Author Topic: Receding Gumlines  (Read 7670 times)

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Offline Squall

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Receding Gumlines
« on: May 19, 2009, 11:46:57 am »
For the past few weeks I've been dealing with tooth pain. At first I though maybe cavities ... then I actually lifted my lip to check the gum line. Well, they're definitely receding. Its not too bad, but its bad enough to expose parts of the teeth that are normally covered (hence the pain when eating sometimes).

Anyone else have any stories about treating/reversing this? I would hate to think that when gums go, they're gone for good. But if that's the case, then oh well ...
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd.

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Offline TylerDurden

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Re: Receding Gumlines
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2009, 04:27:19 pm »
Well, I had bleeding gums and teeth so loose they were about to fall out. Getting rid of raw dairy and eating an RVAF diet sorted out the problem after some  months.
"During the last campaign I knew what was happening. You know, they mocked me for my foreign policy and they laughed at my monetary policy. No more. No more.
" Ron Paul.

Offline Michael

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Re: Receding Gumlines
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2009, 04:11:43 am »
I, too, have developed this problem Squall!  My dentist is quite concerned about the degree to which my gums are receding but suggests only 'proper' cleansing, flossing etc.

I've been Oil Pulling daily for the last couple of months and have gone zc apart from small amounts of garlic, onion and herbs for flavouring with my meat & fat.  But, no improvements as yet!  I am concerned that it's an indication of my diet lacking important minerals or is being caused by excess meats. 

However, I do recall Andrew and Lex making gains with regard to his dentition when going zc.  Perhaps they can offer further advice here?

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Offline Squall

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Re: Receding Gumlines
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2009, 05:11:24 am »
Tyler, how loose were your teeth? Were they really close to falling out or something? I've noticed some slight loosening in some of my own. They don't move around on their own, but if i wiggle hard enough, there is the slight sensation of movement. Needless to say, I don't wiggle them much out of fear of exacerbating what could be a growing problem. I also notice some jaw popping, but I'm not sure if that's related.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2009, 06:10:11 am by Squall »
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd.

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Offline PaleoPhil

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Re: Receding Gumlines
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2009, 08:47:20 am »
I had 2 loose teeth and one starting to get loose. I noticed that Lex Rooker had the same problem and reversed it with his all-raw meat/organs/fats diet, so I moved my diet in his direction (not all the way--I cut down further on carbs and added more animal fats and meats--raw and lightly cooked--sorry pure rawists). After only a few weeks my teeth are firmer and my gums are healthier. The hygienist asked if I was brushing and flossing more (I wasn't), which is all they tend to care about. Even when I brushed and flossed 3 times a day it didn't have the benefit that eating VLC with lots of healthy fats and about 1/3-1/2 raw meats and eggs did. Beef jerky seems to help, as chewing it seems to clean my teeth, just like a dog with a jerky chew or pig's ear chew--but I don't think Lex eats any jerky and his improvements were more remarkable than mine.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2009, 08:55:48 am by PaleoPhil »
>"When some one eats an Epi paleo Rx template and follows the rules of circadian biology they get plenty of starches when they are available three out of the four seasons." -Jack Kruse, MD
>"I recommend 20 percent of calories from carbs, depending on the size of the person" -Ron Rosedale, MD (in other words, NOT zero carbs) http://preview.tinyurl.com/6ogtan
>Finding a diet you can tolerate is not the same as fixing what's wrong. -Tim Steele
Beware of problems from chronic Very Low Carb

Offline TylerDurden

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Re: Receding Gumlines
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2009, 05:18:41 pm »
Tyler, how loose were your teeth? Were they really close to falling out or something? I've noticed some slight loosening in some of my own. They don't move around on their own, but if i wiggle hard enough, there is the slight sensation of movement. Needless to say, I don't wiggle them much out of fear of exacerbating what could be a growing problem. I also notice some jaw popping, but I'm not sure if that's related.

