from the Healthy Home Economist.
The higher incidence of dental erosions occurs due to lower (more acidic) salivary pH levels and lower stimulated saliva flow than control subjects, who were matched by sex and age.
In addition, plant-based diets pose a greater risk for fractures according to a related, peer-reviewed study of over 55,000 people.
Specifically, the study found that those who consumed a vegetarian diet were:
…much more likely than age- and sex-matched controls to have dental erosions on some tooth surfaces, lower salivary pH levels, and lower stimulated saliva flow.
The rate of flow of saliva and consumption of vinegar-containing foods, citrus fruits, and acid berries was associated with the dental erosions noted. Diets that are excessively high in fruit juices were also found to erode dental enamel. (1)
In a similarly memory-holed study published in the journal Nutrition, Johanna Moynihan and Aubrey Sheiham authored “Dietary Patterns and Caries Trends in Children and Adolescents – A Review”.
The study found that vegetarians have higher caries rates compared to non-vegetarians, possibly due to increased consumption of fermentable carbohydrates present in nutritionally inferior plant-based diets. (2)
With vegans, the results are even worse.
Studies of the oral health of raw vegans have shown them to be shockingly prone to dental damage with almost twice as much severe erosion as the general population eating the SAD (Standard American Diet). (3)
Anecdotal reports from vegans themselves confirm the same. (4, 5)
RESEARCH CONFIRMS WISDOM OF TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES
These studies confirm what Dr. Weston A. Price DDS wrote about in his 1930s book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration regarding “the displacing foods of modern commerce.”
Dr. Price found that indigenous vegetarian cultures suffered from tooth decay at a higher rate than either the omnivore or the almost completely carnivorous cultures he studied.
In short, eating a vegetarian diet does not impart any sort of dental advantage over non-vegetarians.
In fact, when it comes to vegans, dental health is far worse than even the general population eating a primarily ultra-processed diet that (at least) includes meat.
Criticisms of What The Health, the pro-vegan documentary, reveal similarly ignored research.
The false claims in the book “Blue Zones” and the vegan bible, The China Study, are similarly misguided with shocking factual oversights, omissions, and data fudging.
DENTAL EROSIONS SIGNAL NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
At its root cause, tooth decay is an indication of lowered immune function and a higher susceptibility to degenerative disease in general.
Have you ever heard of the term “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? This refers to the well-known historical practice of examining a horse’s teeth and gums to assess overall health elsewhere in the body.
People can similarly assess their level of general health and whether it is improving or declining by observing the health of their teeth and gums.
Rami Nagel, author of the book Cure Tooth Decay, states that the dentinal-fluid transport mechanism is how the body controls the rate of tooth decay, including whether or not it occurs at all.
When tooth decay is present, Mr. Nagel says this is a sign that blood sugar levels are askew and that certain critical nutrients, such as the fat-soluble activators A, D, and K2 are lacking in the diet.
Vegetarian diets are typically much higher in hard-to-digest grains and acidic sugars (from fruit and fruit juices) than non-vegetarians, who consume a wider variety of foods.
When too much sugar is consumed, this can initiate demineralization of the teeth.
Have you ever noticed how your teeth can get a bit sensitive for a period of time after a very sugary dessert or a day that included too many grain-based foods and treats?
If you are vegetarian and have noted a problem with dental decay, incorporating grass-fed meats, raw grass-fed dairy, wild seafood, and high-vitamin, virgin cod liver oil (this brand or this brand) into your diet will introduce the critical nutrients that are necessary to reverse caries and prevent further dental problems.
Moreover, whenever sweet foods such as fruit are consumed, they should always be eaten in the presence of healthy fat like cream to maintain stable blood sugar and not disrupt the body’s ability to transport minerals to the bones and teeth.
