All Things Dental

If you live in or near Dutchess County you know that for the last several years they have been constructing a multi-use rail trail.  It is being built in sections.  The first section was built a few years ago.  It now connects from near Daddy’Os restaurant in Hopewell Junction to Route 55 in Lagrange.  Once the pedestrian bridge is built over Route 55 it will connect all the way to the Walkway over the Hudson and on out for several miles on the Ulster County side.  I am told that this is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world and the view from it is nothing short of spectacular. 

Our office is proud to announce that in support of the project, we have sponsored a bench and it has been installed.  It is between the 1.0 and 1.5 mile marker about half way between Route 376 and Lake Walton Road.  It has a nice view overlooking Lake Walton. 

It is a great venue for exercise or if you just want to take a stroll. If you are ever walking or riding the trail feel free to take a few pictures and post or send them to me to post.

This is what the view looks like:

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Occasionally a new patient comes in to see me with a toothache and they are presented with a choice that they do not want to make.  Either have the tooth extracted or a root canal.  For those who read Weston Price we know that he was not a fan of root canals.  Advocating the extraction of teeth that could have been saved is why he fell out of favor with organized dentistry. Techniques and materials have changed and with proper treatment root canals can be acceptable.

On the plus side of extractions, the tooth will never bother you again and a potential focus of infection is removed.  The down side, it is the most disfiguring thing a dentist can do to you and your teeth can shift.  What other body parts to do you have voluntarily removed?

This is a recent case that I did; it is a lower left second molar.  Notice the black “halo” around the back root of the last tooth?  This is an abscess.  It is a bacterial infection.  It causes your immune system to mount a response, causes an inflammatory response in your body.  If you think of your immune system as a fire department this is a call that they don’t have to make.  In other words it is a stress on your system.  In this case there was a 10-millimeter pocket on this tooth.  Remember normal is 0-3 millimeters.

Here is the completed root canal.  Notice the filling material going to the tip of each root.  There is also a build up to hermetically seal the biting surface of the tooth.  The goals of modern root canal therapy are to thoroughly clean and seal the tooth.  Done properly and your immune system can help your body achieve sterility of the tooth.  It is true that the centrifugal fluid flow cannot now occur but properly isolated from the immune system a success rate of over 95% is possible.  This root canal was done in November 2011.

Here is how it looks in April 2012.  Note how the bone has filled in and the halo is disappearing.  The 10-millimeter pocket is now 2 millimeters.  The best way to avoid having to make the choice of root canal or extraction is prevention.  I always recommend a sugar free and low carbohydrate approach to eating but when prevention fails or trauma causes a tooth to abscess it is a choice you may have to make. With proper care this tooth can now be maintained for a lifetime.  

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One of the greatest complements a dentist can get is when he hands the patient the mirror and hears, "Doc, which one?  I can't see it!  Take this case for example.


Note the small old style silver filling with decay right behind it in the groove.  After placing proper retraction this is what is able to be achieved:

Total time less than a half hour.  Unlike old style silver fillings, this new tooth colored filling can be used without waiting and should last a long, long time. 

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Very often fine dental treatment consists of teeth restored with gold.  Every week I am asked about this and why this may or may not be an appropriate treatment.  Restoring teeth with gold has been known since the time of the ancient Egyptians.  I have often refereed to gold as artificial tooth enamel.  It has several amazing characteristics.

A gold crown and two gold onlays.  These restorations were placed more than 40 years ago. 

First, by sheer coincidence, it happens to wear at the same rate as natural tooth enamel.  It is the only element we know of that does this.  If there were no other reason to use it, this would be enough.  However, it is also inert and non- reactive in the human body.  This means that it is non-toxic and has the potential to last, well forever.

So why is not every dental restoration made of gold?  Two reasons come to mind.  It is the wrong color and cost.  Gold currently costs over $1,700 per troy ounce and while I believe that gold should always be considered as a restorative material not everyone wants to show it in their smile. 

Other less costly materials include porcelain and composite resin.  Every crown (also called cap) that I place usually contains a core made of a gold-platinum alloy.  This material has a nice whitish-yellow color that allows me to keep the removal of natural tooth to a minimum while allowing for maximum strength and esthetics.  I have not placed a mercury containing silver or sometimes called amalgam alloy filling in over ten years now.  This is an outdated technique and as far as I am concerned has no place in modern dentistry.

Gold post cemented in this lower premolar.  This will be covered with a porcelain crown.  Note the deterioration in the old style silver filling behind it.

