Hello. I haven’t said much lately, but I’ve still been around.
I was at the Dentist today for a small filling. I had a cleaning in May. I had been noticing tartar build up and I was confused as to why it was happening so soon. I asked so they sent a "Drill Sargent " hygienist in who proceeded to berate me. She grilled me on toothpaste, lack of flossing (which I do twice daily) and the toothbrush I use. She then asked about my “diet”. I assured her there is no sugar, alcohol, grains or junk food at all. …not even soda or fruit! I said that I eat meats, eggs, nuts and some greens now and then. She then insisted that that type of diet causes excess tartar build up?? Has anyone ever heard of this?
I’m just baffled. I would think eating like this would improve things ( and it mostly has)! Oh well…I’ll wait for some responses!
Surprise at the Dentist
Bafflement here, too, since I haven’t experienced that; the reverse, in fact.
Weston A. Price noticed that native peoples on their traditional diet almost never had dental problems. In fact, tooth decay and the associated troubles were the very first signs of ill health to appear after a population switched to processed Western food, especially refined grains and refined sugar.
That’s what I thought, too. I haven’t used a fluoride/tartar control toothpaste, so I am willing to try that. She was a beast!!
@Rebj Same experience as @PaulL above … My hygienist says my minimal tartar is a pleasure to see each visit. Gums are in superb shape. I floss (nightly) and, like you, don’t eat sugar or refined carbs. So I’m not sure why our similar routines would produce disparate results. Maybe there’s something to be said for genetics?
… Then it’s also time to switch to another hygienist or dental office. That’s unacceptable.
Pre-keto, I was flossing several times per day, brushing three times per day, still had so much tartar build up they had me on a 4 month schedule and lectured me, including on flossing.
After keto, I rarely floss, don’t use a fluoridated toothpaste, go every 6 months, and there is some tartar build up they take off. That’s it.
I did change dentists, though.
And it took a while, multiple years I seem to remember, to get to where I am now.
The Dentist (who was very nice) said it is likely genetic. Maybe she needs to retire!
When I switched to a low oxalate diet I had a brief period where my teeth developed a lot of tartar while I was dumping the oxalates that had built up in my body over the years. If you are eating low oxalate after maybe being someone who previously ate a lot of green smoothies or was a vegetarian or vegan in your past, you may be doing some light oxalate dumping.
Once my body was finished with the majority of the oxalate dumping, the tartar build up slowly went away.
It might possibly be genetics. I still have some tartar buildup, while eating very low levels of sugar. Not zero, but quite infrequent.
Hygienists are like Dermatologists, judgy douches. Always are. That’s when I’d go, oh ya? Got any science to back that up? I’d love to read it. Then watch them crap their pants.
Hello - you could try to change your tooth paste.
My experience is also the opposite of yours.
Pre-2016 I had to get a cleaning twice a year and still I got tartar that became visible because of drinking coffee and black tea.
Last time I went to see my dentist in July, 8 months after my last visit, he almost didn’t believe me when I said that I hadn’t just gotten my teeth cleaned. For the first time ever he didn’t even charge me!
I don’t want to sound as if I am promoting anything, but for me changing to dirty mouth tooth powder, which I also did a year in of changing to low-carb, also cleared my frequent canker sores.
Good luck
I use Uncle Harrys, both the paste in the jar and a powder, they do a WAY better job at scrubbing your teeth than the garbage in the tube could ever do, plus, not being poisoned with fluoride is nice. I’ll have to take a look at dirty mouth, never seen that one.
The only problem I’ve had where I live, is the complete lack of dental clinic services.
It seems that the only time you can get an appointment is when there is a dental emergency.
All blamed on Covid, of course.
I haven’t had a routine check up in years…but i do try to look after my knashers.
I’ve always had pretty poor, yellow teeth. However, I used to get cavities every year or so. Several years back I essentially stopped using flouridated toothpastes, as that supposedly messes up the mouth biome. Instead I began to mostly use Now Cinnafresh toothpaste - at least at night. I have never really used a mouthwash unless I got some kind of throat infection - same reason - it tends to mess up the mouth biome. However, I did for awhile use a mouthwash my dentists were making, which had nano-silver derived from plants… Not sure if it did much for my teeth, but my breath did seem slightly better in the morning. Back when I drank tea, like meretec, it would stain the back of my teeth especially. I no longer seem to have teeth staining or particular tartar buildup, but my teeth are still fairly yellow. I’ve always seemed to have some kind of collagen issue, and my guess is that a lack of collagen affected the formation of my teeth, which are essentially a mineralized collagen/protein matrix.
Dr Kevin Stock is a Dentist for career. Carnivore. Now remember too even if Keto Plan eater one can easily get info as a Keto eater is darn near in a way a carnivore heavy person too sometimes…so if ya google Dr Stock and info about teeth you got alot of resources to check out.
another:
The main bacteria which cause dental plaque and cavities are both Streptococcus spp. I recently changed my routine to include coconut oil. After I brush my teeth at night with cinnafresh toothpaste, I have started using a dab of coconut oil to brush my teeth and tongue again - which I do not rinse out. The lauric acid in coconut oil is very effective against these strains of Strep, while not killing out the rest of the beneficial mouth biome. I have noticed an improvement in my morning breath even though I am a snorer. I thought I would just mention this if others want to try it. I believe vitamin D3 and K2 levels are also an important factor in the body’s ability to repair its teeth.
Wow, it’s interesting to come across this discussion from a couple of years ago! Dental health topics never go out of style, and it’s great to see that people have been sharing their experiences and insights for a while now.
Rebecca, I hope you’ve found some answers or solutions to your dental concerns since then. Dental health can be a bit of a puzzle sometimes, and it’s essential to stay informed and seek advice from professionals when needed. If you’re still curious about dental care and related topics, you might want to check out https://meetmydentist.com/blog/. Even though this thread is a bit older, the blog could still have some valuable information to offer. Dental health is timeless, after all!