Well by the time I turned to raw animal food diets, my teeth were so loose that I could easily move them back and forth with my tongue. I was deathly afraid that they would fall out, especially since I had receding (and bleeding) gums. Indeed, I had real trouble eating any solid raw meats given that my teeth were so close to falling out(and the pain etc.) so, had to, at first, rely hugely on ground, raw meats instead, as they were softer. Raw tongue had to be aged a few days before I could handle it, and I had to cut up most raw solid meats into tiny slices so that I could bolt them down with minimal chewing.

However, my teeth improved relatively quickly after cutting out all raw dairy from the diet, so I know, at least, that the dairy was responssible. No wonder, I don't believe in the whole dairy/calcium myth.
"During the last campaign I knew what was happening. You know, they mocked me for my foreign policy and they laughed at my monetary policy. No more. No more.
" Ron Paul.

Offline lex_rooker

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Re: Receding Gumlines
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2009, 10:16:48 am »
For the past few weeks I've been dealing with tooth pain. At first I though maybe cavities ... then I actually lifted my lip to check the gum line. Well, they're definitely receding. Its not too bad, but its bad enough to expose parts of the teeth that are normally covered (hence the pain when eating sometimes).

Anyone else have any stories about treating/reversing this? I would hate to think that when gums go, they're gone for good. But if that's the case, then oh well ...

Fruit can cause this problem - especially acidic fruits like pineapple and citrus as will apples and most other fruits if you over do them.  Also dairy can cause this as well - raw or other wise.  If you are still eating fruit and/or dairy you might consider dropping them for a few months to see what happens.  Early on in my paleo conversion (about 8 years ago) I was eating a good bit of fruit and salads as part of my diet.  It was Fall, and we have a wonderful Washington Navel orange tree and the fruit was sweet and juicy.  I was eating 2 oranges every day (this was my only fruit) as well as some meat and green salads, and it really did a number on my teeth.  They became extrememly sensitive and even the remotest heat or cold would send me into orbit.  Gums were receeding badly and always bloody when I brushed my teeth.  Dentist said I didn't have any cavities and just recommended Sensodyne tooth paste.  I did a bit of research and decided to cut out the fruit and within about 3 months I suddenly noticed my teeth didn't hurt anymore and I no longer needed the special tooth paste.

As far as I know, I've never heard of dental problems casued by green plant foods, so if you feel you must include plant based carbs, try limiting it to green salads -sans the acidic tomatoes.

Lex

Offline PaleoPhil

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Re: Receding Gumlines
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2009, 12:26:59 pm »
Once again you are spot on Lex. Your contributions are so rational, thorough, helpful, honest and well written that I find it almost incomprehensible that anyone would doubt you.

Like you, I found that acidic plant foods--especially tomatoes, green bell peppers and citrus fruits, and more especially tomato sauces and citrus juices (turning fruits like tomatoes and citrus into liquids seems to increase their acidity for some reason)--had negative effects on my entire GI tract. Tomatoes also contain saponins--natural insecticides that plants use to sicken insects (and humans, as it turns out), to discourage the insects from eating the plants. My salads (which tend to be small) these days consist of spring greens, small berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries) and occasionally some broccoli or summer squash or rarely radishes with black pepper and flaxseed oil (sorry flax haters--eating flax seeds and oil and using it as a healing medicine is a tradition that goes back thousands of years in my family, and I seem to do well on it, though I am opening to changing my mind about any food). No more tomatoes or bell peppers for me.

And I absolutely agree with Tyler and Lex about dairy. There are a lot of pro-raw-dairy extremists in the low carb crowd who claim that dairy is good for everyone--don't believe them! We are living proof to the contrary, and the only dairy that Stone Agers ate was the occasional full udder they got when they killed a large lactating animal. That has been documented among modern hunter gatherers, but it is a rather rare occurrence. There was no every-day milking of animals in those days.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2009, 07:12:47 pm by PaleoPhil »
>"When some one eats an Epi paleo Rx template and follows the rules of circadian biology they get plenty of starches when they are available three out of the four seasons." -Jack Kruse, MD
>"I recommend 20 percent of calories from carbs, depending on the size of the person" -Ron Rosedale, MD (in other words, NOT zero carbs) http://preview.tinyurl.com/6ogtan
>Finding a diet you can tolerate is not the same as fixing what's wrong. -Tim Steele
Beware of problems from chronic Very Low Carb

 

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