I had braces for two years. While I had braces, I brushed once religiously after every meal and also ate SAD. I figured the receding gums I'm suffering was due to over brushing. I have been on paleo for about 6 mouths now and now dental health is greatly improved. I've stopped brushing altogether to avoid further damage to my gums, as it seems like whenever I brush my teeth, I always end up "losing a bit gum." Now I only resort to brushing my teeth when I cheat, which is very rarely. So I'm wondering if there is any way to clean my teeth or keep them clean without brushing.
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You risk losing your teeth if you don't clean them and the gums. If your gums are receding I don't think it is because of brushing, but more because of periodontal problems. You need to clean in between the teeth and under the gums. If you're bleeding or feeling pain brushing/flossing, get to a dentist. Some people on paleo say they have to brush a lot less (or not at all). That's not been my personal experience. I think it really varies per person and how they feel on the cleanliness of their teeth. Look at the technical side. Food gets trapped between the teeth and in the gums. It either loosens up over time and gets swallowed with saliva, or it stays there and gets eaten by bacteria. Either way, it can create inflamation in the gums. If there's sugars in it, the bacteria eats it and excretes acids that destroy your teeth (under the plaque, etc). If your immune system keeps up with the inflamation, your gums seem ok. If it doesn't, you get sore/bleeding gums (do you bleed when you brush/floss?). On your part, I'd recommend getting a soft brush, check your flossing habits, and look into getting a waterpik of some sort. Brushing for the surfaces, flossing for in between and under the gums, and waterpik to wash it all out. I've had situations where I brush, everything looks good, I floss, chunks of meat come out (that I didn't see before), things look good, then I waterpik, and yet more comes out... |
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I know people in several eastern cultures have never used a toothbrush or toothpaste in their entire lives and have not lost a single tooth all their lives to disease or cavities. However, all 'clean' their teeth as an morning ritual. They use a twig, about 6 inches long and just chew on it till the end frays and it resembles a brush/broom. After this, it is just thrown away and the mouth rinsed with water, perhaps the juices from the twig while chewing disinfect the mouth; and the fibrous ends clean spaces in between. I investigated further and found that they use generally 3 varieties of plants for this purpose. The first and most popular is "Azadirachta indica" - Apparently this tree has medicinal properties, The second one is "Salvadora persica" - This tree, in fact, is referred to as the toothbrush tree. The third one is "Acacia nilotica" - This tree also is reported to have medicinal properties I have also seen commercial toothpastes prepared from extracts of all three above. |
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On babies sometimes parents gently rub with a wet wash cloth. I can't imagine that a "soft" toothbrush would be doing so much damage??? The trick is to "gently" massage the gum line in round circle motions. |
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I think the main thing is to stop using toothpaste. I only brush with a bit of baking soda and sea salt in coconut oil. |
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you might want to try chewing sticks...but personally I think you should still keep brushing your teeth (with a soft tooth brush) and flossing like everyone else is saying. http://www.amazon.com/Thursday-Plantation-Original-Chewing-Sticks/dp/B000JI521U |
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If you have pieces of rotting meat stuck in your teeth, you will have bad breath. You should try to clean out your mouth. If you don't like using a toothbrush, get a water pik and then floss. Yet I think not using a toothbrush at all is a bad idea. |
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I brush sans paste whenever I eat carbs or my mouth feels anything other than smooth. I don't tell the dentist this, so as not to be lectured. No cavities , little to no plaque, he attributes it to my "virtually no sugar" diet. I tell him it's the wheat. |
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