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I’m not a dentist but I am a bacteriologist and the main thing that few medical professionals recognize is that our microbiome (the bacteria in our bodies) evolved right along side with us. Most of our bacteria are either beneficial or innocuous – that includes our oral bacteria. A small number are harmful and these include the Strep mutans which cause cavities. However among the beneficial functions of the good bacteria is that they inhibit the bad. This happens throughout the body – in the gut (well established), on the skin (less understood) and the mouth and nasal cavities (understood by microbiologists but not by the dental profession).
Humans are the result of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution alongside our bacteria. With the exception of the last hundred years or so, we had no toothbrushes, and no mouthwashes, yet we survived quite nicely. Even today, when anthropologists have examined primitive isolated tribes, they find their teeth are in good condition.
Dentists will ascribe this to diet (sugar and carbohydrates) and clearly that is part of the answer. But the other part is that we expend great effort (and money) to eliminate all bacteria from our mouths – both good and bad. We disrupt the balance that nature has established over hundreds of generations and the bad bacteria fill the vacuum – especially with the help of those sugars.
So what’s the answer? As a microbiologist, I would say no mouthwash and a lot less brushing, probably just use water. I also believe that the cleaning that the dentist gives you is probably harmful because it removes the tartar that is part of the evolutionary protection in our mouths.
And stay away from sweets
Mmmm, as an owner of teeth, this is persuasive, thank you. I do really love my dentist tho’, who has magnificently (& painlessly) restored teeth hacked about in childhood. In terms of gum health, could you please elaborate a little on the line of tartar that develops along – or even below – the gumline (& which the hygienist gently removes). What causes this, and is it better to prevent it forming? Alternatively, if it has formed is it better to let it be? xxx
The gingival pockets around your teeth provide a reservoir for the good bacteria so that as you chew and swallow and flush bacteria down your gut they get replenished out of the gingival pockets. The tartar anywhere on your teeth provides a matrix within which bacteria reside. As long as you take care of the good bacteria (no mouthwash or anything else that will kill bacteria), the bad bacteria should be held in check.
There has not been nearly enough research on this and that is due to the focus of the dental profession on brushing, flossing and filling. When I graduated from university more than 50 years ago, microbiologists already recognized the interactions between bacteria and that bacterial populations protected their own and inhibited ‘foreigners’. This was particularly true of enteric infections
Medical Doctors used to treat Salmonella infections (food poisoning) with Chloramphenicol which killed off the good bacteria along with the Salmonella and generally perpetuated the infection. However in the 1970s chloramphenicol was recognized as a cause of aplastic anemia and so it was withdrawn from the market. Doctors said, “What are we going to use?” The microbiologists had the answer, “Nothing, let the normal gut bacteria look after it.” And so, doctors stopped treating, and patients got better.
I believe, eventually it will be shown that taking care of your normal oral bacteria will solve a great many problems. But as I said there isn’t much research in this area.
However if you don’t take care of your microbiome and consume lots of sugary foods, then you will continue to need your dentist.
My training as a bacteriologist included time in the Faculty of Dentistry (more than 50 years ago) which included some research on strains of Strep viridans which were inhibiting Staph aureus.
Dental training has advanced since then but there is still a reluctance to recognize that the bacteria (microbiome) in our mouths is part of our evolution and is protective as long as you treat it right. Removing the biofilm every 12–24 hours isn’t the way we were designed.
Medical doctors used to treat Salmonella food poisoning with chloramphenicol until it was found to cause aplastic anemia. The microbiologists were ready with the alternative – NOTHING, let the gut bacteria take care of the ‘invaders’ – and people recovered faster.
I expect that eventually, the dental profession will have a similar ‘AHA’ moment about the oral microbiome.
I am aware of some of the historical and archeological records of teeth and clearly ancient people had their share of tooth problems. But when you consider that about 40% of American are missing one or more teeth and about 10% are missing all of their teeth, are we really much better off with all the brushing and flossing and regular checkups?
