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CAUSES OF TOOTH DECAY

Tooth decay affects almost all of us at some point in our lives. No matter how much we brush our teeth and manage our oral hygiene, we still end up developing cavities. According to data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 86.7% of the US population has had at least one cavity by the age of 39. The statistics also indicate that 27.9% of children between the ages of 2 and 5 have had at least one cavity. Furthermore, the older you get, the more likely you are to experience tooth decay. To learn more about the prevalence of tooth decay, visit:

http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Tooth_Decay/prevalence_tooth_decay.htm

Although everyone hopes to have a healthy mouth that is free of decay and dental fillings, this is not always possible. In order to spare ourselves the misery and hassle associated with fillings and drillings, it is essential that we understand what tooth decay is and how it is caused.

Tooth decay, also known as dental caries or cavities is usually defined as the infectious microbial disease that causes the localized dissolution and destruction of the calcified tissue of the tooth structure. According to conventional dentistry, “Tooth decay occurs when food containing carbohydrates is left frequently on the tooth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods and produce acids that, over time, destroy tooth enamel. The result of this process is tooth decay”. But despite this explanation, however, this simply is not the case. The traditional definition of tooth decay as an infectious, bacterially-caused disease is not entirely accurate. To find out why this is so, you can read more here:

http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Tooth_Decay/tooth_decay_theory.htm

Dental health advocate Ramiel Nagel defines tooth decay as “a decrease in tooth density causing tooth weakness and the absorption and destruction of tooth enamel, dentin and tissue.”

So what exactly causes tooth decay? Tooth decay is actually a multifaceted condition that has a number of factors as its cause..In the ancient world, people blamed their health ailments on evil spirits. In modern times, we call these evil spirits microorganisms, which include bacteria and viruses.

But are these microscopic organisms really responsible for causing tooth decay? According to some experts, the answer is a resounding, “NO!” This is because although some of the bacteria that reside in our oral cavities can be harmful, most are not and some are even helpful.

According to many holistic dentists and dental health experts, the factor most responsible for causing tooth is poor diet and nutrition. Essentially, tooth decay is the result of deficiencies in key vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that our body needs in order to build and maintain healthy teeth. Therefore, the food that we eat either contributes to or prevents tooth decay. Certain foods such as sugars, whole grain products, and starchy foods can play a large role in the development of dental caries. To find out more about these foods, check out the following link:

http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Tooth_Decay/foods_promote_decay.htm

 

According to Nagel’s research, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans can also cause tooth decay due to their high levels of phytic acid. Phytic acid is toxic and has numerous anti-nutrient effects that can result in dental caries and other health problems. To learn more about phytic acid and its effects, visit the following link: http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Tooth_Decay/whole_grains_cause_tooth_decay.htm

Since the 18 th century there have been many studies which found that tooth decay is caused by diet and not bacteria. During the 20 th century, it was Dr. Weston A. Price who devised numerous studies and investigations which proved that processed food and the modern lifestyle are the primary causes of tooth decay. According to Dr. Price: “There is a nutritional basis for modern physical, mental and moral degeneration.” Through his studies, Dr. Price emphasized the importance of consuming nutritious food for the overall health of humans. He warned that the modern diet, which is low in nutrition, would lead to numerous health issues.

His book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, which was published in 1939, contains a series of nutritional studies that he conducted while traveling the globe across diverse cultures. Dr. Price compared the health of isolated indigenous people who consumed a traditional diet with Westerners who primarily ate modern processed foods. He discovered that the indigenous people developed high immunity against diseases and tooth decay. How? Dr. Price discovered that it was because they consumed animal protein, raw milk, cheese and butter, all from grazing cows which were rich sources of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. By contrast, the modern diet included highly refined white flour products, sweets, chocolates, pasteurized milk, etc. that are all low in these vital vitamins and minerals. He criticized modern society by saying: “One of the most serious of the present confusions is failure to appreciate that an adequate, well balanced diet is capable of building people strong and well in all respects and adequate for maintaining health and strength.”

Dr, Price travelled extensively to test and prove his theory. He observed Eskimos that lived entirely on traditional native food which consisted mainly of sea animals and found that they had a very low percentage of tooth decay. However, when the very same people came into contact with the modern world and consumed a modern diet, the incidence of caries increased significantly.

