I am not a dentist, but recent events in my personal life leave me compelled to share and explore dental health from a Chiropractic perspective.

To begin, some interesting anatomy of teeth. The top/outermost most part of our teeth, is called the Pellicle. It is the surface of the enamel and makes up the chewing surface of most of our teeth. The pellicle has the unique ability to selectively absorb salivary compounds in our mouth. This means that the pellicle plays a vital role in the always changing environment within our mouths to protect the teeth physically, chemically, and pathologically. If this absorption capacity is changed, altered, or degraded in anyway, it can open a portal to allow bacteria, proteins, and other damaging compounds into the mineralized teeth layers that can lead to tooth decay and caries (pre-cavity).

The saliva in your mouth contains a vast majority of components including proteins, hormones, lipids, sugars, and charged ions. Once secreted in the mouth, the salivary content changes based on the oral environment, receiving contributions from the periodontium (where the tooth attaches to the bone) and the oral microflora (bacteria in our mouths). Since saliva is subject t0 change once its exposed to the environment in the mouth, and teeth absorb salivary components, these two systems need to function properly so that proper adult tooth health is maintained.

The ‘oral environment’ of the mouth is highly influenced by the bodies other systems. It’s so clearly stated in research that diet, and even the health of the digestive system influences the oral environment. Your body will adapt to try and prepare the digestive processes in the mouth to help the digestion in our gut. If gut health is poor, the body will overproduce certain proteases and other enzymes to promote higher levels of chemical digestion in the mouth. While this may seem favorable, long-term adaptations like this will lower the pH of the mouth, weakening the tooth layers in the acidic environment. This occurs by the breakdown of hydroxyapatite, the main inorganic component of our teeth. As bacteria are always present in the mouth, this allows for more decay as the cycle repeats itself. Recently, research has discovered that higher levels of serum albumin found in the cardiovascular structures surrounding the mouth have had a direct correlation to tooth demineralization. Serum albumin is a protein in our blood that acts as a protein transporter. This means that there are too many proteins in the mouth most likely due to overcompensations of the body to help an unhealthy digestive system. Therefore, it is so important to test your gut health and change your eating habits if necessary!

Neurologically, there are five known pathways that influence the health of your teeth. They all have complicated names, but what is important to understand is that within each tooth nerve, five (or more) channels exist for our body to send information to and from each tooth and the mouth in general. This is the control system that regulates all the change in the mouth in response to other body systems. More specifically, these nerves receive direct communication through the vagal system. The vagal system controls the upper portion of digestion and is the main nerve that travels through the Atlanto-Occipital space in our neck. This is another reason to ensure that the upper two bones in your spine are in proper alignment without neurological compromise. Your teeth are counting on it!!

Thankfully there are natural solutions that can be of great benefit to your oral health. Check out some of these products and practices below:

Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse: You can swish around hydrogen peroxide (diluted to 1%) for 2-5minutes to help neutralize any bacteria-containing biofilms that build up as plaque on your teeth and gums. The oxidation effects of the peroxide also can also whiten your teeth more than expensive treatments/strips.

N-hydroxyapatite paste (N-AP): as mentioned before, this is the primary inorganic compound that makes up 97% of our enamel. This paste comes in numerous forms and has been shown in preliminary research studies to be just as effective at re-mineralizing our teeth as fluoride, but without the toxic bioprocesses that fluoride has. Here is the major difference between N-AP and fluoride; Fluoride increases the mineral content of your saliva, which then will help to create a barrier on top of the enamel layer of stronger mineral content. Since N-AP is biocompatible with your teeth, it will directly absorb into the enamel and deeper layers of your teeth depositing minerals such as phosphorus or calcium along the way to help re-mineralize your teeth. One product that I use is the Boka (www.boka.com)line of N-AP toothpaste, and so far, I love it!

Coconut oil pulling: Swish some organic coconut oil around in your mouth for at least 15minutes before spitting it out. The coconut oils will help to break down the bacteria containing plaques that form on your teeth, and then trap the bacteria within the fat cells. Remember organic is always best!