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A friend I know hopes this can be available to everyone soon. He's suffered from cavities for most of his life, and its shocking he hasn't had to have a tooth p

A friend I know hopes this can be available to everyone soon. He's suffered from cavities for most of his life, and its shocking he hasn't had to have a tooth pulled. While he isn't the best on dental hygiene I know he tries....but his medication and genetics kinda skew any efforts he makes. He jokes that he'd be lucky to have teeth by 50 still left, and in his case I feel bad for him because he does all he really can yet still has cavities and needs fillings regularly.

WonderingMary 2y ago
I am in my mid 30s now and unfortunately due to genetics on my mother's side (diabetes and high blood pressure) and with tartar/plaque buildup accelerated the process and now I have periodontitis where the bone the teeth is lost (the left upper side from the 3rd molar to the 2nd bicuspid). I still have my teeth, but not for long (probably not to even my 40s). While teeth cleaning and tartar removal every few weeks helps slowing this process, its not going to stop it. I pray that this breakthrough happens (even though it will probably take 5 to 10 years until we have something viable that we can pay for).
gorkish 2y ago
Your friend should take a look at Lumina. It's a treatment to inoculate yourself with a strain of s.mutans that does not produce lactic acid and will remain dominant against other strains. Depending on the root cause of his cavities, it is possible that it would completely eliminate them. The mutation occurs naturally; if you have heard of entire families who do not get cavities or children 'growing out' of getting cavities, my understanding is that it is usually correlated with the natural spread of this variant of s.mutans.
- anon373839 2y ago
  Lumina sounds interesting, but it’s got serious safety and efficacy concerns: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-technology/reports-death-dental-cavities-are-greatly-exaggerated https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-... > Lumina is a genetically engineered version of the Streptococcus mutans bacterium that lives in the mouth, and it is supposed to prevent you from developing dental caries because it does not produce acid - It has been poorly studied for safety and effectiveness - Streptococcus mutans is actually neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of dental caries; the disease actually comes about because of a shift in the equilibrium of bacteria in the mouth which encourages the demineralization of our teeth
  - gorkish 2y ago
    Well either way, it exists, and the FDA is apparently going to say it's not harmful. I'm in the "nobody in my entire extended family has ever had a single cavity" club, so no dog in the race for me other than my strong suspicion that the line of reasoning behind managing the risk of cavities by managing the microbiome in the mouth is the right approach. Is there a good way to order genetic sequencing of s.mutans from my own mouth? Have we gotten to the point where a lab test like this is inexpensive enough to be done for the sake of curiosity?
Auracle 2y ago
There are better toothpastes out there that use more than fluoride. Sensodyne with Novamin is one (but you need to import it), along with many that have hydroxyapatite. The latter often don’t have fluoride but there are some with both.
- BehindBlueEyes 2y ago
  I was surprised a few month ago that one of the toothpastes I tried has sorbitol in it and wondered if that is contributing to my cavities. Googling this seems as hard as finding good dietary info that's not diet propaganda. This dentist says sorbitol may enable tooth decaying bacteria and only xylitol is ok https://michaelsinkindds.com/sugar-substitutes-can-cause-tooth-decay/ https://michaelsinkindds.com/sugar-substitutes-can-cause-too... but other sources say sorbitol is fine. The one thing all seem to agree on is that sorbitol is better than sugar but why is it so hard to find a toothpaste that has no sweetener in it... and that doesn't taste of mint, which is the only alternative. I'm told I have good genes / strong teeth and I brush after every meal but somehow every year my cavities add up to my entire dental insurance budget plus a crown I never get around to fund, regardless which dentist I go to. So yes, bring on the tooth regrowing drug! I'll give that a try.
- xarope 2y ago
  +1 for novamin, it really does make your teeth feel smooth and glassy-like.
Projectiboga 2y ago
He should test the PH of his morning urine. Excess acidity, as in a low PH buffer is what drives tooth decay. If he can improve is diet with ph raising fruits and vegetables he may slow the process down for these new technologies to mature. Another tip is diy mouthwash. Take poultry seasoning and steep it like tea and strain after 20 minutes. Put itvin a glass bottle, keep it in the fridge and let a serving warm up before tooth brush time in the evening. It really can lower plaque. First tip from a holstic dentist, second is mine.
- Tommix11 2y ago
  I had lots of cavities despite impeccable tooth hygiene. Turned out I had an evil roided up tooth munching bacterial culture in my mouth. It was cured with chlorine treatment. One damn month where EVERYTHING tasted like swimming pool. After that I've had no cavities.
  - barfbagginus 2y ago
    How did you get the mouth culture done? And what is chlorine treatment? What substance, formulation strength, and routine?