If you are interested in the best, strongest, and longest lasting restoration please ask your dentist about gold.  Most dentists will be happy to place it and as a consumer of dental services it is a choice you should be given.  It is never the lowest cost option but when measured over the time it can last it is very often the best value.

 Gold onlay placed by me 16 years ago.  The margins look as good as the day it was placed

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It is the custom in my county dental society that one of the winter meetings is given to a local dentist, usually a specialist.  This is because of inclement weather we do not have to worry about a speaker canceling or being unable to arrive in time to give the presentation. In the twenty-one years that I have been a member I can count on one hand the number of times that a local general dentist has given it. I consider it an honor that my colleagues noticed what I was doing and had me credentialed to give them a lecture.

Some problems that have been noted are that there are a lot of plates clanking.  It was a dinner meeting.  Some of the terms are technical.  This is a group of about 60 dentists.  Finally, we had some audio-visual issues.  I could not see the slides from the lectern and I don’t have a tic in my hand, the laser pointer was acting up.  All in all the feed back from my colleagues has been overwhelmingly positive with a few telling me that they are going to incorporate some of these principles into their practice and lives.

Anyone who follows me on social media knows that over the last year or so I have lowered my Body Mass Index from a 26 (considered just outside the normal range) to under a 21.  Well within the normal range.  I have found this journey ridiculously easy and have managed to do it without hunger or much of struggle at all. 

Right now America is suffering an epidemic of obesity.  Diabetes (type 2, specifically) is at a level NEVER SEEN IN HUMAN HISTORY BEFORE.  Clearly something is wrong.  After much research and talking to people much smarter than myself, I came to the conclusion that the advise given to Americans by our government is wrong.  I set out to find out why this is the case.  The answers are in the pages of the books written by Gary Taubes and William Davis.  If you can handle the truth here are the links to their books.

Why We Get Fat and What to do About It by Gary Taubes

Wheat Belly by William Davis

After reading some I was laying in bed reflecting on my career as a dentist when it came to me.  Dentistry treats three diseases.  Tooth decay, Periodontitis, and malocclusions.  (Crooked teeth)  Malocclusions include both orthodontics and the surgical removal of impacted teeth. These diseases are ALL caused by carbohydrate consumption, Carbohydrates are not (never were and NEVER EVER) will be an obligate nutrient for humans.  Let’s treat our patients by removing these unnecessary items from the diet and these diseases will disappear!  Could it be this easy?  Why hasn’t someone else thought of this?  I don’t know but it is my obligation to spread the word. 

If you examine the literature you will come across Weston Price’s landmark work, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.  In it he examines multiple cultures and the condition of their dental and overall health.  One culture would be anecdotal but twelve far flung cultures from different parts of the world?  Pre Neolithic peoples NEVER had dental disease. Why is this not taught in dental school? Why aren’t dental researchers even asking these questions!  There a few reasons, none of them good, but they do supply an explanation.

First, Dr. Price’s book was published in 1939.  This was not a good year for science unless you were developing weapons of war.  Second, Dr. Price was neither a fan of fluoride or root canals.  This put him on the wrong side politically of some important dental issues of his day.  Finally, reading his book now it is full of terms, while common at the time, are outdated and offensive such as, “White man’s diet,” “Primitive cultures,”

and “Mental delinquents.”  As his book gives us a picture of a world that no longer exists, I would urge the modern reader to look past this and examine his intent and interpretation of the data he presents.

The scientific word for “frame of reference” is paradigm.  These are the links to my lecture. 

 Part 1

 Part 2

 Part 3

Addendum ( I introduce the video Sugar, The Bitter Truth and discuss)

In part three I describe how we got into the wrong paradigm.  It is not hard to follow. If you read at least one of the above books and watch part three of my lecture you will understand how this happened.

All dental diseases are caused by carbohydrates.  Remove them from your diet and you will not have any dental disease.  Tooth decay is the most common disease of humans.  It is possible to eliminate it period.  If you are not with a dentist that believe that find one who does. 

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When you see something that you don’t like, very often the best course of action is to say or do something about it. Last fall the Dr. Oz show ran a piece about the dangers of drinking apple juice. Did he talk about the sugar and the links to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay? No, he talked about arsenic. That’s right he is concerned about your kid getting arsenic poisoning from drinking apple juice. He did receive some criticism for this but stood by his story.

