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Hah I felt this same way when I discovered you can change your diet to basically completely remove all dental problems. I doubt society can possible change quic

Hah I felt this same way when I discovered you can change your diet to basically completely remove all dental problems. I doubt society can possible change quickly enough for us to see the downfall of the profession.

killermouse0 5y ago
Would you care to elaborate on those diet changes?
- wyager 5y ago
  Eliminate things bacteria can efficiently metabolize, consume things that humans can efficiently metabolize. Namely, eliminate saccharides (sugar, plant starches, etc.) and get your calories from fat instead. Improved dentition is only one of many benefits.
- tom_mellior 5y ago
  "Diet = dental health" is bullshit. My partner was raised sugar-free and has horrible teeth with many cavities. So does their entire family. I was raised on a diet which included many forms of sweets, and I have never had a cavity. Same for my entire family. Genetics or other biological predisposition seems to be a major factor. Diet might help a bit, but don't expect any magical effects.
joshuahughes 5y ago
Presumably no sugar being the primary factor. No carbs too?
- sitzkrieg 5y ago
  sugar doesn't cause cavities, acids do. some bacteria which is not uniformly present in people eats carbs and deposits acids. this is covered in great detail ina good book, "kiss your dentist goodbye" that i just read. ive seen improvements in my awful teeth after giving the free regimen a try
  - nemo44x 5y ago
    Are there any Ph tablets that are effective at neutralizing the acid that isn’t toothpaste? I’ve only recently learned you aren’t supposed to rinse your mouth after brushing!
    - evan_ 5y ago
      You could just eat a spoonful of baking soda.
      - jcrben 5y ago
        I put baking soda in my drinking water, as mentioned at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329115 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329115 - typically 1 teaspoon per liter
        chihuahua 5y ago
        Doesn't the stomach acid instantly neutralize that?
        hackily 5y ago
        I sure hope your stomach acid isn't finding it's way into your mouth! The point is to raise the pH in the mouth so your teeth, since acidity causes calcium to leach out of your teeth
    - markdown 5y ago
      > I’ve only recently learned you aren’t supposed to rinse your mouth after brushing! Wait, what? Where did you learn that?
      - sitzkrieg 5y ago
        it washes off the fluoride before being absorbed! haha also learned from that book
- johnkpaul 5y ago
  Yeah, extreme no sugar and no carb, almost pure carnivore. Haven’t had a bit of tooth decay since.
- Applejinx 5y ago
  Also, presumably, drink water. That can't hurt.
- kaybe 5y ago
  I have a friend with extreme food restrictions, they can mostly only eat animal products (plus white rice and very few other things). They also cannot brush their teeth regularly due to disability - yet their teeth look fantastic!
  - johnkpaul 5y ago
    Yup this is me
  - ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
    I remember in Sub-Saharan Africa, they all chewed on this stem (can't remember what it was), and everyone I knew had incredible teeth. Their diet was probably also fairly simple. I wasn't really a fan of the local cuisine. When I lived in Morocco, however, it was the opposite. Moroccan food is some of the best in the world, but they have sugar in everything. Their mint tea is something that should come with an insulin injector. They buy these giant bricks of sugar, wrapped in blue paper, and just drop them in the pot. When many Moroccans smile, it looks like a brown picket fence. Did I mention that Moroccan food is awesome?
    - rizwank 5y ago
      The stick is likely Neem; my father did the same in Pakistan.
- sebmellen 5y ago
  Xylitol rinses are great too. Xylitol seems to function as a sort of “probiotic” for the mouth.
  - sithadmin 5y ago