WonderingMary 2y ago

I am in my mid 30s now and unfortunately due to genetics on my mother's side (diabetes and high blood pressure) and with tartar/plaque buildup accelerated the process and now I have periodontitis where the bone the teeth is lost (the left upper side from the 3rd molar to the 2nd bicuspid). I still have my teeth, but not for long (probably not to even my 40s). While teeth cleaning and tartar removal every few weeks helps slowing this process, its not going to stop it. I pray that this breakthrough happens (even though it will probably take 5 to 10 years until we have something viable that we can pay for).

gorkish 2y ago

Your friend should take a look at Lumina. It's a treatment to inoculate yourself with a strain of s.mutans that does not produce lactic acid and will remain dominant against other strains. Depending on the root cause of his cavities, it is possible that it would completely eliminate them. The mutation occurs naturally; if you have heard of entire families who do not get cavities or children 'growing out' of getting cavities, my understanding is that it is usually correlated with the natural spread of this variant of s.mutans.

anon373839 2y ago
Lumina sounds interesting, but it’s got serious safety and efficacy concerns: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-technology/reports-death-dental-cavities-are-greatly-exaggerated https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-... > Lumina is a genetically engineered version of the Streptococcus mutans bacterium that lives in the mouth, and it is supposed to prevent you from developing dental caries because it does not produce acid - It has been poorly studied for safety and effectiveness - Streptococcus mutans is actually neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of dental caries; the disease actually comes about because of a shift in the equilibrium of bacteria in the mouth which encourages the demineralization of our teeth
- gorkish 2y ago
  Well either way, it exists, and the FDA is apparently going to say it's not harmful. I'm in the "nobody in my entire extended family has ever had a single cavity" club, so no dog in the race for me other than my strong suspicion that the line of reasoning behind managing the risk of cavities by managing the microbiome in the mouth is the right approach. Is there a good way to order genetic sequencing of s.mutans from my own mouth? Have we gotten to the point where a lab test like this is inexpensive enough to be done for the sake of curiosity?

Auracle 2y ago

There are better toothpastes out there that use more than fluoride. Sensodyne with Novamin is one (but you need to import it), along with many that have hydroxyapatite. The latter often don’t have fluoride but there are some with both.

BehindBlueEyes 2y ago
I was surprised a few month ago that one of the toothpastes I tried has sorbitol in it and wondered if that is contributing to my cavities. Googling this seems as hard as finding good dietary info that's not diet propaganda. This dentist says sorbitol may enable tooth decaying bacteria and only xylitol is ok https://michaelsinkindds.com/sugar-substitutes-can-cause-tooth-decay/ https://michaelsinkindds.com/sugar-substitutes-can-cause-too... but other sources say sorbitol is fine. The one thing all seem to agree on is that sorbitol is better than sugar but why is it so hard to find a toothpaste that has no sweetener in it... and that doesn't taste of mint, which is the only alternative. I'm told I have good genes / strong teeth and I brush after every meal but somehow every year my cavities add up to my entire dental insurance budget plus a crown I never get around to fund, regardless which dentist I go to. So yes, bring on the tooth regrowing drug! I'll give that a try.
xarope 2y ago
+1 for novamin, it really does make your teeth feel smooth and glassy-like.

Projectiboga 2y ago

He should test the PH of his morning urine. Excess acidity, as in a low PH buffer is what drives tooth decay. If he can improve is diet with ph raising fruits and vegetables he may slow the process down for these new technologies to mature. Another tip is diy mouthwash. Take poultry seasoning and steep it like tea and strain after 20 minutes. Put itvin a glass bottle, keep it in the fridge and let a serving warm up before tooth brush time in the evening. It really can lower plaque. First tip from a holstic dentist, second is mine.

Tommix11 2y ago
I had lots of cavities despite impeccable tooth hygiene. Turned out I had an evil roided up tooth munching bacterial culture in my mouth. It was cured with chlorine treatment. One damn month where EVERYTHING tasted like swimming pool. After that I've had no cavities.
- barfbagginus 2y ago
  How did you get the mouth culture done? And what is chlorine treatment? What substance, formulation strength, and routine?