hey everyone,

my teeth have always been perfect - dentists have loved me my whole life.

couple months ago i got an electric toothbrush and noticed that my teeth got even whiter after that, and i attributed it to the toothbrush and going raw. ive been 100% raw about 8 months now.

i just noticed my teeth looking a bit yellower than usual, and did a proper inspection today. some of them are yellow and have brownish stuff i cant scrape off, some are a bit translucent, and i have A CAVITY! im 21 and ive never had ANYTHING done to my teeth, never had any cavities, nothing. It's small and full of brown stuff but is a cavity nonetheless.

i eat a balanced diet, lots of greens, not too much agave. i do eat a lot of dates though, and am gonna cut them out now. i dont eat heaps of nuts and seeds either, nor dried fruit (i was eating all of these when i was cooked vegan anyway).

what the hell is going on! why has raw given me cavities? im so upset

im beginning to feel like the benefits of raw are being outweighed by the bad side effects...my skin is terrible and my teeth are bad for the first time in my life

i had a problem with my teeth years ago and was fed up with the dentist - that's when i decided to find an alternative - i searched the web and found this site and the articles - especially the ones on wheatgrass juice.

now every single day i have wheatgrass in the morning - but the most important thing is that i swish it around in my mouth for 5 min.- it's warm by the time i swallow it! however, wheatgrass juice will pull the toxins from your gums
I then rinse my mouth with plain water ( always after everything i ingest because there is sugar in everything!)

i haven't been back to the dentist since i found wheatgrass juice and i haven't had a problem since - i might add that i had a root canal on a lower back tooth and never had a cap put on it.

over the years the wheatgrass juice has pulled out all the crap the dentist filled the tooth with and there is bone or tooth still growning there along with gum (there's no hole left for anything to get into - it all filled in!)

i hope this helps you - good luck with your teeth - you've got a long way to go with them!!!

Wheatgrass-it does this body good!

For healthy teeth and gums, don't eat anything that collects between your teeth. Go with Liquids and Smoothies. When you're finished with a meal, no need to dental floss, but use DenTek Brush Picks, brush with a little Baking Soda, and finally, put some Pascalite Clay in your mouth.
Say goodbye to your dentist.....WY

Anything you eat that leaves debris on your teeth could potentially decay the enamel; whether it's raw and "good for you" makes no difference. I always rinse my mouth after eating anything sugary or dense and I brush softly but often. Flossing or using a water pic, as WY suggests, and consuming lots of green drinks, as teloking suggests, is extremely beneficial.

lilbear,
A few years ago, I thought I was stepping up in the world by getting an electric toothbrush. It caused my teeth and gums to really hurt, causing the gum to receed a little. This was all pre-raw. I think the electric brush is more difficult to control the subtle gentle power needed to clean teeth. I knew someone who believed that a hard brush with a lot of pressure was necessary to clean teeth. I informed him that a soft brush with a light pressure was more effective for your teeth and gums. Flossing is essential also.

One natural hygiene website claims that leaves and greens contain a certain amount of inorganic minerals, and that is harmful to the human body. Dates are very sugary, which i like sometimes, but its almost like candy. Especially given that most dates are consumed dry not fresh.

This Friday I am going to go to the dentist to fix enamel damage. I always thought citrus fruit was the cause. Nope. I did it with my toothbrush. Unbelievable!
It would cost around $2.000. So I going to get fixed only a few of my teeth for now which are the most sensitive. I going to figure out something to use instead of toothbrush. Water-pick or something.

As you say you eat 'a lot' of dates, I would guess that the dates are the culprit, simply because dates are very sticky and will leave gunge on the teeth/between the teeth.

I would also suggest cutting out the agave nectar completely, as it is a processed sugar.

Do you use apple cider vinegar? I ask because I know some have been persuaded it's healthful.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2009 06:01AM by debbietook.

I don't think raw caused your teeth to go bad.

I'm sorry you have a cavity, though. Better visit a dentist soon!

The first time I used an electric toothbrush, it broke a tooth that had a missing filling.

Never ever brush your teeth immediately after drinking juice.

Why don't brush your teeth after drinking juice?


