What is Demineralizing Teeth and More Ideas to Replete Minerals

As I have spent the last few days pondering  what I learned on remineralizing teeth, the natural question is, in those of us whose teeth are prone to cavities and / or those of us who suffer from receding gums and loss of tooth mass, what is causing the loss?  Now we all have heard that sugar can cause cavities.   But I found a site that explains the process simply and clearly.  Basically the sugar sitting on our teeth provide food for bacteria that produce acid as a result.  This acid is what wears away our teeth.  And lack of saliva can compound this process, as saliva helps wash away the bacteria and provide minerals for remineralizing teeth. And I would just add to what they write regarding calcium,  as they recommend dairy products for calcium, and we certainly can obtain calcium from the plant world, though  in  the last post we discussed soaking and sprouting, as well as fermenting for increased mineral availability in grains, beans, seeds, and nuts.  Here is the link for the dental website http://www.redrockdental.org/lp/tooth-decay.html.

Though there is a push for getting calcium from dairy products,  there are many down sides to a diet high in  dairy, which we will address in a later post.....   Good plant sources of  calcium (providing at least 25% of the average adult’s adequate intake) include 1 cup cooked green soybeans and 1 cup cooked collards.

Significant food sources of calcium (contributing at least 10%  of the average adult’s adequate intake) include 1 1/3  ounces almonds, 2 tablespoons sesame tahini, 2 ½ cups roasted chestnuts, 1 cup cooked great northern beans, 1 cup cooked navy beans, 1 1/3  cups cooked pinto beans, 1 ¼  cups cooked chickpeas, 2 cups cooked kidney beans, 2 ½ cups cooked black eyed peas, 2 cups soymilk,  60 grams firm tofu,  90g soft tofu, 2/3 cup cooked turnip greens, 2/3 cup cooked beet greens, ¾ cup cooked dandelion greens, 2/3 cup cooked pak choi, 1 cup cooked mustard greens, 1 1/8 cups cooked kale,  2 cups cooked parsnips, 2 cups cooked broccoli, 2 cups cooked Brussels sprouts, 2 ½ cups cooked kohlrabi, 1 cup cooked okra,  1 ½ cups cooked cabbage, 1 ¼  cups cooked rutabaga, 1 ¼ cups mashed sweet potato,  2 cups cooked turnips,  2 1/8 cups cooked winter squash, 2 1/8 cups cooked summer squash, 1 1/8 cups tomato paste, 2 oranges, 4 kiwis,  4 figs and 2 ½ cups blackberries.

Specific amounts of calcium, contained in a variety of common foods can be found on the web page for the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21, athttp://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=22114

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=17477.  Nutrient profiles for specific foods can be accessed at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.

All this research has me pondering if just getting powdered calcium, or perhaps calcium with other minerals, in a powdered form, and swishing it around in my mouth  several minutes a day would assist directly with remineralizing.  Eating foods is logical, but if the goal is to have the calcium close to the  teeth, swishing it in a mouth that is in need would seem like a good idea.  So this I might ponder....

So check back within the next few days.... My next post should be some of the interesting, less commonly heard of oral care products that appear promising....