Eating raw food can bring up serious dental problems. This case is not too uncommon. In my long years of seeking and searching, I've also made a lot of mistakes. I ate dried fruit in excess, I ate many nuts and seeds (too many!), I had lots of honey at times, I've eaten my share of dates, and on top of that, I didn't brush my teeth for a good two to three years (if not more), having read that brushing teeth wasn't necessary.
I made every possible mistake one can make like a raw-foodist, and one consequence has been the dental problems I've experienced. Now many of the teeth in my mouth have fillings, except some of my front teeth! Now before you panic, allow me to hasten to make the purpose that most people who do things correctly don't get problems with their teeth on a raw food diet. In fact, their teeth get better. But if you don't know what you are doing, you may wind up in the same place.
Because of the misinformation that I received through reading aboout raw-food and hearing bad advice from many ignorant or misadvised leaders in the raw-food and Natural Hygiene movement, as well as due to my own ignorance at that time, my dental health has suffered tremendously.
By carefully following a advice below, you will make sure you do not run into the same problems. If you have experienced problems with your teeth, you will be able to reverse the situation. Why raw-foodists have problems with their teeth are the following:
After eating, the pH in the mouth drops to some more acid state. It requires 1-2 hours for it to go back up to an alkaline state. If you are snacking often, like the majority of rawfoodists are, the pH in the mouth will stay acid. This is a perfect environment for bacteria to do their work and produce even more acids that can create tooth decay. But this can not occur when the following factors are not present.
Raw-foodists eat dried fruit and dehydrated foods. Dried fruit and dehydrated foods encourage cavities and gum disease. Dried fruit and dehydrated foods stick to the teeth and provide PERFECT nourishment for that acid-producing bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. This includes all dried fruit, fruit bars, trail mixes, dehydrated crackers, raw "burgers", as well as seeds and nuts.
The dried particles in seeds and nuts, as well as other dried foods, keep to the teeth and then are "eaten up" through the acid-producing bacteria that live in your mouth. Nuts and seeds can be eaten in moderation, so long as they are soaked, blended, or eaten with a large quantity of green vegetables. But eaten straight from the bag, they could cause tooth problems.
Raw-foodists eat too many acid foods. Eating acidic foods in excess may have a negative impact on the teeth. Included in this are lemon juice, fruit juice, lemon or lime, unripe fruit, vinegar along with other acid foods. I recommend that you limit your consumption of citrus to about 2-3 oranges per day, and instead have more non acidic fruits (bananas, papayas, pears, mangoes, etc.).
Constant connection with sugary foods encourages cavities and gum disease. If your teeth are in constant connection with sugar, even the natural sugars in the type of coconut water, honey, dried fruit, juice or other sugary foods, tooth decay will occur. It's not okay to sip coconut water the whole day, drink fruit juices, and snack often on sugary foods.
Raw food diets are often deficient in many important alkaline minerals, for example calcium and magnesium that are necessary to construct strong enamel. Sufficient amounts of vitamin D and phosphorus will also be necessary to build strong teeth. These nutrients can be acquired in a balanced diet. When the following measures are taken, dental decay could be prevented, and teeth can be healed up to their potential. Realize that this is the very minimum you can caused by insure healthy teeth for a lifetime.
Rinse your mouth with water during and after eating, especially when eating fruit and acid foods. Water along with other neutral liquids wash out acidity. Whole fresh fruit will have no negative impact on the teeth if the acids are removed promptly by sipping water while you eat and rinsing your mouth with water after you're done eating. A better idea would be to eat celery after every fruit meal. I suggest brushing your teeth after a sweet fruit meal. After a juicy fruit meal, rinsing your mouth with water appears to do the job.
After eating certain high-sugar fruits that often leave residues on the teeth, you should floss and brush your teeth. Those sweet fruits are: banana, date, really ripe fig, persimmon, mango, cherimoya, durian, jackfruit, sapodilla, sugar apple, sweet sapote, mammey, etc. You can also eat greens following a meal of such fruits, but brushing your teeth may be beneficial. After eating other types of juicy fruits, it's not necessary to brush your teeth, but it is still a good idea to finish the meal with greens, and/or swish water in your mouth. The juicy fruits include all the following and more: citrus fruits, apples, grapes, kiwis, pineapple, berries, melons, papaya, pears, peaches, plums, litchi, etc.
Avoid dried fruits and dried foods. Dried fruit and dehydrated foods aren't raw foods and are not health foods. Replacing the oven with a dehydrator is not a good move. Eat fresh foods, not dried foods. However, if you happen to eat some dried fruit or dehydrated foods, eat an apple or some celery afterwards, and brush your teeth as soon as possible.
Ensure proper nutrition. In order to build strong, decay-resistant teeth, certain important minerals must be present in the diet. Particularly significant are calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D. Remove food particles. It's not necessary to floss, but food particles that get caught between the teeth and across the gum line must be removed. You can use dental floss, or learn how to use a toothpick. It is important to do this once or twice a day.
Research shows that it's more important HOW Well you brush, rather than HOW OFTEN you brush. A great brushing with a soft brush takes a minimum of two to three minutes. Reach every corner of your teeth and perform a thorough job. If you've had problems with your teeth before, brushing should be very well done and can take three minutes or more. One or two such complete brushings followed or preceded by flossing daily is enough.
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