    It's sort of the opposite of a probiotic. In many organisms, including many non-human mammals, it short-circuits normal metabolic processes. Xylitol-sweetened products will easily sicken, and frequently kill cats and dogs, for instance.
    - sebmellen 5y ago
      Yes, you’re right, it’s more of an antibiotic, but it seems to have a balancing effect on the oral microbiome. The research is still nascent and inconclusive, though. Here’s an interesting study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17263856/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17263856/. > Conclusions: The results suggest that chewing gum with xylitol or sorbitol/maltitol can reduce the amount of dental plaque and acid production in saliva in schoolchildren, but only the xylitol-containing gum may also interfere with the microbial composition.
    - user_50123890 5y ago
      You're not supposed to eat the xylitol, just get it onto your teeth. So use xylitol toothpaste.
      - rapjr9 5y ago
        There are Xylitol sprays also, advertised for moisturizing a dry mouth. Spray, swish, and spit it out and little will reach your intestinal microbiome. Best done right before a time when you won't be eating or drinking so the residue has some time to act on the bacteria on the teeth (e.g., right before a shower or before bed).
  - donkarma 5y ago
    Also functions as a mild laxative..
- hungryforcodes 5y ago
  When I was two years old -- apparently, I only heard it from the obvious source -- my mother went to a doctor and asked when she could start giving me candy. I'm dating myself but this was before 1990. Anyways, he said, "Never! Never give him candy. He'll develop a sweet tooth and it's game over for his teeth!". Again paraphrasing and dramatizing, but you get the idea. So my mom never gave me anything with sugar. To this day I don't eat any sweets and I have no cavities or tooth problems. I eat ice cream once a year, and mostly because people seem to like shaming me for not liking it. I always just have a couple of bites. Anyways my teeth are in great shape.
  - xtracto 5y ago
    You got more than 0 cavity problems. There was an article not long ago about how sugar modifies kids mucrobiota permanently in children https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20210203/Childhood-diet-can-alter-the-gut-microbiome-for-life.aspx https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20210203/Childhood-die... I have always had a sweet tooth. And while fortunately I dont have diabetes or similar. I've developed IBS and other gut ailments.
  - megablast 5y ago
    > To this day I don't eat any sweets and I have no cavities or tooth problems. Me neither. I ate candy and chocolate when I was a kid. I still do now 50 years later. Never had a problem with my teeth.
Blammar 5y ago
This is from memory, so could be wrong. The goal is to starve the streptococcus mutans bacteria in your mouth. Since that lives off sugar and starch, you both (a) rinse your mouth with a bactericidal (b) brush teeth, tongue, and gums after ingesting any sugar or starch. The downside is excessive bactericidal use or brushing can damage your mouth tissues and teeth. Another approach I had heard about but have no further info was to be vaccinated against S. mutans, so presumably your saliva would attack it somehow. I don't understand the mechanism here. In the meantime, I use a prescription dose of fluoride toothpaste daily to harden the hydroxyapatite in my mouth.
- johnkpaul 5y ago
  :-) my approach is just to not eat any sugar or starch but definitely agree with mechanism.
- wyager 5y ago
  You can also just quit eating saccharides. Incidentally (or perhaps not), this has a lot of positive effects besides improving dental health. It's a first line treatment for many metabolic disorders like diabetes and even many cases of epilepsy. It resolves many digestive issues, as it reduces or eliminates most things humans can't easily metabolize (plant fiber, large sugar molecules, etc.). It helps with weight management because most human groups have not yet evolved an appropriately tuned satiety response to saccharides.

