In addition, I was not taken to a dentist until I was 14 years old. Luckily, since I had a fairly good diet in my childhood, my teeth were not badly damaged by this neglect. Because I started to focus on good nutrition when I was in my young twenties, I have not had a cavity in many years. My son is 20 and has no cavities in his adult teeth. Neither I nor my son was genetically doomed to bad teeth due to my parent's poor dental health. My son and I decreased our risk factors for dental decay, got regular dental checkups and emerged with stronger teeth because of it.

       However, if you adopt bad health habits and neglect your teeth like  your ancestors, you will experience their same health problems or worse.  Therefore, waiting on dental work, even when you have no insurance is a poor financial choice. Since your overall health and the ability to chew good quality  food depends on having healthy teeth, you will have to attend to your dental problems at some point. Even if you get your teeth extracted one at a time as they abscess, you will eventually need to spend big dollars on partial or full dentures.

       Stated another way, yes, some people are born with stronger teeth than others and seem to be able to eat what they want and floss just once a year with no apparent problems (at least for a few years). That just means that people with weaker teeth need to become better nourished and consume fewer refined carbohydrates. They also need to be more diligent about their oral hygiene home care and keeping up with whatever frequency their dentist recommends for recall exams. For more discussion on heredity and genetic potential, see my discussion on Diabetes.

        If anyone from the year 1940 were able to time travel and visit one of our grocery stores today they would think American’s dietary habits are downright bizarre. Multiple twelve-packs of chemical soda line the bottoms of many peoples’ carts. We have produce aisles bursting with vegetables, yet some people still eat months-old vegetables from a can. That is, if they even have a single vegetable in their cart. Gigantic bags of chips and candy bars are chosen over a vast array of fresh fruits. Stacks of frozen meals are consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then there is the shopper who knows only how to operate a microwave. Forget it if the food has to be steamed, boiled, or heaven forbid, baked in a real oven.

       One of the chapters in my book, Conquer Fatigue in 30 Days is titled, ”If God Didn’t Make it, Don’t Eat It.” It is good advice that cannot be faulted. The purpose of eating is nourishment, not stimulation. Everything we take into our mouths affects our pH and the nutrient content of our organs and tissues. Our bodies are not meant to handle the daily chemical onslaught and acidic quality of huge containers of soda pop. Drinking entire pots of coffee a day depletes our nutrients and is a sure recipe for heart disease. Eating lots of sugars, alcohol, potatoes and white flour products has exploded the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes.

       Soda damages your teeth in three ways. Most soft drinks have around ten teaspoons of sugar per can. Sugar has no nutrients of its own but requires many nutrients to be metabolized. Therefore, in order to breakdown sugar for energy, our metabolic processes (The Kreb’s cycle) need to steal nutrients from our organs and tissues to make that happen.

       Secondly, caffeine accelerates our heart rate and stimulates the adrenal glands to produce energy. These activities also accelerate the use of nutrients from our organs and tissues. Both of these dietary habits spell malnutrition.

       Third and worst of all are the various acids that gives soda its fizz. Depending on the brand, soda pop may contain carbonic, phosphoric, malic, citric and tartaric acids, which all have an extremely acid pH. These acids not only demineralize our teeth, they steal calcium from our bones.

       Our bloodstream needs a very specific ratio of calcium to phosphorus. If the phosphorus in our blood rises due to even a single can of soda our bodies have to quickly liberate calcium from our bones to make up the balance. Keep in mind that even diet sodas have this detrimental chemical. Please note that many health food stores have soda drinks without the harmful chemicals and low quality sweeteners. However, even these should not be consumed on a daily basis.

       Think of soda as a “party food,” which is only to be used for special occasions. It should NEVER become part of the daily diet. Parents should be encouraged not to serve soda with meals to their children. The fast food chains are conditioning young children to associate the consumption of soda at mealtime with being “happy.”

