Teeth Staining

Eating the raw food diet will certainly bring you a smile! Often, people will experience a less than bright smile and wonder what the culprit is.

Two different types of stains occur in teeth: the intrinsic, coming from internal sources beyond our control…and the extrinsic, coming from external sources. Examples of intrinsic factors include early exposure to certain chemicals such as tetracycline or excess fluoride. Both of these can stain teeth.
These types of stains inhere in the tooth itself and you can’t remove them simply by brushing.

Extrinsic factors, on the other hand, include food and drink that stains—for example, coffee, wine or other highly acidic foods. Switching from hot to cold foods will often cause the pores in your enamel to open and then close, trapping food particles just under the surface. Yet another reason, folks, not to cook your food!

Actually, teeth are not naturally supposed to be pure white, but rather more white-ish. As we age, teeth tend to darken slightly because the dentin (the dental tissue, just under the enamel, which determines tooth size and shape) becomes exposed due inevitable erosion and cracks in the surface enamel. The dentin, less dense than enamel, absorbs food colors more easily. Stained teeth is often one reason people on the raw food diet go in search of natural whitening products, when in fact they might just need to re-enamelize their teeth.

There are many natural toothpastes and toothsoaps sold in health food stores. I’m sure there are some good ones out there. But I simply don’t need them: I have found that a simple pure, unscented bar soap with a sprinkle of fine Celtic sea salt works wonders.

The book Good Teeth from Birth to Death by Gerard F. Judd, PhD, a chemist researching fluoride, states that: “Reenamelization of the teeth occurs when they are clean. All toothpastes make a barrier of glycerine on the teeth which would require 20 rinses to get it off.”

A good solution for clean teeth, which I have used for 5 years, is simple bar soap. Wet the brush, swipe the bar two or three times with it, add some salt, then brush your teeth thoroughly and your gums gently. Rinse.

The combination of soap and salt effectively cleans and disinfects teeth and gums and neutralizes plaque acids. Salt also helps to curb bleeding gums and lessens the reactions of sensitive teeth to heat and cold. Once teeth are thoroughly clean, they can then be remineralized by the adding calcium and phosphorus to the diet.

Chewing leafy greens daily on the raw food diet will accomplish this remineralization and help to build the enamel. This will also stimulate the saliva production so essential to healthy teeth and gums. Some people the raw food diet might think that the greens are responsible for staining, when in fact chewing greens is what will help to keep them healthy and bright.

For especially stubborn stains, add these techniques to your regular soap and salt brushing and your chewing leafy greens:

…drink your vegetable juices through a straw to minimize contact with tooth enamel
…don’t overbrush, which only results in wearing the enamel even further
…brushing with a combination of baking soda and salt, or a paste made of lemon juice and salt
…mash fresh strawberries (which contains an enzyme that whitens teeth) and rub on your teeth for about a minute, then rinse and floss to remove any seeds.

Now, let’s see that SMILE!