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OT: Teeth
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We are very blessed here in MN to have 2 days where the dentists and staff devote to kids. It’s called Give Kids a Smile (I believe other states do it also) it’s for families who don’t have dental insuranse and otherwise would not take there kids.
So every year I get my 7 kiddo’s off to this. We have then clean them, check for cavities and other issues. (No floride for those who might wonder). They will do any work (depending on each clinic) that needs to be done, sealants, cavitities, pull teeth, etc. It has truly been a blessing.
Here’s my question about there teeth. My oldest who is 14 now came out and told me that the ladie cleaning his teeth said, “So I am going to take a wild guess (smiling) and say you drink pop, have a sweet tooth, and don’t floss regularly?” Ok so she got him on “ONE” of those he doesn’t floss enough but how many of us do? We don’t drink pop, and we make all our own snacks, desserts, and use WW flour and real sugar, or honey or .. well you get the idea no white products. He said this to her and said then said “so you must like Gatoraid or something?” Which he also answered no. She said he has build up like he would do these things on his teeth but being we don’t she didn’t know why he’d be getting this.
So my question is this: Besides brushing and upping on our flossing what can I do for not just him, but our family to take better care of our teeth naturally. We use Natures Gate for toothpaste just so you know. Is there a better brush he could use? Different toothpaste? I don’t know..
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. These were wonderful people all the way across the board, and I wanted to point out she was not being rude or disrespectful to my son just asking so she could pin point why the build up on the teeth. I am so thankful for these programs and the staff willing to participate. Misty
Oil pulling is supposed to work wonders.
I am trying it as I despise dentist.
My kiddos also have had problems. Like you would find in sugar mouths. But it all came down to lack of flossing. 🙁
Hi Misty! So she was saying because he has build-up..aka plaque- on his teeth he must be eating sugary stuff? As a former dental assistant and a person who has easy plaque build-up, that is not necessarly true! Some people just have this problem! I do..and when I worked for a dentist I had my teeth cleaned frequently 🙂
Now, if he has junk that is piled on his teeth that is not hardened…like plaque is…then he is not brushing or not brushing well enough. We had a girl who refused to brush her teeth and her teeth were caked w/ piles of food and gross stuff…but believe it or not she had no plaque!! But you said he does take care of his teeth!
The only thing I would suggest would be a motorized toothbrush like Oral B. We recommended these to many patients and saw a vast improvment in plague and gum health!
If you are concerned w/ plaque, he could brush after every meal..not fun..but it would help!
Other than that, I believe your/his food intake is good! HTH!
I see a lot of sense in 2flowerboys’ comments. I am the opposite kind of person. I rarely….I mean, rarely floss, and I had gone 2 years between check-ups. The hygienist was surprised that I had so little plaque buildup. Also, I do eat some sugary desserts, maybe once a week, but no sodapop. I think it can differ per person.
ETA: I am NOT suggesting it’s good to avoid flossing….just that I’m always in too much of a hurry to complete the toothcare job!
Breads and other carbs turn into sugars in our systems and can cause acidity. So it doesn’t have to be just white products.
It seems like mineral levels would play a role in dental health as an acidic saliva is going to cause more problems than alkaline saliva. Plus minerals play a major role in body function.
Look into xylitol. This product (you can buy all natural from a birch tree stuff) has changed my dental life. Going from cavities every visit my entire life to no cavities in 3 years.
Yep, a friend of mine switched her family to Xyliwhite and no more teeth trouble whereas they had been having cavities consistently.
There is a fascinating book titled Cure Tooth Decay. It talks a lot about diet and how very little has to do with flossing/brushing. Oil pulling is recommended in the books, as well as a specific diet and regimen.
We are GF/CF and even though our diet is very good, we haven’t been good about soaking our nuts and grains before eating. He talks a lot about how the phytic acid in these foods contribute to cavities, as well as a lack of Vit D, Phosphorous, and Calcium, in addition to eating sugars without the fat and protein to keep blood sugar from spiking. It’s a great book (though not written by a dentist, it is co-authored by one I believe).
