6/16/2017 ~ What a good thing that I was looking for a new image for Keep Your Teeth! I first saw the above picture at Bartz & Bartz Dental where they talk about teeth whitening, by way of foods. I had no idea that malic acid in strawberries and apples is a natural teeth whitening astringent, that iron in broccoli protects teeth from stains, that celery’s water content stimulates saliva with its natural cleaning effect, that raw garlic and onions reduce plaque production, or that pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain that is a natural stain remover.
If I had known when I was younger what I know now, I would not have had teeth pulled. It is so much easier to keep your teeth than it might seem at first glance. Plus, dentists make more money when you don’t keep your teeth. The cost of dentures indicates a pretty hefty profit margin.
Vitamin B12 changed everything
From the time I was a child, all too many decades ago, dentists told me I had a lot of tartar. Then, as the idiom changed, they said I had a lot of plaque. Getting my teeth cleaned every three months wasn’t enough to keep up with the plaque.
That completely changed after I began having vitamin B12 replacement. After three or four months of a B12 shot a month, a surprising thing happened. I stopped having so much plaque and I no longer needed my teeth cleaned as often. Somewhat later, as B12 replacement continued, the most surprising thing happened: my teeth went from loose and wiggly to being tight in my jaw.
As an aside, using a 1,000 mcg methylcobalamin lozenge a day, for a month, equals a B12 shot.
Methylcobalamin Lozenges 1000 mcg.
In my ignorance
In my ignorance I had loose teeth pulled and replaced with implants. Now, years later, the dental implants are causing infection, which dentists assure me is only because they are the old type of implant. “Get new ones,” is the implied message.
I bought into the have-your-teeth-pulled message when I was young, and overall it was a bad buy.
Now that I’m older and wiser, I’m happy knowing that vitamin C controls the infection around my dental implants ~ If you’re skeptical about vitamin C’s efficacy, a 60 Minutes video about a man who would have had life support turned off, but for his family insisting on high dose vitamin C, may change your mind. To me, it’s super interesting that the video is on a dentist’s website:
I’d have my own teeth if…
There are things that would have made it likely I’d still have all my own teeth.
What things are those? The biggest thing, and one that’s common, was taking dentists’ and doctors’ word to heart, unquestioningly. I had no concept of testing things out to see how they actually worked for me.
I am reminded of a lovely older woman who bought a house through me when I was a Realtor. Her new doctor, upon moving to Santa Fe from Chicago, told her that she needed a new prescription. The woman had serious doubts but did as she was told. The prescription affected her balance and she began falling. The effect on her balance was so severe she had to stop doing many of the things she most enjoyed. When she confronted her doctor, the doctor avoided taking any responsibility.
Focusing on my health
I had no concept of focusing, in any effective way, on my health, dental or otherwise, until I was told by a neurologist to keep a “Time Line” in relation symptoms, B12 shots and B12 test results.
Once I began recording my symptoms, stresses, and B12 shots, I was able to see how things worked for me: When there was more stress I had more symptoms unless I also had more B12. Once I saw the relationships they seemed so evident. But, had I not kept notes I would not have had “evidence” showing me the relationships.
When you focus on your own health, on what you are experiencing, as opposed to what you believe will happen given what you are told, you have the best chance of not being one of the 128,000 Americans who die each year from medications taken as prescribed. And, you are likely to be able to keep your teeth!
Tartar… Plaque
I had a lot of “tartar” even as a child. Tartar is now referred to as plaque, but it is the same thing. Dental plaque is composed of about 80% water and 20% protein accumulated from protein in your saliva.
Dentists exclaimed at me over the large amount of plaque I had and how quickly it built up. I needed my teeth cleaned every three months, sometimes more. The extensive, quick building plaque is what eventually led to my teeth loss, but in between there were times I was under extreme stress and my gums bled without even brushing my teeth to cause the bleeding. I now know that bleeding like that is easily controlled by increasing vitamin B12 levels.
There were two times in my life when plaque fell off in chunks all on its own: once was after a party in London when everyone was extremely nice and I felt that people genuinely liked me and I wasn’t alone (I was living in a rather isolated situation at the time); the other was the day after a dozen people went to court with me in Santa Fe to support me. These two experiences led me to believe that if I had a lot of support most of the time, and little stress, my teeth and gums would have benefited.
Trouble is, a lot of us suffer abuse at home rather than receiving love and support. When I finally discovered a less obvious, more underlying approach to getting the support I need, it was wonderful.
The approach was B12 replacement
After regular B12 shots for some months I discovered plaque was no longer building up as it had in the past. I needed only one or two cleanings a year.
From my experience of plaque falling off and plaque ceasing to build up so quickly, I’ve concluded that there’s a relationship between feeling supported and loved and higher B12 levels. And, higher B12 levels work against plaque. Just as stress lowers B12 levels, love and appreciation appear to raise B12 levels and contribute in a very real way to having less plaque and helping you keep yor teeth.
Having huge amounts of stress in my life, I continue with B12 replacement and now use methylcobalamin lozenges which are much nicer than shots. Also, I’ve learned that eating Swiss cheese, the kind that comes in chunks, puts B12 making bacteria back in my digestive system where they very kindly make B12 for me.
