As a practicing dentist for over 20 years now I have had many experiences and want to share with you some of my cases as well as some of the ideas I have about how to better treat dental diseases. If you click on my dental disease link you will read a one-page summary of what the dental diseases are.  I made it short and easy to understand.  Although dentists today do much more, there are basically only three diseases that we treat, tooth decay (scientifically called “caries”,) periodontal (“gum”) disease, and finally malocclusions or crooked and overlapped teeth.

As in all other medical, as well as scientific fields, for that matter, technology and innovation has led to changes in the way we do things.  The dentistry I practice today is different than what I was taught in dental school.  With the development of such devises as the diagnostic laser, or Diagnodent, we are able to diagnose decay with more certitude and earlier.  Oral cancer detection systems such as the Velscope, did not exist ten years ago. Dental restorations have become smaller and more life-like.  For example, I have not placed a “silver filling” in a tooth in over 10 years now.

The basis for the word “doctor” comes from a Latin word that means “teacher.”  This also requires one to commit to lifetime learning.  My advice is to find a dentist (or physician for that matter) for yourself who is willing to make such a commitment.  You see, such an individual will not be tied to conventional dogma or refuse to try new approaches to an old problem.  You owe it to yourself to find such a person.

In this first blog I want to explain a little bit about tooth decay and how what I have recently learned can benefit everyone who has ever had a cavity because it is my goal to see tooth decay, which is the most common disease affecting humans, to become a thing of the past.

For the past year, I have been following a Paleolithic, or low carbohydrate diet.  In doing this, I have lost about 30 pounds and lowered my risks for such things as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and autoimmune diseases.  Early in my journey I read a few books.  Both of Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories and Rob Wolf’s The Paleo Solution were on this list. I was struck by two things in The Paleo Solution. First, it occurred to me that I treat a disease exclusively caused by carbohydrate consumption, nothing else.  Dental decay did not occur in our Paleolithic ancestors and can truly be counted among what is termed, “Diseases of Civilization.”  The second was a line that kept echoing in my head.  Robb Wolf wrote, “Because something is common does not make it normal.”  We are not designed to get tooth decay and while I see it, I should stop considering it a normal occurrence. It is and will always be pathology.

I can treat it but I cannot cure it, no dentist can.  I can however offer you a vaccine against ever getting tooth decay.  Read further, I will explain.

Sometime in your first year of dental school they show every new student a Venn diagram that looks something like this:

The three determinants of tooth decay are the presence of teeth, (full denture patients do not get tooth decay) plaque forming bacteria, termed Streptococcus mutans in this diagram, and fermentable carbohydrates.  Like a three-legged stool, remove one leg and YOU WILL NEVER GET TOOTH DECAY, regardless of what ever else you do.  For example, if you get germ-free (scientifically termed gnotobiotic) rats and feed them a diet of pure sugar, they will never get cavities.  There are no bacteria there to form the plaque and start the destructive cascade, period.  Most dentists, myself included, wanted our patients to practice good home care to remove the bacterial plaque as well as use things like fluoride to strengthen the teeth.  We have been doing it wrong!  It occurred to me that night that if we wanted to lose weight by minimizing carbohydrate consumption because carbohydrates are NOT AN OBLIGATE NUTRIENT for humans, then we can eliminate tooth decay the same way.  It is not that this is not taught, it is just not reinforced, say it ten times loud, CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT AN OBLIGATE NUTRIENT AND I WILL LIVE JUST FINE WITHOUT THEM!!!!!!!!!  It really is that simple, remove (or minimize them in your diet) and you will inoculate yourself from ever having tooth decay

The benefits of eating low carbohydrates have many advantages in addition to weight loss.  Nature’s plan calls for Homo sapiens to be thin, strong, fast, and without tooth decay.  This is how you do it.   I still want you to practice good home care and strengthen your teeth.  Now we have other ways to do it.  I hope you join me as we explore this topic in more depth as well as other things in the world of dentistry.