My local paper, The Poughkeepsie Journal, has a living and health section. Most of the writers are dieticians or practitioners who follow the Standard American Diet (SAD) model and recommend a low fat approach to eating. Needless to say often on Sunday mornings I can be heard yelling at the idiocy in newsprint. I called that editor and explained that I did not like what I was reading and I was particularly annoyed at the advice Dr. Oz was giving and she invited me to write a column. This is a link to the article as it appeared.

While I did not mention him by name in the article, it is Dr. Oz that I am talking about. First, Dr. Oz is a cardiologist turned entertainer, NOT a physician practicing public health. He should be laughed off the set for this fact alone. I look forward to the day when people ignore the advice from such celebrities. How great would it be for his ratings to go down and the media not even cover his take on such an asinine story?

Second, other than deliberate poisonings using arsenic, deaths from it in this country are exceedingly rare. Sickness from it is confined to the smelting industry. There do appear to be occasional toxic doses from contaminated water and aquifers, though.

Finally, Dr. Oz missed a golden opportunity to elaborate on the real dangers of drinking apple juice. Namely, diabetes, tooth decay, and obesity for the children who drink it. This is happening every day as these products are marketed as “100% natural” or “healthy.”

Dr. Oz got his start on the Oprah Winfrey Show and is still produced by Harpo Productions. Miss Winfrey is an individual who has struggled with her weight for a long time. It is no surprise that she champions medical professionals who lack an understanding of how evolutionary biology shaped us and dictates how our bodies react to different foodstuffs. We do best with what have the longest evolutionary history with. Apple juice is a processed food. We did not evolve to eat processed foods.

The next time you watch his show pay less attention to what he says and more attention to what the commercials are for. At the end of the day these are the people that pay Dr. Oz’s salary. If he comes out and says that their products are unhealthy and are killing you slowly his show will be off the air. In other words people, learn to spot what a sell out looks like.

I was going to post this just before the article was published but I am glad that I waited. The response I have received from the people has been remarkable. I got a call from a physical therapist who wanted to know why I said “Carbohydrates are not an obligate nutrient.” He did not know (or had forgotten) and wanted to argue that they are needed in the human diet. I explained that while several different types of fats and some amino acid (protein precursors) are not things that we can synthesize our selves. When I was in the bank, one of the ladies who works there said she didn’t know apple juice is loaded with sugar. She also wanted to know why no one had told her this before. I suggested she watch this above video by Dr. Lustig.

Several patients have already thanked me and the Pougkeepsie Journal has asked me to write for them again.

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I have been asked by several people to write about fluoride.  I have been hesitant to do this because everyone who has asked me to do so is anti-fluoride and I am not sure that I completely agree with that position.  If you do some on line research about fluoride most of what you come across reads like a 1970’s era Jane Fonda talking about nuclear power.  Not exactly what you would call unbiased. 

The way I see it there is still a use for fluoride in dentistry today.  I do see its use becoming increasingly controversial as people want to take control of their own health and make these decisions for themselves, so lets start with what is good about fluoride.  Tooth enamel is mostly a mineral called hydroxylapatite. Its molecular structure is described as Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)_2.   Fluoride can replace the –OH groups and form a fluoridated hydroxylapatite crystal.  Since fluoride is smaller than the hydroxyl group it forms a harder crystal, more resistant to an acid attack.  This is a good thing. 

Fluoride can be applied two different ways; first, it can be applied topically.  This is the form in toothpaste, fluoridated rinses, and at the dental office.  The concentration of topical fluoride is usually 1000 ppm in over the counter products with some prescription products approaching 5000 ppm. This type of application hardens the outer surface of the enamel. The second way is called systemic application.  This is when it is added to children’s vitamins or community water supplies.  This allows the fluoride to be incorporated into the mineral matrix of growing teeth. This makes such teeth harder not just on the outer layer but all the way thru.  There are places in the world, Colorado is one, that have naturally occurring fluoride in the water.  The observation in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries that while people living here had stained teeth, they did not have tooth decay, lead to the advocacy for its use in modern water supplies. 

Now for the bad, as the lightest of the halogen, or group 17 elements on the periodic table it is very reactive.  This makes it toxic in high doses.  We have all used hydrochloric acid and know what its capable of.  Hydrofluoric acid cannot be kept in glass jars because it eats thru the glass!  If you breathe in the vapors it will literally dissolve lung tissue. In addition the form that it is currently used in today starts out as an industrial byproduct.  Deaths by fluoride overdose are rare but have occurred. By lowering the maximum number of fluoride vitamins you can get at one time and requiring toothpaste tubes to be no larger that a certain size organized dentistry and pharmacology have reinforced a subtle message that this is a deadly product. There also have been recent rule changes lowering the maximum amount of fluoride in municipal systems from 1 to .7 ppm. This has aroused suspicion that organized dentistry has something to hide. 

