my bare brush teeth brushing experience

[Guest guest]

I thought I'd share my bare brush teeth brushing experience as a number of

people were concerned about these issues.

 

Many years ago, after struggling and failing to sort out all of the conflicting

accusations about which teeth brushing compounds hurt the health and which

didn't, I " temporarily " stopped using anything other than un-waxed dental floss,

my soft bristled tooth brush, and warm water to clean my teeth.

 

My teeth cleaning still starts with a floss with un-waxed floss and then a

careful brushing with warm water, and the dentist always comments on how healthy

my teeth and gums are. I use a soft bristled brush to help avoid hurting my

gums.

 

My teeth cleaning experience is:

Once a day allows the plaque to make slow gains, and really stinky stuff is

brushed off the teeth.

Twice a day makes slow gains on old plaque deposits, and keeps the teeth shiny.

Thrice a day prevents the stinky deposits from building up in the first place,

and the teeth are really clean and shiny.

 

Part of typical teeth brushing compounds is a fragrance to cover up the stink

from teeth not brushed often enough. Rather than helping to achieve better

health, perfumed tooth health products obscure the current reality and encourage

unhealthy habits.

 

It takes a lot more work to carefully brush down to the gum line on all sides of

the molars than it does to clean up the front of the front teeth, however

healthy teeth and gums are as essential for overall body health as

cardiovascular exercise is, so I really make an effort to do this.

 

All this seems to be tied into the health of my self-image. When being a careful

steward for my life sounds worthwhile, I get a lot of satisfaction out of a

really careful and thorough teeth cleaning. Then there are the days I don't even

notice that I forgot to brush my teeth, and when I finally do notice I'm more

likely to criticize myself than go clean my teeth.

 

For me, the frequency and diligence of my teeth cleaning seems to be one of the

more reliable signs of how my sense of well-being is doing, and frequent teeth

cleaning seems to be part of the cause of well-being and the lack of teeth

cleaning is definitely an effect of the lack of well-being.

 

The key point is I achieve teeth and gum health with just un-waxed floss, warm

water, and a soft bristled tooth brush, and cleaning my teeth more than once a

day.

 

May your day be filled with clarity, grace, strength, progress, and warm

laughter,

Roger

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your thoughts on teeth Roger.

 

For my 2 cents...

 

I realized after decades of seeing dentists and following their

recommendations, some of their suggestions may have contributed to the

problems I had. The basic dental message growing up was " brush, brush,

brush " (and floss). When I had a " good " check up, the brushing was

encouraged by " good job " (or similar). When my check up was not as

good, I was reminded to be more diligent. In my twenties I ended up

with receding gums. I was given softer brushes. In my 30's I still had

the receding gums and ended up with " abrasions " . Later on I was told

kind of " Oh... by the way, your receding gums and abrasions are from

brushing too hard! " I didn't think I was brushing too hard... and it

was nice of them to explain that too me after the fact (way after).

They taught me a new, efficient and gentler way of brushing. They

demonstrated it, had me try it while they supervised and critiqued.

So, off I went. Six months later I came back to be told I had some

cavities because " you're not brushing well enough " .

 

Anyway, so much for trusting dentists! One thing I have noticed

regarding teeth health is that when I have chewed on dry greens (no

dressings, oil, avocado, etc.) my teeth actually feel stronger. I

suspect that minerals are somehow being directly absorbed into the

teeth instead of only entering through the digestive system. I have

even noticed benefits when swishing wheatgrass juice for several

minutes before swallowing. I usually do not take the whole shot all at

once, but rather a small sip at a time.

 

Regarding tooth pastes, etc: I long disliked the taste of toothpaste

and stop using commercial varieties many years ago (15?). I moved to

" natural " tooth pastes, which I ended many years ago. Since being raw

I have done mostly brushing with only a wet brush, though now use some

remineralizing powder from Uncle Harry (Madison Market has it and I

believe PCC does too). The powder should alkalize as well, which may

be good after acidic foods, though I was interested in the idea that

one should not brush after, basically, bathing the teeth in acidic

foods. I have heard from at least one one person that carries a

solution of water and baking soda (?) to rinse with after eating. That

may especially be good when brushing is not convenient, such as when

driving.

 

It was brought up that raw foodists may have more issues with bad

teeth than those on Standard American Diets (SAD). There are two

different aspects of acidity. One is the acidity in the mouth, the

other is acidity (acid ash) in the body. Acidity in the mouth could

occur from under-ripe fruits. Under-ripe citrus, for example, would

likely be acidic in the mouth. Acidity in the body could come from

animal products, such as meats. They may be neutral or alkaline in the

mouth (I'm not sure of the actual pH), but have the end result of

acidifying the body. As the body must maintain an alkaline pH in the

blood, the body will borrow calcium carbonate from the tissues to

neutralize the acidity entering the blood. This can lead to

osteoporosis and kidney issues. Perhaps, in the long run, also the

teeth. So, while animal products may not seem to damage the teeth in

the people who eat it, it may be wreaking havoc in their bodies!

 

Before I was even fully vegetarian or vegan, I had many amalgam

fillings (which is another issue). I had them all removed and replaced

with composites. That process also would have caused more stress to my

teeth and removed more tooth matter. I later became vegan and then

raw. At least in my case it is not possible to assign blame to raw

food for my teeth issues (IMO). Raw food may have contributed, but

there are too many variables.

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff