i have really terrible gum disease. this means my gums are receding (6 millimeters in some places) and the bone under the gums are shrinking. i could lose a tooth...and i'm only 33 years old!! I look in the mirror and i can see the gum recession (my front teeth look very long). it's scaring me. I hope that eating no sugar/starches (well, i still eat fruit, and will eat starches if i go out to eat, or on special occasions) will help, because sugar and starches contribute to tooth decay. I think i am more scared of losing a tooth than i am of being overweight.

Same here! I've had nightmares where my teeth fall out.

You can do something about weight, but your teeth falling out... You're gonna have to get dentures or something.

I just got back from the dentist and the hygienist said i had a HUGE improvement!!!! This gives me extra motivation to stay away from sugar. I have not lost weight (because i have binged a lot) but if staying away from sugar can prevent me from losing my teeth, that is reason enough--i don't even care if i don't lose weight. YAY!!!!

My gums bleed terribly when I am at the dentist for a cleaning. I have just thought about the effect that lowering/cutting out sugars and carbs might have on my dental health. It can only be good! Another motivation to stay on track!

that idea that sugar causes tooth decay is a myth. they used to say that bottles in bed and night-nursing caused bottle mouth syndrome - now they know better. sugar is antimicrobial - microbes cannot eat it and survive which is why you cannot mess around with the sugar when you're making home-made jams and jellies. put it this way: put a bowl of healthy fruits and veg next to a bowl of sugar on the table and wait a month. which one is still safe to eat?

how sugar contributes to tooth decay is that diets high in sugar are often deficient in vital nutrients such as saturated fats, minerals, vitD, etc. this leaves the tooth enamel porous as the body scavenges the teeth for the calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium needed for the neural system - things like your heart need those minerals to run efficiently. porous tooth enamel allows the bacteria Streptococcus Mutans entrée - basically, bottle mouth or bottle rot syndrome is a serious infection of the teeth. a high-sugar diet also knocks your immune system sideways - 70% of your immune system is in your digestive tract.

you CAN combat it by correcting your diet. you need to eat things like organic free-range butter, organic free-range eggs, liver and other organ meats, whole fish like sardines and pilchards (they're actually the same thing but whatever), and bone-in salmon.

My daughter had HORRIBLE baby bottle mouth. She was 100% breastfed for her entire first year. She didn't sleep with a bottle, or even drink from one, at night! There is no explaining it. She hadn't even had access to sugar, and my diet was good! Sometimes there is no explaining these things... She had to have all of her teeth capped in stainless steel, under anesthesia, it was a nightmare!

Anyway, moral of the story... We all brush with coconut oil and baking soda now. My dentist is AMAZED at how much improvement he's seen in all of us. My gums were awful when I lived in Japan and he calls me "the poster child for dental health", now. My son has still never had a cavity and he's 8. My daughter has had no further decay.

It's good stuff!! Try Baking Soda!

valrock - how old was she when you weaned her?

saari, too, was picking up bottle rot but she was 4 before it was noticed - the dentist thought it was just a simple cavity until he did x-rays and saw the extent of the damage. he said that the reason it didn't get worse than it was (2 fillings, 2 pulpotomies) was because i was still breastfeeding her (i weaned her the day she started kindergarten).

I have heard the same thing about baking soda, so i tried it for a while, but then my dentist told me to stop because he said it could be too abrasive to my teeth. I was doubtful but i figured better safe than sorry.

i have no clue what bottle mouth is but there is sugar in breast milk if you're wondering where babies get sugar...

She was 3 when she self weaned. I have no explanation for the extent of her decay! I was insane about hygiene. I'm 29 and have never had a cavity in my life. Weird stuff.

like i said, it's an infection that hits the genetically prone.

surfergirl: breastmilk is also antimicrobial. if you put two drops in each eye twice a day, it will cure pinkeye. women who breast feed are statistically less likely to have children with dental problems ("less likely", not "impossible"). also, you don't brush with baking soda to improve dental health - you use it as a mouthwash. it reduces acidity in your mouth.

I also have periodontal disease. It has gotten better with regular dental follow ups and good home hygeine but I still have tooth nightmares.

Working in a dental office,,,,,,healthy dental hygiene is the key......flossing and massaging your gums with a dental pick helps greatly.Especially brush up and down......just the basics we learned as a kid. Sugar will effect our teeth with decay..and of course effect our scales!!,