Teeth!

Don't you just love a trip to the dentist!
Well, maybe if you are on GAPS you might not want to tell him/her you are fluoride free. We did and she gave our teeth such a deep clean we came away sore. Her theory being of course, that bacteria in our mouths would attack the enamel and we would have a mouth full of cavities. So she was doing her best to help us! She genuinely is a good dentist and we travel for an hour to get to her.
When we went last month we decided not to remind her. She had forgotten and didn't remember until poor Husband went in - he got the clean, but the rest of us didn't! What did she find...nothing! The Sons teeth were in good shape, she cleaned mine very minimally compared to even before we started GAPS. So obviously going fluoride free hadn't had the negative result she had anticipated. I'm not sure I would want to be fluoride free if I wasn't eating GAPS but as the restricted foods are all very tooth friendly it isn't a problem. In fact I never realised that it was actually possible to heal cavities through diet alone. We are beginning to see that our diet has impacted our tooth health and that maybe 'they' are right. Our diet is strengthening our teeth from the inside out so that even though the bacteria is still there, it cannot penetrate the enamel. The ones in the 'know how' say that  bacteria is only a problem because the teeth are weakened by having too few minerals etc.. at their disposal to make them strong enough to resist attack. A completely different way to view tooth problems.
If you want to know more read this book.....very interesting!

Now dentists aside, our next problem has been the orthodontist. Both Sons have been seeing her for the last few years, waiting for the optimal point to have braces fitted. Since starting GAPS we have become more aware of the dangers of having metal in the body, especially the mouth with the associated toxic effects, which for a child already struggling with toxic overload could be quite a problem. So I did my research. I found that braces are mainly made of stainless steel, containing nickel. Research has shown that nickel in the mouths of youngsters can have quite a detrimental effect on their learning and behaviour. Source  So we began to wonder if the so called wonder braces to make our smile dazzling were actually what we wanted. Plus the above book highlighted the dangers to future tooth health of dragging teeth through the gums into new positions. The end result is that both Sons have decided to have minimal treatment to correct their 'severe overcrowding' (basically canine teeth that will grow out of line). They will have teeth removed (eventually), but no braces. I could feel the orthodontists disapproval to their decision despite saying they had four options and they could choose, (it has to be their decision - I mustn't offer my opinion!) but they stuck to their guns. To be honest, neither wanted teeth out, plus months of having a wire contraption plus the associated problems of teeth cleaning. In their eyes, having the teeth out was sufficient. Neither care two hoots about their looks and have told the lady so. Her first question is always 'How do you feel about yourself when you look at your teeth in a mirror?' Son 2 prepared by Son 1's experience chirpily replied 'I never do!' It at least made them smile! And to be honest, at that point neither's teeth looked bad at all!
I hear of many children who have had braces fitted and their teeth move back out of position as they get older. Or others who refused treatment and as their jaw grew it wasn't necessary anyway. I think this is another area ruled by the 'pocket' and is probably quite a lucrative business. Its just not always easy to buck the trend! Obviously each case needs to be thought through carefully and what is right for us might not be for others. By seeing the orthodontist we were able to make an informed decision.

There seems to be an underlying assumption that all we should be concerned about is 'how we look' and that we should be prepared to do anything to make ourselves look attractive (and like everybody else), with little thought for whether it's actually good for us or not. I don't think Sons will regret their decision. After all Husband did the same years ago, and he looks fine.


Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor. A member of the medical profession  should be consulted about all matters relating to your health. This information is for advice only.