Correcting the misconceptions that our culture has about how to go about achieving better dental health is vital.
Let’s examine five ways that nutrition and food might affect dental health.
Five food suggestions to improve oral health
- have enough fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K2) in our diet.
- Eat a diet rich in vitamins B and C.
- have enough minerals in our diet.
- Steer clear of too many acidic meals.
- Steer clear of sugar in all its forms.
Let’s examine the inner workings of how nutrition affects dental health in this post.
This first article will examine the work of Dr. Ralph Steinman in order to provide context for the role that nutrition plays in supporting or compromising our dental health.
In the 1970s, Dr. Steinman, a dental researcher, conducted a thorough investigation to identify the root cause of tooth decay. His study was presented in the remarkable book Dentinal Fluid Transport. To find out what causes tooth decay, he experimented on lab rats for tens of thousands of times. You may be surprised by what he discovered.
Dentinal fluid flow: what is it? (And what effect does it have on my dental health?)
Dr. Steinman found that our teeth are living at their core.
The fluid that flows through our teeth is known as “dentinal fluid flow,” which is in contrast to the widespread cultural perception that teeth are like little pebbles.
The layer of tissue that sits directly between the soft tooth pulp and the hard outer (enamel) surface of each of our teeth is called the dentin.
Dr. Steinman found that the blood circulation that enters and exits each of our teeth includes this flow of dentinal fluid.
He also found that teeth are extremely resistant to deterioration when the dentinal fluid is flowing outward from the interior of the tooth. On the other hand, decay develops rapidly when the fluid flow reverses and moves from the tooth’s outer surface to its inside.
Tooth decay is a result of the tiny bugs that live in our mouths. When the dentinal fluid flows in a healthy manner, the hooligan bugs are washed away from the teeth, preventing them from decaying them. They seem to need to swim upstream in order to reach the teeth. However, it’s like the bad guys have a free access on a highway directly into our teeth if the flow of dentinal fluid reverses!
Dr. Steinman discovered that the parotid gland, a component of our salivary system situated below our lower jaw, regulates the flow of dentinal fluid. He then learned that the hypothalamus, a region of the brain, regulates the parotid gland. To keep things simple, we’ll call this connection between the parotid gland, the hypothalamus, and dentinal fluid flow “dentinal fluid flow.”
With these components in place, Dr. Steinman’s research helped us comprehend that eating a healthy, balanced diet helps to maintain a healthy, living tissue inside the teeth that can help resist decay through healthy dentinal fluid flow, in addition to controlling the thug bugs that cause dental decay.