A hot area of research right now is thyroid function.  Your thyroid needs iodine to function.  Guess what, fluoride and iodine are both halogen, or group 17 elements.  Is this the mechanism?  Are dental does, which are considered relatively small, enough to disrupt it?  I am not sure.  I began this post by stating that I believe that there is still a need for fluoride in dentistry.  How can this be if it so deadly?

In a previous post I outlined the three determinates needed for tooth decay.  Teeth, bacteria, and carbohydrates.  The standard American diet today is rich in refined, fermentable carbohydrates.  Most of my patients are eating such a diet.  Fluoride is naturally occurring and has an over 100-year track record of lowering decay rates.  If we ban fluoride without doing anything else the law of unintended consequences kicks in and tooth decay will go up 20-30%. 

A better way of preventing this occurrence is to take away the refined carbohydrates.  Remember, they are not nor ever were an obligate nutrient.  The agricultural era is roughly 10,000 years old and decay is common The Paleolithic era lasted over 2.5 million years, or 250 times longer and tooth decay was an extreme rarity.  I have examined many Paleolithic skulls myself and have not observed any decay.

If we as a society can move to this paradigm people will live healthier without any decay.  Fluoride becomes unnecessary and dies a natural death.  I do not see this happening very quickly but I do believe it will happen.

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Having just attended the Greater New York Dental Meeting, which is the largest dental meeting in the country, piqued my curiosity about new technology.  As technology changes, the way we practice dentistry changes.  For example, I no longer use silver fillings, fewer dentists do.  I was considering what changes the next 10 years may bring.   I believe that salivary marker testing, currently in its infancy, will become routine.  Kits made by a company called OralDNA can be used now to measure causes of periodontal infection, risk of severe periodontal infection, and HPV or human papilloma virus status. (HPV is linked to oral cancer.)

Saliva is not a homogonous liquid.  There are three pairs of major salivary glands, the sublingual, submandibular, and parotid gland that produce it.  As we previously have discussed, the parotid also has an endocrine function.  In addition there are numerous minor salivary glands as well as gingival crevicular fluid. One of its functions of saliva is to “sweep” dead epithelial cells. Another is as a first line defense against bacteria and viruses. Thus it is rich in the immunoglobulins, mostly IgA.  With saliva you have a lot of information in one easy to biopsy spot.

Right now when you receive a professional examination and radiographs, the dentist will make his recommendations for treatment based on those limited criteria.  Imagine in a few years you are contemplating having a few implants placed.  Now implants have a very high, but not perfect, success rate.  Before treatment begins you have a salvia analysis and it shows high inflammatory markers and high levels of certain bacteria linked to implant failure.  With the proper treatment both of these conditions are easily rectified. Increased information will lead to better diagnoses, more individualized treatment plans, and success rates will only increase.  Follow up testing will prove the success or failure of the treatment. 

These are only some of the dental benefits of salivary testing.  The epithelial cell component in saliva contains DNA.  This means they have all the genetic information that is shared with every other cell in your body.  This can now be sequenced but so can any bacterial and viral DNA as well.  The systemic implications of this are huge.  Imagine finding out that your recently developed allergy to (insert allergen here) is mediated by a bacterial protein in your saliva or your DNA sequencing indicates that you have a gene that puts you at risk of skin cancer or diabetes.  The earlier you know these things the earlier you can make lifestyle changes and avoid getting these conditions.  This is one instance where the old adage that an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.  

As DNA sequencing becomes common, the oral cavity is where it will be collected.  Immunoglobulins can be evaluated and their quality and quantity can provide a window onto the immune and inflammatory status.  Since the basis for fighting all disease in the human body is inflammation tracking this marker over time can give insight into immune system function.  Glycosylation status of salivary proteins will provide insight into the viscosity of the saliva.  Lack of saliva or poor quality or low flow as seen in Sjogren’s syndrome or radiation therapy is linked to rampant decay and periodontitis

Currently the greatest dental interest in this technology is in the realm of periodontics but I believe that as the technology becomes more widespread and lower in cost more uses for it will be found.  We will all benefit from that.

