How To Keep Your Teeth Beautiful and Healthy
Please note that I am not a medical professional or a scientist. Always use your own critical thinking, do your research, and consult with a healthcare provider before making any major changes to your life.
This post is all about oral health and how it relates to overall health and wellbeing. We are always taught to brush and floss our teeth and avoid excess sugar and acidic beverages but very little is taught about the importance of the right foods for skeletal development and how you can eat certain foods that will make your teeth and gums healthier. Similarly to your skin, hair, nails, mood, and digestion, your mouth is a direct reflection of your overall health and wellbeing. It is a gateway for everything that is going on in the body. Chronic diseases, nutritional deficiencies, suboptimal diets, and stress can all impact oral health and microbiome. Interestingly, the oral microbiome is the second-largest and diverse microbiota after the gut. However, even in the wellness world oral health doesn’t get too much attention, even though oral health can be a means through which we prevent diseases before they cause long-term illness.
Recently I started reading the book The Dental Diet by Dr. Steven Lin, who is an experienced functional dentist. In his book, Dr. Lin explains that our teeth are alive on the inside, and they need a very specific balance of minerals, vitamins and proteins to stay strong and fight off disease and decay. Our teeth are constantly building, maintaining, and protecting themselves. Yet, the modern diet is often missing the nutrients that are fundamental to oral health. On top of that, what is healthy for the mouth, is healthy for our whole being. If you are more interested in the importance of healthy nourishment for the teeth, you may also want to listen to this episode of the Weston A. Price Foundation with Dr. Steven Lin.
So, when did we start having dental diseases? There have been two major shifts in human history when our diets went off course. The first shift came about 10,000 years ago when humans transitioned from living as hunters and gatherers and started farming (the Agricultural Revolution). Consequently, our diets became lower in quality and less diverse, and the same happened to our oral microbiome. The second major shift happened in the 1850s, during the Industrial Revolution. For the first time people in the Western world had access to white flour and refined sugar and that’s when dental disease became common and the diversity of oral microbiome reduced drastically. At the same time our wisdom teeth stopped fitting into our jaw because of all the mass-produced soft foods. Like any other joint and bone in our body, our jaw needs stimulation to grow properly. The jaw continues to grow and develop in significant ways until the age of 18, but after that it still continues to change in smaller ways throughout our lifetime. Anthropologists know this well: fossil records tell dental disease was present but very rare among ancient Egyptians, and most of them had perfectly straight teeth. And the same has been observed more recently among native and nomadic tribes in North America, South America, and Africa.
Crooked teeth are a sign of a deeper underlying problem. Dr. Lin explains clearly in his book the epigenetic model of crooked teeth and shares that if children are fed the right foods and they learn to breathe properly through the nose, their skeletal system will develop in the manner it was designed. The sad thing is that when teeth are misshapen, other facial structures are often too.
Oral Microbiome
According to Dr. Gerry Curatola, who has a background in alternative medicine with over decades of experience of conducting and studying oral microbiome research, there are no good or bad bacteria. They either behave well or poorly depending on the condition of the terrain. And this is exactly what I also hugely believe in and therefore, maintaining homeostasis (a state of balance) in the mouth and the entire body is essential. Unfortunately, in modern western medicine we so hugely believe in the germ theory, which is so outdated! In naturopathic medicine it is well understood that disease is about not the seed (bacteria) but the soil (microbial terrain). It’s the highly acidic and inflamed body that is “fertile soil” for all kinds of horrible diseases and premature aging. A healthy body has a healthy immune system and microbiome, which knows exactly how to keep things in balance and fight against foreign invaders. Often we tend to mess up with this beautifully organized system with horrific dietary and lifestyle choices as well as with toxic chemicals and pharmaceutical products that have nothing to do with nature.
Dr. Curatola explains that in the mouth, the community mainly consists of bacterial organisms, known as the oral microbiome. It performs several vital functions to keep your mouth and body healthy. For instance, these smart guys transport minerals to aid in remineralization of your teeth, carry oxygen to the gums, and eliminate waste products from the tissue surface. A balanced oral microbiome is mostly aerobic, meaning they need oxygen to live. There are several signs of imbalanced oral microbiome, such as bad breath, bleeding gums, and frequent tooth decay.
