Has anybody noticed changes to their teeth since going low carb?
I'm almost 12 months in to very low carb for health reasons. No processed food. No added sugars. No grains. No potatoes. No vegetable seed oils. Lots of veg. Small amounts of seasonal fruit.
I had my first dental checkup and clean and for the first time ever there was little to no scraping of plaque. I was actually asked whether I had changed brush, brushing, flossing, technique etc etc. I told them it was just dietary.
But I've noticed something else. 35 years ago I had braces fitted, and ever since then I lost my bite. There was no way at all I was able to bring my front teeth together. Well I've noticed in the last few months I now have my bite back, and a fairly strong one at that. I'm really not sure why this might be.
The cleanliness of your teeth is no surprise. Even if you give up sugar the starch from a 'normal' diet is quickly turned to glucose in the mouth, and that's what the bacteria consume and mess up your mouth. If you put a bit of bread between your cheek and gum and leave it for 10 minutes when you move it it will taste sweet.
I was pondering this very topic a few months ago. I went to the dentist for the first time in my adult life earlier this year. I don't know many people my age who haven't had fillings or extractions. I presumed the only reason I hadn't had any was because I hadn't been for check-ups.
I thought they were going to tell me off and land me with a massive bill for a backlog of dental work. But instead they just said "well done, everything is in tip top condition". I think they were a bit surprised too. They seem to like to believe that if you don't visit the dentist your teeth will all rot out your mouth regardless of your diet and dental routine.
I'm alright at brushing my teeth... not the most stringent but alright enough.... but I think it's probably much more related to my diet that my teeth are doing well. I've been on more or less strict versions of low carb diets most of my adult life so have rarely ever done things like eat a biscuit (or much processed food of any kind really) and certainly haven't ever drunk any sugary drinks. I've always thought of bread and pasta as indulgent foods to be eaten rarely rather than staples and I've never been a person who eats fruit either.
I hadn't thought much about low carb and teeth before my dental check-up but when I googled it I found that a few big dental companies really DON'T recommend LCHF diets. Even some smaller individual dental practices make a point of NOT recommending a LCHF diet. A lot of them make a big deal of the keto breath symptoms. Some of them mention that it may raise cholesterol and be bad for your general health. None of them say much about the impact on your actual teeth though.
Also on a slightly unrelated note to do with my dental visit..... I understand the done thing is to lie about it to the dentist and doctor and say you drink less than you actually do.... however I told them the actual amount of wine I drink on Friday and Saturday. Even so they said I'm only "drinking a little bit too much - probably nothing to worry about" which I was secretly very very pleased about. Irresponsibly, I figure I can get away with drinking a bit more now....
The dentist was a much more assuring experience all round than I had expected.
Also I have switched to an electric toothbrush which really takes the work out of tooth brushing - I love it!
I was thinking about your post over the weekend! -- I've had a couple of days where I've eaten a few sugary items out of the blue... and my teeth really noticed it. Ouch! They became quite sensitive.
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Carbs
Which diet?
Day 1 of Low Carbs
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