Methylcobalamin benefits teeth and gums
When I told a friend about methylcobalamin benefiting teeth and gums, she was skeptical, “I just don’t see how there can be a connection.” The connection is the effect a low vitamin B12 level has on blood.
When we don’t have a healthy vitamin B12 level our blood cells become larger and larger because they can’t divide the way that they are supposed to. That’s why we tend to feel tired and our feet and hands tend to fall asleep and feel numb when our B12 level falls. A common cause of falling B12 levels is B12 malabsorption.
Actually, that’s not entirely true. The real cause is a lack of awareness of B12 malabsorption and how it can thwart your healthy food choices.
When our B12 levels are healthy, our blood is healthy and cleans our systems for us, getting rid of the makings of plaque before they can materialize into a damaging coating on our teeth or inside our veins and brains. Plaque in the brain is a know factor in Alzheimer’s Disease as well as Parkinson’s Disease.
What makes us lose our memory in Alzheimer’s may make us lose our teeth
A characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of amyloid plaques between nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. Amyloid is a general term for protein fragments that the body produces normally. In a healthy brain, these protein fragments are broken down and eliminated. In Alzheimer’s the fragments accumulate to form hard, insoluble plaques.
Normal brain vs brain with amyloid plaque buildups
Studies show that people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s tend to have lower B12 levels.
Alzheimer’s and B12 Deficiency ~ Read more.
If your fingernails have ridges or you are losing your moons on your fingernails or have other signs vitamin B12 deficiency, then you may be like I was with excessive plaque that can lead to loosing teeth as well as memory.
Don’t let it happen!
You have a choice. You don’t have to let your teeth get loose or lose your memory. Begin using methylcobalamin lozenges to enhance the health of your blood and nerves. You will see a difference in the health of your gums and teeth.
Methylcobalamin ~ Read more.
Try it! But be sure to keep a Time Line. That way you can see how many days it take B12 to make a difference for you.
Trouble standing long enough to brush you teeth?
If you are sick and have trouble standing long enough to regularly brush your teeth, try taking a mouthful of hydrogen peroxide, you can dilute it a bit if you like, and swish it around your mouth for a minute or so, then spit it out. I discovered that it helps clean at the gum line. I just wish I’d discovered it earlier, while I had tetanus.
Listerine works really Really well, too.
Loose teeth become tight
1/6/09 – Several of my teeth that were loose are now tight in my jaw. I had no idea that loose teeth could become strong and tight again. But, they can and they did for me.
I attribute the change to no longer taking Ibuprofen except when I’m having extreme pain (Ibuprofen weakens the jaw bones, as in fact does Fosamax). Plus, I take a lot more magnesium. I try to take a magnesium tablet or capsule every time I have vitamin C, partially because the vitamin C helps my body make use of the magnesium and partially because I take a lot of vitamin C and I want to be sure to take a lot of magnesium.
Just to clarify, my teeth were just this side of wobbly in my jaw ~ the same way the ones were which the dentists insisted had to come out. My teeth did not regain their firm anchoring in a day or week or month, it took about two years.
Map of germs
In 2012 the above map of germs or microorganisms in the human body was released by the US government. I think it’s more of an artistic graphic than a map but in any case, it’s interesting.
Are you as startled as I am that we have more microorganisms in our mouths than in our digestive system? Turns out digestion begins in our mouths. I wonder if there are so few microbes in the gastrointestinal system because of the antibiotics in the meat we are constantly encouraged to eat. Even I have encouraged people to eat meat because I believed meat was an efficient way to get B12.
Ditch the Meat Belief ~ All vitamin B12 comes from microorganisms
Recently I learned that all B12 originates with microorganisms and that there is B12 to be had from tempe, miso, mushrooms, some tea… and what else? if we just stop focusing on meat.
Foods Containing Vitamin B12 ~ Read more.
I had not paid attention to how much we focus on meat and believe in its contribution to health until I watched Forks Over Knives.
Focusing on research by two food scientists, Forks Over Knives reveals that despite broad advances in medical technology, the popularity of animal-based and modern processed foods have led to epidemic rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
Watch it… You may find yourself revising your thinking, just as I did.
Watch Now ~ Forks Over Knives
Also, watch Food, Inc.
Some interesting research
A 1932 study, published in the British Medical Journal, provided evidence that cavities and tooth decay can potentially be reversed with diet.
Sixty-two school children with cavities were divided into three groups and assigned different diets. It was found that the group who ate lots of grains had an increase in cavities, while the children who ate a grain-free diet and supplemented with vitamin D saw the greatest improvements, with many of their cavities healing.
Influence of Cereal Free Diet ~ Read more.
In the 1900s, Dr. Weston A. Price – a dentist in Cleveland, Ohio – went around the world studying indigenous tribes. He observed some with little tooth decay and noted that their diets were particularly rich in nutrients. Grains, he noted, required careful preparation because of their phytic acid, which he called an “antinutrient” because it combines with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc in the intestines and blocks their absorption. Price advised properly preparing whole grains like beans by soaking before slow cooking so as to avoid serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. He also advised nutrient rich fats, like butter made from the milk of cows that fed on rapidly growing grass with a high cholorophyll content, cholorophyll being a precursor to vitamin A. Without fats in the diet fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K could not be utilized and health, to include dental health, suffered. Read more.
Image Credit:
Strawberry and Teeth image credit : Bartz & Bartz Dental on Teeth Whitening.