Oral health is a very important topic because everything in the body is connected. Bacterial infections in the mouth can spread to the rest of the body. Several studies have shown how flossing can help to prevent other serious diseases later in life, such as stroke, and diabetes. Studies have also shown how bacteria that cause gum disease is associated with the development of dementia. And of course, dental hygiene is part of good manners: you don’t want people to run away from you because of your bad breath! Furthermore, only a healthy mouth is attractive. No one wants to get all kinds nasty diseases or bacteria from someone else’s mouth.
Common Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Teeth
Not brushing and flossing your teeth properly
You would assume that brushing your teeth twice a day is common sense but there are still many people who brush their teeth only once a day or even less than that. You want to clean your entire mouth - including your tongue. I always brush my tongue and sometimes use a tongue scraper but a normal toothbrush usually works just fine. After eating, always remember to wait 30 minutes to an hour before brushing your teeth because brushing too early can weaken tooth enamel. What I highly recommend is to rinse your mouth out with clean water after a meal to help neutralize the pH-level in the mouth. It’s highly important to include interdental cleaning by flossing and or by using interdental brushes to remove plaque or food in between your teeth. Don’t brush your teeth too hard because that can wear down and harm enamel and gums. I always use extra soft toothbrushes. I don’t use electric toothbrushes. I used an electronic one for a while in the past but I found it a bit too clumsy.
Harmful oral-care products
As Dr. Curatola explains, many oral-care products are detergent- or alcohol-based, aiming to kill most bacteria even though a healthy oral microbiome is needed for a healthy mouth. I haven’t used commercial brands since I started eating fully vegan. Not all toothpastes are vegan or cruelty free. While trying to make sense of the ingredients of big-brand toothpaste options can be like trying to understand astrophysics, I have found it easier to choose only natural toothpaste options that are clearly marked as vegan.
Eating and drinking acidic and sugary foods
Eating a high sugar diet is a disaster plan for your teeth. As discussed, many different types of bacteria live in your mouth. It’s the processed sugar that attracts badly-behaving bacteria. Since our body (including the mouth) always wants to stay in neutral pH level, these acids lead to demineralization because they remove minerals from the tooth enamel (the shiny, protective, outer layer of your tooth). This can lead to cavities and stained teeth. In a healthy mouth, saliva helps to reverse this damage through remineralization.
A low pH in the mouth can lead to oral microbiome imbalances. An acidic pH level lower than 7 can cause damage to your teeth. For this reason not just sugar but highly acidic foods can ruin your enamel for good. Soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and flavoured waters can damage your teeth. For example, many flavored waters include citric acid. Even some “health-promoting” drinks, such as kombucha, can cause serious damage because they can be high in sugar and acid. When it comes to alcohol, choose less sugary drinks like dry wine or vodka instead of sugary cocktails and mocktails. If you drink something sugary or acidic, consider using a straw. This will give your teeth less exposure to the harmful effects of sugar and acid. When it comes to fruit consumption, I wouldn’t worry too much about it as long as you are not eating hard foods straight after (such as nuts or crackers) and eat them with your meals instead of snacking. I rarely eat dried fruits (raisins, figs, cranberries, etc.) because they tend to be high in sugar and very sticky.
Stress
Stress can have negative effects on every cell in your body. In the mouth it can decrease salivary flow. Having enough saliva is essential for beautiful teeth and healthy gums because it is needed for the oral immune system and continuous remineralization of teeth. Saliva carries ionic minerals like calcium and phosphorus. In addition, stress can make the pH in the mouth drop, and also promote unhealthy grinding and clenching of teeth.
Tobacco products
If you are truly interested in everything health and wellness related, you are very unlikely to consume tobacco products. Unfortunately - despite all the information out there - there are still individuals who consume these beauty damaging and premature-aging-causing toxic products. This is my opinion but I find electronic cigarettes gross too. It is that awful smell they have and they aren’t free of toxins either.
Constant snacking
Frequent snacking keeps your teeth exposed to the dissolving effects of various acids. And it’s not just your oral health that suffers but your metabolic health as well. I have discussed in my previous posts how constant eating keeps your insulin levels high (insulin is a fat storage hormone) and over time, this can lead to weight gain.
Oxygen - The Number One Nutrient
This is something we do not often even think about but every cell in our body needs oxygen. As Dr. Lin explains in his book, your body needs oxygen more than any other nutrient. Our cells need it to create energy. Nowadays most of us are mouth breathers, which has a huge effect on the development of our facial bone structure. For the jaw to develop properly, the tongue needs to sit at the top of the mouth, and we need to breathe through the nose. If the jaw bones don’t develop properly (height, width, depth), it can lead to things like obstructed airways, crooked teeth, teeth grinding, sleep apnea, digestive issues, etc.