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It is rare that a scientific paper blows me away, but a recent paper in the journal General Dentistry (2011 Vol. 59, #5, pp 367-368) by Dr. Ken Southward, entitled “The Systemic Theory of Dental Caries” did just that.  (Remember, caries is the scientific name for tooth decay.)  You can read a copy of the paper here.

It explains in detail some of the body’s defense mechanisms for preventing tooth decay and how it is under hormonal control.  The main irritant causing the damage is acid, produced by bacteria, but the body can fight back!  Teeth are hollow inside and there is a pressure gradient through the tooth that causes fluid to flow from the center, through the dentin and enamel rods and “wash” the tooth clean.  This directed pressure gradient is called centrifugal flow.  This nourishing and protective fluid flow is under the control of a hormone made in the parotid gland called parotid hormone.  Who knew that the parotid gland had an endocrine function?  I didn’t.  The release of this hormone is part of a feedback system that is controlled at the level of the hypothalamus.  Guess what blocks this feedback loop, leading to a stoppage or even reversal of the flow?  That’s right, sugar!  Acting at the level of the hypothalamus.  This blockage is the initiating mechanism of tooth decay.

In my lecture, I used to state that all disease in the body is mediated by the inflammatory response except one: tooth decay.  I can no longer say that.  This paper ties tooth decay directly to the inflammatory response.  This theory is not new but the evidence proving it is.  In the 1940’s, Dr. Schatz proposed what is now called the proteolysis chelation theory.  Unfortunately, the theory fell out of favor and the theory that carried the day was the Acid Theory, by Dr. Miller.  This is not a big deal for one reason, and yet a very big deal for another. 

On one hand, acid is still the main irritant and this does not change the current treatments.  So this is not that dramatic a change.  On the other hand, we have been treating tooth decay with an INCOMPLETE THEORY for the last 70 years!  A correct and complete theory will allow us to not only better understand the process but to target correct treatments to solve the problem, not to mention better ways to institute preventive measures. 

The next mistake in the comedy of errors is that Crest toothpaste with fluoride became the first toothpaste to receive the ADA seal of approval.  Proctor and Gamble was able to use this advantage to market Crest and dominate the toothpaste market.  Its competitors tried and eventually received the same certification.  Anyone who is familiar with the American marketplace knows what happens when marketers receive a “seal of approval” from a respected organization.  A paradigm is established and it becomes the “conventional wisdom.”  Once such a paradigm is established it becomes very hard, if not impossible, to change.  Anyone who challenges it is attacked.

Dr Southward states it best:

“This endorsement was granted with a limited understanding of the caries process based on the Acid Theory.  Acid is now understood to be only an initiator of enamel erosion and stimulator of an uncontrolled inflammatory response in the dentin.”

I had always suspected that acid was not the entire story but had no evidence.  In twenty years of practicing dentistry I have seen a number of patients who exhibit signs of past or current bulimia.  Bulimia causes an erosion of the enamel of the tooth and since the body cannot replace it, once it is gone, it is gone for good.  If you have ever seen a rocky shoreline at low tide where the rocks are washed away and undermined by the action of the tides, that is what bulimia does to teeth.  It is very distinct.  Under the enamel layer there is another layer called dentin.  The dentin has a much lower mineral content than the enamel but a much higher collagen content.  Collagen is impervious to the actions of acid.  In bulimia patients, the enamel “washes” away but the collagen is much more resistant to the acid and the dentin stands.  I always wondered why the dentin did not vanish as well.  Now I understand that it is the inflammatory reaction that takes out the collagen as the acids take the mineral content away.  This is caries.

As it is becoming understood that the basis of tooth decay is inflammation, it makes sense that anti-oxidants will have a protective effect on the human dentition.   They act locally as an electron donor, neutralizing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals that lead to the inflammation.  No inflammation = no loss of dentin = no decay. Foods that contain a high level of anti-oxidants include green tea, lemons, and dark chocolate.  One of the most powerful anti-oxidants is oil of clove, or eugenol.  Dentistry has been using this essential oil for hundreds of years.  Its anti-oxidative power is so high it can relieve dental pain.  This also explains how in the early 20^th century, when Dr. Weston Price traveled the world examining cultures, where he found cultures eating traditional diets low in sugars and high in anti-oxidants, dental problems were few. 