My favorite raw vegan

Trive,

I always rinse my mouth with water first after eating/drinking something sugary, because going immediately to the toothbrush can literally grind particulate into you enamel and encourage caries. Since I started rinsing with water first, my teeth are looking better and feeling less sensitive.

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For healthy teeth and gums, don't eat anything
> that collects between your teeth. Go with Liquids
> and Smoothies. When you're finished with a meal,
> no need to dental floss, but use DenTek Brush
> Picks, brush with a little Baking Soda, and
> finally, put some Pascalite Clay in your mouth.
> Say goodbye to your dentist.....WY

Good advice, WY! I find when I juice my teeth are really clean. I've taken to using clay some of the time when I brush too-- feels really nice.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Kwan, I have some of that Aztec Healing Clay that I used to mix with Apple Cider Vinegar for facial treatments. Would that work as well for brushing teeth? And how do you use it? Just make a paste and brush with that?

*****************************
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

I just have to echo the notion of swishing with wheatgrass--I went raw for a lot of mouth/jaw problems, and it healed them ALL, quickly!

I was swishing/consuming 2 oz. 3+ times a day. O.O

phantom,
did you say that swishing with wheatgrass removed fillings and rebuilt the tooth?

I originally went raw because the aftermath of getting two widsom teeth pulled almost killed me (drugs, side effects, bleeding, infections, more drugs, more side effects, etc.). Even after getting my general health back, I still experienced a lot of sore gums, sore teeth, my mouth wasn't very happy.

I have two wisdom teeth on the other side that are both still with me (one is nearly COMPLETELY sideways!!), and at one point, after switching to raw, started to swell up and show early signs of infection that I mistook for needing to be pulled, just as in the case of the first two teeth.

Anyway, literally, over my dead body will I ever go to a dentist again. I read about wheatgrass, tried it out as a rinse, and it worked like a charm. No pain, no swelling, no infections, no problems. All my discomfort disappeared within a few days.

I wish I had known about wheatgrass before I went and got the first two pulled. But then I wouldn't have bothered going raw.

I think part of the mystery in dental health has to do with being properly mineralized, too (which wheatgrass can quickly aid in doing).

I think I have a filling or two somewhere from when I was a kid. If they ever fall out because the teeth regrew, I will let you know. >8) I have a great respect for the grass, but it's not something I drink for pleasure... (smelling freshly mowed lawns gives me flashbacks)

Phantom,
I wish I had the wisdom and insight to have questioned dental authority when I was younger. I had my wisdom teeth removed routinely, as if it was just something which needed to be done. I never questioned that.

The dentist did have great judgement on his part as to what he thought his clients could handle. I just had local novacaine, some clients use the gas or get knocked out for those at least he told me that. I walked out of the dentists office and took the bus home. He gave me some codeine right away, and gave me a weeks supply, and some cotton and gauze, and told me to rest and change as needed. I didn't like how the codeine made me feel, so I didn't take anymore. It hurt, but not as much as I thought it would, and rather I put up with the discomfort than feel off from the codeine. I guess I was just lucky or have a good immune system, I didn't have any problems. I think by the second day it wasn't bleeding any more. I think within the week I was pretty much back to normal.

Dear lilbear,

Simple rules that keep my teeth in good shape:
* Eat only ripe fruit and vegies
* Eat plenty of juicy fruit (only when hungry)
* When thirsty, drink
* Rinse with water and gently floss after every meal
* Brush gently with a soft brush (I use Ascended Health minerals instead of a toothpaste)

(My husband discovered that lots of dried fruit is not so good for the teeth. He used to add them to his salads but stopped after discovering cavities as a result.)