I use Xylitol and have thought about switching the family. I did it for other reasons but go thing to think about. Yes I do have to remember the bread thing but we are not an overly bready family. goes in strides.
Can someone explain Oil Pulling? Never heard of it.
He does use a motorized toothbrush so we are good there. It was plaque not just build up. I appreciate all the advice and suggestions this has been most interesting.
Oh, and have made a date of the 1st of the month as Floss Day here. Cause we just never really do it, to many of us and to little time for that I guess.. now we will do it monthly and I say “Thats a Start”. :0)
Misty, I understand what you are saying about flossing. We have 8 and so far I am still flossing 5 of their teeth. Not sure at age they should take over
Oil pulling is very easy. Take 1 tablespoon of oil in your mouth ( I use sesame oil) and swish and ” pull” and push it between your teeth. Do this for 10-15 minutes. I had to work up to the 15 minutes. You do not have to be constantly swishing but as much as possible. Then brush your teeth as normally
Hmmm? This is all very interesting to me.. We use Denti-zyme RX. It removes the plague. I can tell the difference when I brush. I never heard of the oil pulling and that sounds interesting. I also have had cavities that have healed themselves and so has my husband. So, I am positive that diet does have something to do with it. I also have had a son that forgets to brush his teeth. However, He has been doing better now and his teeth just seem to hold onto food. It is like a magnet in there. I have to get on him daily to brush. It has been ever since his adult teeth have come in that he had the problem.It seems like it is starchy food that sticks more. Flour products like bread, cakes, cookies, breading on chicken or fish ect… You know the stuff I am talking about.
I have heard that you shouldn’t brush your teeth first thing in the morning. You should wait till afternoon. I think the reason behind that was the natural bacteria don’t have time to inhibit your mouth and fight the bad bacteria… I am sure if you are interested it should be easy to find on the net… Anyway, there wasa a study done on it. Sorry I can’t remember where….
My hubby on the other hand hardly brushes his teeth. Never flosses has a beautiful set of teeth. We even have a Ortho come into our shop and said he has perfect teeth and couldn’t beleive he doesn’t brush daily. He only brushes about twice a month but rinses his teeth in the morning before he leaves for work. DH thinks that some people pull the natural stuff off of their teeth brushing. He doesn’t mind using floride in his toothpaste either. I however, will not use floride toothpaste unless it is in an emergency situation. I noticed the difference in my gums immediately. So, I switched us to the RX and won’t buy the other with floride. So, I am not sure lately what he is using…. 🙂
He also thinks that some kids just have teeth that naturally pick up gunck. He said, ” When he was younger his teeth were the same way as my son’s and that I shouldn’t worry about it.” He also said those with a high saliva in their mouth have better teeth. (a study he read about)
I must say that all of my cavities are from when I was a child. I thought it was from not brushing every day. We always had good homecooked meals, ate veggies daily, not to many sweets, drank our milk, so maybe it was a lack of vitamins. I recently read that we should take our B and C vitamins daily. They are water solulable and need to be replentished daily. Where oil solulable vitamins A, D, K, ect.. are on a need to have basis because they build up in your body and can become toxic if you get to much. So, maybe I didn’t get my B vitamins when I was younger and that is why I had cavities. Because I do remember when I was around 12 or so taking my vit C. So, I am not sure if you can pinpoint one thing for sure but maybe it is a factor of vitamins also…
Good luck finding the source of the problem. Everyone is different and I will say I am not a Dr. Or Hygenist. I am just a mom. I must say my oldest daughter has never had a cavity in her 23 years. She brushed daily. She was told that she had one a couple years ago. I told her to take her vitamins. She did and it went away. So, if he doesn’t have a cavity that is where I would start. Brushing and taking whole vitamins.
Blessings!
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