       It is not too happy when you consider that teenage girls who drink carbonated beverages experience three times more bone fractures than those who do not drink soda according to a survey compiled by Harvard Medical School and reported in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in June 2000.

       If you decide to mend your ways you can decrease your decay rate by strengthening your organs, tissues and teeth with a high quality multivitamin, omega 3 fish oil (EPA/DHA) and MCHC calcium, the best form of calcium for strenghthening teeth and bones. Our dental enamel is also made from a hydroxyapatite matrix. Such calcium even comes in a chewable form and is available from my online store.

       Measuring the acidity of oral pH should be a standard procedure in dental offices. Measuring oral pH on my clients for over twenty years has taught me a great deal. The people with the lowest pH (more acid) usually have the greatest number of health problems, including chronic pain and inflammatory problems. It is well known that acid production in the mouth from the fermentation of simple sugars by bacteria is the leading cause of tooth decay.

       An acidic pH means you are losing critical minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which give strength to our organs and tissues and are part of the body’s buffer system found in all of our fluids, including our blood and saliva. We cannot afford to lose these valuable minerals by literally urinating them away with soda pop and caffeine.

       If you wish to measure your oral pH, many pharmacies and health food stores sell pH paper that measures pH from 5.5 to 8.0. An optimal reading is around 6.8 – 7.2. Hyper-acidity of the oral pH (below 6.8) can be caused by the excessive consumption of soda pop, sugar, caffeine and white flour products. It is also caused by inadequate consumption of vegetables and fruits. You should consume 4 – 6 vegetables per day and always eat more vegetables than fruits.

       Consuming a phytonutrient mixture of dozens of vegetables, herbs, algae, grasses, etc., is a great way to increase your alkalinity, but it takes time. These “green food products” are available in a tablet or powdered form from my online store.

       The other aspect of our oral environment that we overlook is our mouth’s healthy bacterial flora. Antibacterial mouthwashes are recommended without attention to any detrimental effects they may have on our healthy flora. We know that our intestinal flora, primarily Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteria, are killed off by antibiotic usage (including those found in dairy and meat products), chlorinated water, and medications such as antacids and gastric acid inhibitors. I recommend mouthwashes sparingly in my dental hygiene practice.

       Healthy bacteria, also known as probiotics (the opposite of antibiotics!), often need to be supplemented on an occasional or steady basis, depending on the client. People who were never breastfed as a baby often have a much more difficult time getting healthy bacteria to persist in their bodies. Such people should supplement probiotics on a regular basis for life. Swishing these bacteria in the mouth before swallowing can inhibit the growth of bad germs. Using a filter to remove chlorine from your drinking water is also helpful. The water pitcher filters are certainly much less expensive than buying bottled water.

       These healthy bacteria support our immune function, aid our digestion, detoxify the intestines, prevent the manufacture of carcinogenic compounds, manufacture vitamins and essential fatty acids, reconjugate hormones and help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Healthy levels of probiotics are essential to good health.

PLEASE NOTE:  If you appreciate the information on this website, please support it with purchases from our Online Store. You must register your name and email address to access the online store. The names of products listed above are (in order) ADULTS: Wellness Essentials,  CHILDREN:  Multigenics Chewable (Dosage:  age 2-4 one/day, age 4-7 two/day, age 7/14 three/day with meals), and Ultra Pure Cod Liver Oil, Iso D3, Cal Apatite Plus (available in tablets or chewable),  Phyto Complete tablets or powder, and Ultra Flora Plus DF powder or capsules. 

       If you are confused about nutrition, you are not alone. It is a complex subject! For a FREE vitamin consultation, email Dr. Walker with the information listed under the Health Coaching tab at the top of the page. She will gladly help you make the most effective and economical nutrition purchases.

       For more product information go to the product categories and select Multiple Vitamin/Mineral formulas, Fatty Acid Formulas, Mineral and Bone Support Formulas, Antioxidant and Phytonutrient Formulas and Probiotics and Intestinal Support Formulas.