My health conscious, acupuncturist daughter called me one day: “I cannot believe my kids’ dentist said they have cavities.”
A few months later, I had tons of information on oral care products and research reports on oral health. I was startled by statistics that I had found: over 80% of adults have cavities, and even more sadly, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention claims that over 40% of 5-year old children have cavities.
My conclusion was that cavities and oral hygiene need attention, and that it is a very technical and complex subject. I also found that there is controversy and disagreement in the oral care industry.
I believe oral health can be summarized into a few, very key points:
- Nutrition is a very important part of total oral care, if not really the most important. It means eating the right foods for health, and what foods should be avoided. One’s everyday diet should contain foods high in Vitamin D, A, and K2 (see guidelines from the Weston Price Foundation). Plenty of water is a must. Eat as many fermented foods as possible. For grains and breads, try to use soaked or sprouted grains and nuts, and fermented breads like sourdough. Minimize use of processed or refined foods, high glycemic-index foods, and reduce sugar intake. Consider xylitol or erythirtol as sweeteners in your drinks and as substitutes for sugar in your baking.Another food/nutrition related issue is the use of chewing gum. Chewing action alone will increase saliva content in the mouth. When a chewing gum contains Xylitol, you benefit additionally from its ability to raise pH and eliminate bacteria.Another Weston Price Foundation guideline to follow, especially for severe cavity issues, is to consume cod liver oil and butter (from grass fed cows) daily.
- New and natural tooth dentrifice ingredients can make a difference in cavity prevention, cleanliness, and tooth re-mineralization. Happy Tooth Powder and Toothpaste address this need.
- Mouth chemistry and cleansing can impact not only teeth health, but also whole body health. Nutrition will impact this, but we also wanted to help improve the overall mouth health so we created Happy Mouth Rinse.Oil pulling is a traditional medicine process from India (Ayurvedic). Hence there are many reviews and studies published in Indian literature (see Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medicine). There are many success stories of people using coconut or sesame seed oil to help prevent tooth and gum issues. It will help reduce plaque and bad bacteria, and decrease gingivitis. The process is simple–simply add 1 tbl of coconut or sesame seed oil in your mouth and hold it/ swish it around for 20 minutes, spitting it out into the trash (not down the drain) when finished. Rinse your mouth with warm water.
- Our children need a better oral hygiene program. Children specifically need prevention programs along with using the best oral care products. Dental caries (cavities) is a complex disease and it is the leading disease in children. Our new sugarless gum product will help children who have cavity issues, by allowing them to chew gum between meals, which will keep their saliva flowing and allow the xylitol in the gum to suppress the growth of bad bacteria.
If we can bring greater focus to these 4 aspects of oral care, I truly believe our population will have fewer cavities (if any) and increased overall health.
Health has always been important to me
This was a result of having parents who emphasized good eating habits, nutritious foods (mustard greens and dandelion), and healthy behaviors as a kid. I never missed a day of school from Grades 7-12. Up until age 60, I was never in a hospital (welcome kidney stones). Now that I look back, my most serious health issue was tooth decay. Both of my parents had poor tooth and gum health, so maybe genetics was not on my side. Our city water was very clean and tasty and had no fluoride additions. I have had several cavities, and now crowns; when 2 broke came implants, and have also struggled at times with tooth sensitivity. Toothpaste with potassium nitrate did solve the sensitivity( but not the cause as you will read later). Oil pulling worked for me by eliminating minor tooth and gum issues I had a few years ago.
Now I use HAPPY Tooth Products and have:
- No teeth sensitivity
- Brighter teeth
- Cleaner teeth
- No new cavities
- healthy mouth
I want to pass on my recent learnings regarding overall health and oral care so my family, grandkids, and everyone who sees this site will benefit.
Tom Carbone, Creator of HAPPY Tooth Products and Natural Tooth Health, LLC
Tom has a BS/MS degree in Ceramic Engineering with over 40 years of experience in research and development, sales, marketing, and management in the ceramic industry. He started a ceramic raw materials company manufacturing products for the refractory and ceramic industries. Tom has published technical articles on the sintering of ceramics, and the production and uses of aluminum oxide. The last few retirement years have been spent being a technical consultant. He formed Natural Tooth Health, LLC to produce tooth/mouth care products, and share ideas and research on total oral care for the benefit of his family and those seeking better teeth and oral health. When not researching oral health, he can be found playing golf and tennis, gardening, making sourdough bread and best of all engaging with 10 wonderful grandchildren! Tom has a goal to contribute to society by improving dental awareness and wellness for people everywhere, especially children.
Company update: In 2023, International Nutrition, Inc. (INI) of Maryland purchased Happy Tooth products from Natural Tooth Health LLC. International Nutrition is a manufacturer and distributor of dietary supplements focused on nutrition for special healthcare needs. INI continues to work closely with Tom on Happy Tooth products.
Resources
There are many books, technical articles, and products available to gain insight into not only the effect on oral care, but whole body health. My favorites are:
Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox, by Kate Rheaume-Bleue
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, by Weston A. Price
Cure Tooth Decay, by Ramiel Nagel
I recommend Cure Tooth Decay for its focus on healthy eating and nutrition, but I also disagree with Ramiel Nigel on some of his recommendations and viewpoints. My biggest disagreement is his view on not using Xylitol; calling it an unhealthy tooth powder or paste ingredient is just incorrect for many reasons.
One of the best places to become knowledgeable about tooth/mouth health that I’ve found is: www.healingteethnaturally.com. The woman who put this free site together at her expense has done an outstanding job summarizing the vast amounts of research and articles available to the public. After you are done spending hours reading all of her articles, please feel free to make a small donation (in many ways) to cover her time and costs.