Nourishment For a Healthy Mouth
Beautiful foods make you look and feel more beautiful - including your teeth. Your teeth, gums, and microbiomes need the right nutrients to keep things in a healthy balance. A pH level 7.5 and higher can help to remineralize the teeth. For this reason, adopting a diet high in alkaline foods can help to keep saliva more alkaline. Only plant foods are truly alkaline in nature. Every now and then I see articles and videos about how a vegan diet can ruin your teeth by causing erosion and cavities. I have been eating 100% plant-based (vegan) since the spring of 2013 (for over 9 years now) and it has caused me zero dental issues. I had an appointment with a dentist a couple of weeks ago and again, no oral health problems. Having said that, vegan or mainly based diets are not the root cause for oral health diseases. Eating raw, tough, fibrous foods helps to keep your jaw joints healthy.
To keep your teeth strong and healthy, make sure you get enough calcium, vitamin D, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is essential: it works with vitamin D and A, and helps to carry minerals (calcium) into bones and teeth. Here’s a list of great plant-based sources:
Calcium: strong leafy greens, broccoli, sesame seeds, chia seeds, almonds, oranges
Vitamin A: orange fruits and vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, papaya)
Vitamin D: wild mushrooms, fortified plant-based milks, fortified nutritional yeast
Vitamin K2: fermented foods, natto, tempeh
Please do not be afraid of healthy fats because they are needed for fat-soluble vitamin A, D, and K2.
Dental Care - What I Do
I had braces when I was a teenager and had all kinds of fixed and removable retainers until my early twenties. I also had to do all kinds of breathing, and tongue exercises because I was a chronic mouth-breather. Today I still have fixed retainers on the inside of my front teeth. I haven’t had any issues with my fixed retainers, which is why I haven’t bothered to have them removed. Because of the covid, I had a 3-year gap between my appointments with a dentist. Normally I see a dentist every two years - that’s what they recommend here for individuals with healthy teeth and gums - and have annual check-ups with a dental hygienist. I think it is important to have regular check ups to make sure there are no hidden issues in your mouth.
I always brush my teeth at least twice a day: first thing in the morning and before going to bed. Every evening I also floss and or use interdental brushes to clean in between my teeth and behind the retention wires. I always use natural toothpaste. Sometimes it includes fluoride, sometimes it does not. My absolute favourite is Dr. Bronner, but I also use Ecodenta and Frantsila. Every now and then I use fluoride-free Expert Black Whitening from Ecodenta which comes with black charcoal. By the way, this post is not sponsored by any brands! Whether or not one should use a fluoride toothpaste, I seriously don’t know. Too much fluoride can cause health issues, and in certain countries fluoride is added to water supply and therefore, in these regions there is no reason to add more fluoride to the mouth.
I avoid drinking anything dark that is known to make the teeth yellowish. I do have a cup of coffee in the morning but I always add a little bit of plant-based milk in it and always drink water afterwards not just to rinse out my mouth but also to hydrate the body since coffee is dehydrating. I highly recommend listening to Nadine Artemis on the Model Health Show with Shawn Stevenson, where she shares how you can keep your mouth healthy with practical tips and your teeth naturally white. I have never had chemical whitening, but what I have noticed is that a healthy diet certainly helps to keep teeth relatively white.
I haven’t consumed chewing gum for years. I used to be addicted to sugar-free xylitol chewing gums. Dr. Curatola also believes that sugarless chewing gums that use sugar alcohols as sweetening ingredients (like xylitol and sorbitol) are junk and problematic because they are not metabolized by the human body. Commercial brands tend to contain all kinds of weird chemicals, such as aspartame, which is a toxin for the brain. It’s better to just rinse the mouth with clean water after a meal. Moreover, excess chewing gum consumption can cause stomach pain and gassiness.
Hope you found this post valuable. Take care of your pretty mouth so that you can share your smile with the world!
Sending you all lots of love!
RESOURCES:
Articles:
Goop: Understanding the Microbiome in Your Mouth
Books:
The Dental Diet by Dr. Steven Lin
Podcasts:
Wise Traditions Podcast Ep. 128: Myth-Busting Dental Health with Dr. Steven Lin