Happy Holidays,
Gosia


RawGosia channel
RawGosia streams

David Wolfe ORMUS, mineral transmutation audio
[www.longevitynowprogram.com]

RECEDING GUMS—Gums may recede during an awakening during the changes to our sugar metabolism, and challenge to our enzyme, mineral and immune systems. Keeping up steady supply of silicon is important to maintain structure so drink horsetail tea, perhaps with nettle in it as well. Make a toothpaste from bentonite clay, Magnesium Chloride liquid and peppermint oil and/or eucalyptus oil. Do oil pulling with a tablespoon of olive oil and a drop of clove essential oil and swish through the teeth for 5 minutes a day then spit out. Chew goji berries. Swish the mouth while taking the following: angstrom zinc, propolis tincture, colloidal silver, Lugol's solution in water for Iodine, medical mushroom tincture, wheatgrass juice and aloe vera juice. Use MSM for sulfur, selenium, kelp, olive leaf, vitamin D and vitamin C high foods. Gums like frankincense and myrrh. Also keep your insulin system strong with around 1 heap tsp cinnamon (2-3 capsules) per day, along with chromium, vanadium, alpha lipoic acid.

hey guys......the enamel on my 2 front teeth are ..eroding... :'( I do oil pulling, don't eat anymore sweets in general, etc. I do brush with an electric toothbrush though...but I'll stop...I stopped using toothpaste and instead brush wiht Dr.Bronners soap...I'm on lots of salads...haha I'm eating watercress right now <3 ummm I can't stand wheatgrass but if I can get it I'll drink it...but that never happens
This started when I started raw...got worse when I had a ton of grapefruits for a week :'(
Is baking soda really that helpful..? and I don't want to eat animal 'organ's' like some suggests works...I occasionally take vitamin K2 though...what to DO?

Cosmicchickenz and others

I've just written an article on the raw food diet and teeth, that you might find helpful.

[www.debbietookrawforlife.blogspot.com]

I have been brushing my teeth with just baking soda with an electric toothbrush for the past 2 years and haven't had any problems with my teeth.

Is a waterpick okay to use instead of flossing? Or should you do both?

I do have to say, when I first started raw, I had cavities, sore gums, and bleeding gums. I read from David Wolfe that when you first start raw, you're teeth will be sore, and when you notice your teeth getting better, it is a sign of healing your body from raw foods.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2010 05:57PM by deegarry@yahoo.com.

Oil pulling helped my teeth too. Just after the first time everyone said my teeth looked whiter. It also helped my dry skin

I too haev started to have a problem with one tooth, it seems to be collapsing from the side. It hurts when i bite down and all food is getting stuck in it. I cannot put this down to the 14 months of a high raw live-it, this damage i am sure was done way before, when eating a high sugar SAD diet. I hate the dentist too, I heard people say their teeth grow back and heal on raw foods, anyone else hear this?

My dentist told me not to brush my teeth right after eating / drinking acidic things because the enamel will erode singinicantly. Instead, rinse the acidic juice from the mouth by swishing with water first. Also it is preferable to drink acidic liquids through a straw so that your teeth won;t be affected.

Also, cavities form much more if food sticks to your teeth. Sounds like the dates could have caused your cavities. My first cavities occurred when I was eating raisins beofre going to bed and I slept in without brushing my teeth. The morning after, I had cavities where the raisin "pieces" would have been stuck in my mouth.

I donlt know about regrowing your teeth on raw. Sounds like fiction to me. There are books though on reminelizing your teeth to make them stronger on Amazon, though I think they necesseraly have to do with raw food (as opposed to cooked). I've haven't read any so far. If your teeth are being "deminerilized" because of a deficient diet, I would suggest that you go to a dentist ASAP before things get worse and painful (like for me for eg. ouch!) and perhaps go back to your old diet (sans the junk food, of course) and try to replace slowly each of the foods you normally eat with their vegan nutritional (and hopefully just as palatable, if not more) equivalent. Or just add more vegan stuff to your diet and shrink the portions of the other stuff for now.

can you juice wheatgrass through a "regular" juicer or does it have to be a wheatgrass juicer?

In reply to deegarry,

I've used a waterpik for several years. I used to have some gum pockets that measured "4", and since using the waterpik, they're now "3"s. In my experience, using both the waterpik and the floss is helpful for preventing plaque buildup and bleeding gums. Seems like a hassle, but it's worth it!

One thing I've learned about waterpiks though is that for the actual "Waterpik" brand, it's best - at least for me - to keep the water pressure at the midpoint, because too much pressure really can actually harm the gums. One area of my mouth was quite sore recently for several months, but returned to normal finally soon after I turned down the pressure.

i agree with the waterpressure idea ... that top setting can peeel paint off the walls ..its better to start at the gentle setting then work your way up to a tolerable level

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist