We’ve said it before: If you want to keep your teeth healthy and whole for a lifetime, you’ve got to limit the sugar. It’s as simple as that. As one 2015 paper put it,
Without sugars, the chain of causation is broken, so the disease does not occur.
So a new study in the Journal of Dental Research is really no surprise. Looking at sugar consumption and caries (tooth decay) between the ages of 6 and 18, the researchers found that the more sugar the kids ate, the more cavities they got.
But here’s interesting thing #1: Even kids in the “low consumption” group – less than 40% of the whole – developed caries.
And here’s interesting thing #2: Caries occurred “despite the use of fluoride.”
Yes, despite being touted as the best weapon there is against tooth decay – one of the public health triumphs of the 20th century, they say – fluoride once again appears less than effective. At the same time, there’s plenty of evidence of the harm it can do. This includes damaging developing brains. As one recent study found,
“The effect of fluoride on IQ is quite large, with a predicted mean 5 IQ point loss when going from a dose of 0.5 mg/F/day to 2.0 mg F/day.”
Many children in the U.S. commonly consume levels of fluoride within this range from all sources (i.e. water, food, dental products, medicines, air pollution).
What this means that there may be no safe level of exposure to fluoride.” As the study’s author, Dr. William Hirzy, a former senior scientist with the EPA, noted, “Fluoride may be similar to lead and mercury in having no threshold below which exposures may be considered safe.”
This comes on the heels of previous research which identified fluoride as an environmental neurotoxicant – a chemical that contributes to developmental disabilities such as autism, ADHD, and other cognitive impairments.
So can we finally start doing some real preventive dentistry – not relying on things like fluoride in a futile attempt to minimize the damage of diet, but focusing instead on improving diets? Making it easier to eat healthier? Making it cool to eat healthier?
It starts with quitting the sugar. Keeping your body clear of this fuel for chronic inflammation and disease can contribute to broad systemic health improvements. (Here’s a snapshot of what happens when you go sugar-free.) In fact, it’s one of the healthiest choices you can make.
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Texas Vax News Update
In our last post, we shared news of several pro-vaccination bills of concern. But some others have been introduced that could help protect your right to choose immunizations or not: HB 1029, HB 1070, HB 1124, and SB 479. These are bills worth supporting, and we encourage you to contact your representative and senator to urge their support. You can learn more about the bills, other upcoming legislation, and more ways to get involved in the fight for health freedom here.