Dr. Price also analyzed and compared the chemical characteristics of both the native foods and processed foods. What he found was that there was a marked reduction in the amount of the vital minerals calcium, phosphorus and other fat-soluble vitamins in the modern diet compared to the native diet. He concluded: “It is very important to note that the building blocks from which our bodies are constructed, including all those forms of animal life having skeleton, are precisely those which we found to be present in liberal amounts in the native dietaries of those individuals in all the various groups with a high immunity to dental caries, but not present in adequate amounts in the nutrition’s of all those with a low immunity to dental caries.”

From Dr. Price’s findings we can safely deduce that proper nutrition does indeed play an important role in preventing tooth decay.

 

But why does the modern diet cause tooth decay? The most important components missing from processed food are the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Their importance stems from the fact that they not only provide vital nutrients to the body but also help our body to utilize the minerals found in our food. Vitamin D, for example, plays a crucial role in dental health because it balances the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our body in order to prevent tooth decay. Processed foods, on the other hand, lower the pH in our mouths, thus increasing bacterial levels..

Dr Melvin Page proposed that an imbalance in body chemistry is another cause of tooth decay. He believed that just a 25% imbalance could lead to tooth decay. After years of research and studies, Dr. Page concluded that a disturbance in the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the blood is what contributes to tooth decay. But how? According to Dr. Page, when there is an spike in blood sugar levels, calcium and phosphorus are removed from the teeth. He believed that endocrine glands are ultimately responsible for tooth decay because a glandular imbalance is what causes a disturbance in the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in blood. Dr. Page deduced: “It takes a continued low level of phosphorus, over a period of several months, to deplete the dentine of its mineral structure.”

Now we come to other causes of tooth decay. Malnutrition was also found to be responsible for contributing to dental caries in studies that were conducted in order to investigate the effects of early malnutrition on oral health. Here is a link to that study:

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/61/2/410S.short

Other factors that increase the risk of tooth decay include poor oral hygiene. Additionally, a malfunctioning thyroid gland can also raise the likelihood of cavities, as this gland is responsible for maintaining proper blood calcium levels. Smokers have a greater chance than non-smokers of developing tooth decay because tobacco smoke interferes with the production of saliva, a basic function that helps keep the surface of the teeth clean. In other words, low levels of saliva in mouth, also known as dry mouth, prevents the flushing and neutralizing effects in the mouth. To understand the relationship between saliva and dental caries, visit this link: http://njms2.umdnj.edu/biochweb/education/bioweb/NewsandViews/Dental%20caries.pdf

 

Understanding the causes of tooth decay will help us better analyze and change our lifestyles for the betterment of our dental health and a cavity-free mouth.

 

 

 

 

What Can You Do About a Tooth Crack?

It really depends on if this is a real crack, or a small enamel line fracture. If your dentist has told you your tooth is cracked, and it doesn't hurt you. It is possible that you are being misdiagnosed so your dentist can make more money, and that you might just have an enamel fracture that requires no treatment. The misdiagnoses can especially occur if you have dental insurance.

If the tooth is painful to biting stress then it is possible that you have a real crack. There isn't much a dentist can do about a crack that is conservative. The best option for a crack that isn't too painful is to purchase a night time guard that is comfortable, such as a small moldable sports mouth guard. A night guard will reduce the biting force on the tooth at night, and hopefully that will give it a chance to heal. A dentist might try to shave down part of a tooth to reduce the biting stress on it. This usually is a bad idea because shaving down a tooth might actually increase the stress on the tooth. Usually a bite can be balanced by making tiny build ups on the teeth by an expert dentist. So adding height to the bite, rather than taking height away will help with balancing a bad bite that has caused a tooth crack.

For a larger and more painful tooth crack, a dentist is going to want to make a full crown, or miniature crown for the tooth. Basically this would involve drilling out all of the tooth to the point where the crack is nonexistent, and then placing a crown on top of the tooth. It seems like an ideal solution would be just to seal the crack with dental bonding material. But I am not sure if that is doable.

Root Canals for Cracked Teeth?

Just because a tooth is cracked, does not mean it deserves the punishment of a root canal. A root canal removes the top of the tooth, and the tooth nerve and replaces it with a synthetic material. I do not see how this would help a cracked tooth. If the cracked tooth is severely infected, and the crack so large that it is irreparable, then perhaps it is a candidate for a root canal. Otherwise, avoid having a root canal on a cracked tooth.

Small cracks in teeth can remineralize by changing your diet. Larger tooth cracks may not be able to remineralize because it is very difficult to isolate the tooth to give it a chance to really heal. Large cracks are also indications of significant dietary errors or major health problems. Or a sign of bad, and toxic dentistry.

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