Dr. Scott Solomons

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THE SECRET TO A HEALTHY MOUTH (and body)

Eliminating tooth decay, gum disease and overall sensitivity is not as difficult as you think. Here are some helpful hints for a healthier mouth.

If you don't see this label, try to find out as much as you can about how the item is grown.

Eat Organic fruits and vegetables, grass Fed meats and dairy and wild caught seafood when possible because they have a higher nutrient content and lower levels of insecticides/contaminants

Eat foods containing fat soluble Vitamins which boost the immune system and make stronger teeth and bones

  • Vitamin A (retinol) - found in foods like Liver, Egg Yolks, pasture butter, milk, cheese, fish oils, mackerel, trout herring and salmon. Its important to note that Beta Carotene is an unreliable source of Vitamin A. It is NOT converted in infants, poorly in children and some adults.

  • Vitamin D (also created in the skin from midday sun) – found in wild fatty fish – like mackerel, salmon and tuna; fish oils, pastured liver and other organs, egg yolks, fish eggs and cheese.

  • Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone) – Meat and poultry, egg yolks, cheese and butter.

Here Are Some Possible Shortcuts

Avoid all foods made with processed carbohydrates. All of these carbs have undergone some type of refinement that takes away most nutrients that are beneficial to your health. They often contain high amounts of sugar and artificial sweeteners that are easy for the body to absorb and spike blood sugar. Even carbs that don’t seem sweet quickly turn into sugar in your mouth which can lead to tooth decay. like

  • Packaged cereals

  • Bread

  • Pasta

  • Cakes

  • Biscuits

  • Sweets/candy

  • Pastries

  • Juices and acidic foods

  • Flours made from wheat, rice, corn, oat, rye, tapioca, potato, amaranth, barley, arrowroot, buckwheat, millet, teff and sorghum

  • Industrial seed oils like Canola, corn, cotton, soy, sunflower, safflower, sesame and peanut

  • Sugars like table sugar (evaporated cane juice, cane crystals, sucrose), high fructose corn syrup (crystallized fructose, fructose, concentrated fruit juice, maltose (malt syrup) dextrose and agave.

Follow this guide, brush, floss and visit your dentist regularly -  and you will be on your way to a healthier mouth.