Toothaches, gum inflammation, weakened tooth enamel, all of these can have you booking an appointment with your dentist. You can help prevent these common issues with some simple dietary, lifestyle and supplementation changes with a holistic approach to dental care.
Teeth
Tooth enamel only grows when our teeth are still in our gums as children. Cells called ameloblasts build tooth enamel, but can only do so if they are beneath the gums. To help our children grow strong teeth,these ameloblasts need a few core nutrients to build tooth enamel; they are Calcium, Phosphorus, and Vitamins C, D, K, and A.
The main dietary source of phosphorus is through high-quality proteins including grass-fed and organic meats, or organic plant-based proteins. Dark leafy greens like broccoli or spinach provide high quality and bio-available calcium, vitamin C, K, and A. If you have picky eaters, supporting their growth with a multivitamin or a kids nutrition smoothie can help fill in the nutrient gaps.
Once our teeth are fully grown, we cannot build, or rebuild tooth enamel
Similar to how the first rule of de-toxing is to stop adding toxins, the best way to protect tooth enamel is by not exposing the tooth enamel to harmful substances. People often say that candy will rot your teeth, they are not wrong; however, it’s not specifically the candy, sugar, or acidic sodas and juices that can damge tooth enamel.
Chronic acidity provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria that break down tooth enamel, and can you guess their favourite food?
Sugar!
Avoiding feeding sugars to the bacteria in your mouth while working to promote a less acidic oral environment can go a long way to protecting your teeth in the long-run. If you do feed your oral bacteria simple sugars, do your best to brush shortly after. This preventative dental care implies that you don’t need to use fluoridated toothpaste to protect your enamel.
Fluoride has been shown to harden bodily tissues which is why it is thought to harden teeth too, but caution should be used as it can negatively impact other tissues of the body.
Saliva
Saliva helps to control the acid:alkaline balance, known as the pH level, in our mouths. Saliva is normally only slightly acidic or slightly alkaline to try and balance the pH of the mouth. While saliva controls the pH of our mouth, the pH of saliva is controlled by our many mineral-balancing hormones. Saliva is created by the salivary glands in the mouth by filtering blood.
Our body does everything it can to remove excess acidity from the bloodstream, often causing our saliva to become more acidic and our bones to lose minerals, potentially leading to osteoporosis. Saliva is more than just a liquid to balance our bodies, it contains enzymes, minerals, and other natural products that all help with the digestion of carbohydrates.
Eating a variety of alkalizing plant foods each day, while supplementing extra greens, antioxidants, and trace minerals helps to support the whole body’s pH balance. If you are at risk of osteoporosis, you may want to consider a bone support supplement in addition.
Gums
During the 16th and 18th centuries, thousands of sailors perished from a strange disease that would later be known as scurvy. One of the most common symptoms of scurvy is loose teeth and inflamed gums. Scurvy is a connective tissue disorder caused by a deficiency in Vitamin C. Early signs of gum and tooth issues can be red, painful, and bleeding gums that are often accompanied by heavy buildups of plaque and tartar.
Plaque and tartar are a combination of the byproducts made by the enamel destroying bacteria and the minerals found in your saliva. Plaque and tartar are best managed by dental care and adequate oral hygiene practices like brushing, rinsing, and flossing after meals and before bed.
Connective tissue is found everywhere in our bodies, including skin, hair, nails, joints, and the digestive tract. All connective tissues, including our gums, benefit from dietary and supplemental sources of collagen, vitamin c, glucosamine, msm, and halyuronic acid. By keeping the whole body’s connective tissues healthy, we know that our teeth and gums will be healthy
What we choose to eat, and how we choose to supplement not only affects our body tissues, but all of the microbes living within it. The holistic view of oral health doesn’t only see teeth, gums and saliva, but also sees the whole body as an integrated unit.
Making beneficial diet, lifestyle, and supplementation choices can help contribute to a virtuous cycle of health, not only helping to prevent disease, but also add to your total quality of life and improve your dental health.
In Good Health,
Better Living Wellness Clinic
Wellness Clinic & Health Store
Natural Health Store Etobicoke
416-249-1895