killermouse0 5y ago

Would you care to elaborate on those diet changes?

wyager 5y ago
Eliminate things bacteria can efficiently metabolize, consume things that humans can efficiently metabolize. Namely, eliminate saccharides (sugar, plant starches, etc.) and get your calories from fat instead. Improved dentition is only one of many benefits.
tom_mellior 5y ago
"Diet = dental health" is bullshit. My partner was raised sugar-free and has horrible teeth with many cavities. So does their entire family. I was raised on a diet which included many forms of sweets, and I have never had a cavity. Same for my entire family. Genetics or other biological predisposition seems to be a major factor. Diet might help a bit, but don't expect any magical effects.

joshuahughes 5y ago

Presumably no sugar being the primary factor. No carbs too?

sitzkrieg 5y ago
sugar doesn't cause cavities, acids do. some bacteria which is not uniformly present in people eats carbs and deposits acids. this is covered in great detail ina good book, "kiss your dentist goodbye" that i just read. ive seen improvements in my awful teeth after giving the free regimen a try
- nemo44x 5y ago
  Are there any Ph tablets that are effective at neutralizing the acid that isn’t toothpaste? I’ve only recently learned you aren’t supposed to rinse your mouth after brushing!
  - evan_ 5y ago
    You could just eat a spoonful of baking soda.
    - jcrben 5y ago
      I put baking soda in my drinking water, as mentioned at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329115 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329115 - typically 1 teaspoon per liter
      - chihuahua 5y ago
        Doesn't the stomach acid instantly neutralize that?
        hackily 5y ago
        I sure hope your stomach acid isn't finding it's way into your mouth! The point is to raise the pH in the mouth so your teeth, since acidity causes calcium to leach out of your teeth
  - markdown 5y ago
    > I’ve only recently learned you aren’t supposed to rinse your mouth after brushing! Wait, what? Where did you learn that?
    - sitzkrieg 5y ago
      it washes off the fluoride before being absorbed! haha also learned from that book
johnkpaul 5y ago
Yeah, extreme no sugar and no carb, almost pure carnivore. Haven’t had a bit of tooth decay since.
Applejinx 5y ago
Also, presumably, drink water. That can't hurt.
kaybe 5y ago
I have a friend with extreme food restrictions, they can mostly only eat animal products (plus white rice and very few other things). They also cannot brush their teeth regularly due to disability - yet their teeth look fantastic!
- johnkpaul 5y ago
  Yup this is me
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
  I remember in Sub-Saharan Africa, they all chewed on this stem (can't remember what it was), and everyone I knew had incredible teeth. Their diet was probably also fairly simple. I wasn't really a fan of the local cuisine. When I lived in Morocco, however, it was the opposite. Moroccan food is some of the best in the world, but they have sugar in everything. Their mint tea is something that should come with an insulin injector. They buy these giant bricks of sugar, wrapped in blue paper, and just drop them in the pot. When many Moroccans smile, it looks like a brown picket fence. Did I mention that Moroccan food is awesome?
  - rizwank 5y ago
    The stick is likely Neem; my father did the same in Pakistan.
sebmellen 5y ago
Xylitol rinses are great too. Xylitol seems to function as a sort of “probiotic” for the mouth.
- sithadmin 5y ago
  It's sort of the opposite of a probiotic. In many organisms, including many non-human mammals, it short-circuits normal metabolic processes. Xylitol-sweetened products will easily sicken, and frequently kill cats and dogs, for instance.
  - sebmellen 5y ago
    Yes, you’re right, it’s more of an antibiotic, but it seems to have a balancing effect on the oral microbiome. The research is still nascent and inconclusive, though. Here’s an interesting study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17263856/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17263856/. > Conclusions: The results suggest that chewing gum with xylitol or sorbitol/maltitol can reduce the amount of dental plaque and acid production in saliva in schoolchildren, but only the xylitol-containing gum may also interfere with the microbial composition.
  - user_50123890 5y ago
    You're not supposed to eat the xylitol, just get it onto your teeth. So use xylitol toothpaste.
    - rapjr9 5y ago
      There are Xylitol sprays also, advertised for moisturizing a dry mouth. Spray, swish, and spit it out and little will reach your intestinal microbiome. Best done right before a time when you won't be eating or drinking so the residue has some time to act on the bacteria on the teeth (e.g., right before a shower or before bed).
- donkarma 5y ago
  Also functions as a mild laxative..
hungryforcodes 5y ago
When I was two years old -- apparently, I only heard it from the obvious source -- my mother went to a doctor and asked when she could start giving me candy. I'm dating myself but this was before 1990. Anyways, he said, "Never! Never give him candy. He'll develop a sweet tooth and it's game over for his teeth!". Again paraphrasing and dramatizing, but you get the idea. So my mom never gave me anything with sugar. To this day I don't eat any sweets and I have no cavities or tooth problems. I eat ice cream once a year, and mostly because people seem to like shaming me for not liking it. I always just have a couple of bites. Anyways my teeth are in great shape.
- xtracto 5y ago
  You got more than 0 cavity problems. There was an article not long ago about how sugar modifies kids mucrobiota permanently in children https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20210203/Childhood-diet-can-alter-the-gut-microbiome-for-life.aspx https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20210203/Childhood-die... I have always had a sweet tooth. And while fortunately I dont have diabetes or similar. I've developed IBS and other gut ailments.
- megablast 5y ago
  > To this day I don't eat any sweets and I have no cavities or tooth problems. Me neither. I ate candy and chocolate when I was a kid. I still do now 50 years later. Never had a problem with my teeth.

Blammar 5y ago

This is from memory, so could be wrong. The goal is to starve the streptococcus mutans bacteria in your mouth. Since that lives off sugar and starch, you both (a) rinse your mouth with a bactericidal (b) brush teeth, tongue, and gums after ingesting any sugar or starch. The downside is excessive bactericidal use or brushing can damage your mouth tissues and teeth. Another approach I had heard about but have no further info was to be vaccinated against S. mutans, so presumably your saliva would attack it somehow. I don't understand the mechanism here. In the meantime, I use a prescription dose of fluoride toothpaste daily to harden the hydroxyapatite in my mouth.

johnkpaul 5y ago
:-) my approach is just to not eat any sugar or starch but definitely agree with mechanism.
wyager 5y ago
You can also just quit eating saccharides. Incidentally (or perhaps not), this has a lot of positive effects besides improving dental health. It's a first line treatment for many metabolic disorders like diabetes and even many cases of epilepsy. It resolves many digestive issues, as it reduces or eliminates most things humans can't easily metabolize (plant fiber, large sugar molecules, etc.). It helps with weight management because most human groups have not yet evolved an appropriately tuned satiety response to saccharides.