fridge for a while.
Once hardened, pile them up (keeping them inside their individual paper “foils”) in a jar or some such. Serve them right out of the fridge. They last forever.
My wife loves them. And they keep her from hankering for sugar-based chocolate.
Consider trying Closys Mouthwash. It contain stabilized Chlorine Dioxide and will likely help you. I would use it after brushing teeth. They have a silver one with flouride too.
PaulL
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?)
#11
Dental plaque can be a sign of oxalate dumping. Try eating more chocolate to see if the plaque formation slows down. Although plaque is not as bad as some of the other ways the body can rid itself of oxalates. (Those crystals are sharp, and they can do damage on the way out, even though shedding stored oxalates is generally a good thing.)
The idea is that the rate of intake controls the rate of shedding oxalates. Too little oxalate intake allows the body to get rid of stored oxalates, but the dumping process can be painful or have other unpleasant effects. Too much oxalate, and the body stores it all. There is a middle intake in which the body can still dump oxalates, but at a safer, more-pleasant rate.
So as long as the chocolate is unsweetened, a moderate amount might help. That or an occasional cup of herbal tea.
One thing I’ve found that actually seems to help is oil pulling. This is basically swishing oil in your mouth for a while and spitting it out. I’ve only used coconut oil I started doing this morning and night, but I found night to be too hard to do (you’re supposed to swish for multiple minutes, like 10-15). Much easier in the morning, as I can put the (typically hard) oil in my mouth, then shower, shave, etc., and get the time in. At night, I want to read a book, and it’s hard to swish for that long.
@PaulL Sorry, Paul. I think 100% chocolate tastes terrible, with a bad texture. I know many people don’t, but every time I do a taste test between 90, 80, 70, and 60 percent chocolates, 70 % is about as high as I can get for most chocolates before they taste bad and chalky. It does depend on the chocolate, but the 90+ ones I can stand are too expensive.
My goal is to get rid of chocolate, but the stress level here is high. Wife has shingles due to the stress level Oldest is graduating high school. Youngest has PANS/PANDAS and tried to kill herself. Been in mental hospitals and places for 4+ months and just got home. Going to all day counseling. Have all sharp instrument locked up because she was cutting herself. All drugs locked up because she tried to overdose. Chocolate helps me get along, remain sane. The least carb-heavy thing I can eat without going overboard. Still have 0.2-0.5 mmol/l ketones every morning.
Indeed, chocolate is super easy to make. We make simple, not true ones too, I did try adding cocoa butter but it didn’t make it noticeably better, just way more expensive and harder to make. I put a little coffee in it, that’s essential in my eyes…
Even without this stuff, my SO and I wouldn’t eat the sugary kind. Oh and we don’t like over 70% chocolate but ours is fine for us (each to their own, we prefer different coconut oil/cocoa powder ratio).
Never could make my fav, milk chocolate, though… But one can live without that. There are so many nice milky/creamy cocoa keto desserts… (And for milk chocolate - I still think fondly of that -, I rather mix my dark one with a little bit of white chocolate. It’s still sugary so I don’t really like that solution but it’s little sugar as I can’t stand super sweet chocolate. It IS dark but a tad lighter than usual )
Oh we wish It never lasts long in this household (my SO makes a 370g batch every week. it’s a staple food for him). We have it in a jar, in one big block, by the way… It gets pretty hard in winter (we keep it at room temp) but that’s not my problem but the big chocolate eater’s (nope, he is fine with mining the stuff)…
Same! Well it was ages ago I tested various chocolates but yep, 60-70% is good, above not so much. I rather use my own anyway. Mine is what, 35-40% cocoa when unsweetened? But it’s not comparable as I only use coconut oil (and sometimes butter, only for one portion as it spoils).
And with all this chocolate talk I hopefully will be able to do some carnivore days now… Talking helps me but it’s not like I desire chocolate on carnivore anyway.
It just occurred to me that I need to swallow saliva quite a bit. In other words, maybe I am producing more than is normal. I was able to schedule a cleaning in a few weeks, so I will ask my dentist what may be causing excessive saliva.
Not sure about use of “cocao butter” - which I’ve never used. Our recipe (above) involves coconut oil [solid white at room temperature] and cacao powder [finely ground chocolate dust]. I guess all these overlapping terms invite confusion about which is which.
I suggest taking a probiotic capsule, break it open and make a paste in your mouth and smear the paste all over your gum line. It might take more that one capsule. Just let it stay there, you will eventually swallow it all anyway.
Strongly suggest you ditch the mouthwash. The alcohol kills all the microbes in your mouth. Good and bad. Affects your production of nitrates.
Don’t know if you sweeten your beverages, but suggest you use Xylitol to do so, or make a mouthwash of 3 teaspoons Xylitol to a cup of water and use that as a mouthwash morning and evening. Really helped to keep me plaque free.
Changes in plaque are fairly common with keto/carnivore; it’s due to keto hormonal changes and the body’s calcium/magnesium/vitamin K balance. My doctor told me to take Vitamin K; it’s made a world of difference. The advice below regarding probiotics is also good; the oral microbiome is the first location along the gut microbiome journey. Eating a bit of fermented food like sauerkraut or kimchi will also help with the oral balance. Just make sure it’s genuinely fermented and not just a vinegar product. Small amounts are helpful and won’t throw you out of ketosis.
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It never lasts long in this household (my SO makes a 370g batch every week. it’s a staple food for him). We have it in a jar, in one big block, by the way… It gets pretty hard in winter (we keep it at room temp) but that’s not my problem but the big chocolate eater’s (nope, he is fine with mining the stuff)…