Se også DETTE!

NewsChoice Nutritionist
By Maureen Kennedy Salaman

Preventing Tooth Decay and Gum Disease

Monday, December 06, 1999

By Maureen Kennedy Salaman

As a scuba diver, I have a healthy respect for sharks. As nature's most orthodontically blessed creatures, these benthic wonders can produce a treasure-trove of teeth. A single tiger shark, for example, can manufacture 12,000 gleaming choppers in just five years.

Alas, our allotment wasn't quite as generous. But with the devoted care of teeth and gums, our compliment of 32 incisors, canines, bicuspids, and molars can provide a lifetime of service. The key is unflagging vigilance against tooth decay and gum disease.

At the root of our dental woes, both literally and figuratively, are bacteria. The human mouth is a veritable microbial rain forest. Bacteria feed on leftovers around our uppers and lowers, enveloping teeth in a sticky, acidic matrix known as plaque. Acidic plaque gnaws away at our teeth's protective enamel crowns, forming cavities. Left to fester, it corrodes the tooth's less-resilient interior, eventually requiring a major filling, root canal, or worse - extraction.

Certain vitamins, herbs and even foods have been shown to retard, and even reverse tooth decay and gum disease. Follow along while I address which.

Vitamin C as a Daily Preventive

You brush and floss your teeth after every meal to prevent cavities and gum disease. If you don't you should. But what you should also do to protect those pearly whites is take vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown in studies to prevent periodontal abscesses by lowering the amount of plaque and bacteria in the mouth. The New York Journal of Dentistry reported on a study in which plaque accumulation was measured among subjects all brushing well, some supplementing with vitamin C, some not. The study found that those supplementing with vitamin C actually had less tarter and bacteria than those only brushing. They discovered that when the subjects took vitamin C the inflammation of their gums from concentrations of bacteria improved by 58 percent!

How does vitamin C perform its magic? By increasing the numbers of the antibody warriors that come to our defense when infection sets in. Medical students at South Africa's University of Witwatersrand were given one gram a day of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and monitored for blood immunologic levels. Unlike the control group who did not get the vitamin C, the ones who did experienced a marked increase in their defense antibodies. Vitamin C is renowned for alleviating the symptoms of colds and flu, and studies have shown it to be of benefit for tuberculosis, herpes, tetanus and diphtheria. Any type of infection can be helped with vitamin C.

When you target vitamin C as a supplement, choose a formulation that includes bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids are potent anti-inflammatories. They reduce swelling while they act on the immune system, and they enhance the healing properties of vitamin C. If you're facing any kind of dental work or surgery, take at least 500 milligrams of vitamin C and bioflavonoids to help reduce the post-surgical inflammation and pain that accompanies it. Follow up the procedure with another 500 milligrams.

For preventive medicine try green tea. Green tea contains certain bioflavonoids which help fight tooth decay and gum disease. The Japanese, who drink green tea with every meal, have known this for centuries. Tsao Kubo, a researcher from the University of California, Berkeley, reports that the polyphenols in green tea help kill the bacteria that causes tooth decay, as well as inhibiting the sticky stuff that allow bacteria to adhere to teeth. Kubo reports an extract or concentrate of green tea leaves work better than drinking it.

Ubiquinone--A Nutrient by Any Other Name

If you've read at least some of the preceding chapters in this book, you'll recognize coenzyme Q10. It helps restore circulation and prevents damage to vital body cells. Studies have also shown that coenzyme Q10, or ubiquinone, the fancy scientific name for this body nutrient, is important for protecting the soundness of gums and teeth.

Although coenzyme Q10 exists in many foods, research has shown that patients with a variety of serious medical conditions are often CoQ10 deficient. Many people are deficient in CoQ10 because it is present in live foods, and many subsist on processed foods. In order to be absorbed in the body, coenzyme Q10 in food must be accompanied by tyrosine and phenylalanine, two amino acids, vitamin E and three B vitamins (B1, B6 and folic acid) as well as its relatives Q1 and Q9. To make matters worse, as time marches on, many have a diminished ability to absorb coenzyme Q10.

Although much pertinent research on this nutrient has taken place in the United States, CoQ10 is most widely used in foreign countries, mainly in Japan, where 252 coenzyme Q10 products are sold by 83 companies. The Japanese commonly take ubiquinone supplements to prevent or manage swollen gums and to prevent deterioration of bone structures supporting teeth.

Foods richest in CoQ10 are beef heart, muscle and organ meats, egg yolk, liver, codfish, milk fat, wheat germ and various whole grains. It can be purchased in supplement form in most U.S. health food and vitamin stores and some supermarkets.

Good Advice

Actually, it is possible to avoid tooth decay by eating certain foods. Foods that cause cavities are those high in starch and/or sugar and stick obstinately to the teeth. Other foods do the opposite and are credited with cleaning teeth: olives, nuts, especially cashews and yogurt. An article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that two organic chemists have discovered cashews may fight tooth decay. Oil extracted from the shell has been found to kill bacteria and fight plaque.

Additionally, the following will help fight tooth decay:

1. Avoid sticky foods that cling to teeth; bananas, chewy candy, dates or raisins. (Or brush teeth soon after eating.)

2. Skip hard candies or breath mints that stay in the mouth too long.

3. Avoid sugary soft drinks. Try sugar-free if necessary.

4. Replace starchy or sugary snacks with hard cheese, meat, nuts, olives or yogurt.

Finding Alternative, Biological Dentists

There is no way to tell how many dentists in the U.S. are incorporating holistic or alternative techniques into their practices, but estimates are in the low thousands. To find an alternative dentist in your area, write to one of the following organizations and enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

* American Academy of Biological Dentistry, Box 856, Carmel Valley, CA 93924; (408) 659-5385.

* American Academy of Head, Neck and Facial Pain and TMJ Orthopedics; 520 West Pipeline Road, Hurst, TX 76053.

* Environmental Dental Association; 9974 Scripps Ranch Blvd., Ste. 36, San Diego, CA 92131; (800) 388-8124/(619) 586-1208.

* Foundation for Toxic-Free Dentistry, Box 608010, Orlando, FL 32860-8010.

* Holistic Dental Association, Box 5007, Durango, CO 81301.

REFERENCES

"Another Reason to Drink Green Tea," Science News, p. 253, April 18, 1992.

Cheraskin, Emanuel, M.D., D.M.D., Vitamin C, Who Needs It?, Arlington Press and Company, Birmingham AL, 1993.

"Cashew Oil May Conquer Cavities," Science News, v. 139, n. 12, March 23, 1991.

Langer, Stephen, "Coenzyme Q 10: for Heart and Artery Disorders," Better Nutrition for Today's Living, v. 53, n. 2, p. 22-24, February 1991.