In the low carbohydrate community fluoride is considered controversial.  In the dental community it is considered standard operating procedure.  As long as people continue to eat a standard American diet, I believe that there will be a need for fluoride.  Anyone who knows me knows that I often express my frustration for educated people who refuse to examine new paradigms.  Taking fluoride away from dentists will make most of their heads explode. I am not ready to give up on fluoride, I am however, ready to give up on the standard American diet.  Today I believe it is a patient’s choice whether or not to have fluoride applied to their own or their children’s teeth.  Remodel the diet and along with decay, the need for fluoride will disappear.  That will require changing the paradigm.  Who’s with me?

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As a practicing dentist for over 20 years now I have had many experiences and want to share with you some of my cases as well as some of the ideas I have about how to better treat dental diseases.  If you click on my dental disease link you will read a one-page summary of what the dental diseases are.  I made it short and easy to understand.  Although dentists today do much more, there are basically only three diseases that we treat, tooth decay (scientifically called “caries”,) periodontal (“gum”) disease, and finally malocclusions or crooked and overlapped teeth. 

As in all other medical, as well as scientific fields, for that matter, technology and innovation has led to changes in the way we do things.  The dentistry I practice today is different than what I was taught in dental school.  With the development of such devises as the diagnostic laser, or Diagnodent, we are able to diagnose decay with more certitude and earlier.  Oral cancer detection systems such as the Velscope, did not exist ten years ago. Dental restorations have become smaller and more life-like.  For example, I have not placed a “silver filling” in a tooth in over 10 years now.

The basis for the word “doctor” comes from a Greek word that means “teacher.”  This also requires one to commit to lifetime learning.  My advice is to find a dentist (or physician for that matter) for yourself who is willing to make such a commitment.  You see, such an individual will not be tied to conventional dogma or refuse to try new approaches to an old problem.  You owe it to yourself to find such a person. 

In this first blog I want to explain a little bit about tooth decay and how what I have recently learned can benefit everyone who has ever had a cavity because it is my goal to see tooth decay, which is the most common disease affecting humans, to become a thing of the past. 

For the past year, I have been following a Paleolithic, or low carbohydrate diet.  In doing this, I have lost about 30 pounds and lowered my risks for such things as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and autoimmune diseases.  Early in my journey I read a few books.  Both of Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories and Rob Wolf’s The Paleo Solution were on this list. I was struck by two things in The Paleo Solution. First, it occurred to me that I treat a disease exclusively caused by carbohydrate consumption, nothing else.  Dental decay did not occur in our Paleolithic ancestors and can truly be counted among what is termed, “Diseases of Civilization.”  The second was a line that kept echoing in my head.  Robb Wolf wrote, “Because something is common does not make it normal.”  We are not designed to get tooth decay and while I see it, I should stop considering it a normal occurrence. It is and will always be pathology. 

I can treat it but I cannot cure it, no dentist can.  I can however offer you a vaccine against ever getting tooth decay.  Read further, I will explain.

Sometime in your first year of dental school they show every new student a Venn diagram that looks something like this:

The three determinants of tooth decay are the presence of teeth, (full denture patients do not get tooth decay) plaque forming bacteria, termed Streptococcus mutans in this diagram, and fermentable carbohydrates.  Like a three-legged stool, remove one leg and YOU WILL NEVER GET TOOTH DECAY, regardless of what ever else you do.  For example, if you get germ-free (scientifically termed gnotobiotic) rats and feed them a diet of pure sugar, they will never get cavities.  There are no bacteria there to form the plaque and start the destructive cascade, period.  Most dentists, myself included, wanted our patients to practice good home care to remove the bacterial plaque as well as use things like fluoride to strengthen the teeth.  We have been doing it wrong!  It occurred to me that night that if we wanted to lose weight by minimizing carbohydrate consumption because carbohydrates are NOT AN OBLIGATE NUTRIENT for humans, then we can eliminate tooth decay the same way.  It is not that this is not taught, it is just not reinforced, say it ten times loud, CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT AN OBLIGATE NUTRIENT AND I WILL LIVE JUST FINE WITHOUT THEM!!!!!!!!!  It really is that simple, remove (or minimize them in your diet) and you will inoculate yourself from ever having tooth decay

The benefits of eating low carbohydrates have many advantages in addition to weight loss.  Nature’s plan calls for Homo sapiens to be thin, strong, fast, and without tooth decay.  This is how you do it.   I still want you to practice good home care and strengthen your teeth.  Now we have other ways to do it.  I hope you join me as we explore this topic in more depth as well as other things in the world of dentistry.

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