Gyroscopic Investing

I think the mainstream approach to oral health entirely misses the mark. I've come up with a radical new and hopefully better way to foster oral health. It has nothing to do with brushing, flossing, toothpaste, tongue scraping, mouthwashes, etc. It has everything to do changing your oral microbiome.

1. Make sure you get enough Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K2. Supplement if necessary to ensure teeth are properly mineralized.
2. Try to eliminate sugar consumption as much as possible. Sugar feeds pathogenic bacteria.
3. You want to try to achieve the most diverse gut and oral bacteria possible. This means eating a variety of prebiotics and probiotics on a daily basis.
4. Perhaps most importantly, you also want to “weed” your oral microbiome of the bacteria most responsible for dental cavities, i.e., Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, and lactobacilli, as well as P. gingivalis which has been linked to periodontal disease. This can be accomplished through a variety of means:

a. Most nights I crush up a couple slices of fresh garlic, wait a few minutes, then swish it around in my mouth for 10 minutes. It burns a little but it wipes out P. gingivalis in seconds. It also dramatically reduces S. mutans. I recommend doing this just before going to bed so the garlic is fighting off bacteria all night when your saliva production is lowest. (and assuming your bed partner doesn't expect a goodnight kiss)
b. Oil pulling with coconut oil. Coconut oil is as effective as chlorhexidine in the reduction of S. mutans. Probably best to do this during the day and garlic at night for obvious reasons.
c. Take a half teaspoon turmeric with a little water and swish for 10 minutes. Turmeric has demonstrated similar bactericidal and acid inhibitory effects to chlorohexidine, at 1/20th the dose.
d. Chew gum or mints with Xylitol , a “tooth-friendly” non-fermentable sugar alcohol that is widely known to inhibit S mutans and to alkalinize saliva in the mouth.

Does this regimen work? It sure does for periodontal and tooth infection problems.

About 2 weeks before this past Thanksgiving, the molar on my bottom left side became incredibly sensitive to cold water or ice gum infection. I put off going to the dentist because I knew darn well he was going to tell me I needed a root canal. Then about 2 days before Thanksgiving I noticed a white pimple on my gum. I had this once before and I swore I'd never go through the surgery, narcotics, fluid diet, and $3000 cost of repairing my gum. So I decided to apply raw fresh pressed garlic 3-4 times per day. The tooth pain and gum infection were both wiped out in 2 days. Now 3 months later, there's no sign of gum problems and I can put ice on my back molar with no pain whatsoever.

I'd love to get feedback from everyone here, particularly the dentists.

Garlic is also effective against antibiotic resistant organisms[12] and has the ability to kill all oral streptococci strains.[13] Garlic extract has antimicrobial activity against oral bacterial species, particularly Gram-negative species. Its action against P. gingivalis and the allicin present in garlic indicates therapeutic use for periodontitis and possibly other oral infections.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... MC4389398/

Garlic: A Miraculous Herb for Oral Diseases - A Review from the Journal of Oral Health & Community Dentistry, 2014
http://www.docin.com/p-1642227012.htm

Garlic is a known antimicrobial agent and its effects on the oral flora have been studied in vitro and in vivo. Thirty patients used a garlic solution mouthwash for five weeks and found inhibition of salivary S. mutans, which continued two weeks after the end of the mouthwash period.
http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/features ... rspective/

Conclusion: It (garlic) is very effective against a range of oral Gram-negative species while being less active against oral Gram - positive species. Allicin may also have therapeutic use for periodontitis and possibly other oral infections (Bakri and Douglas, 2005).
http://resjournals.org/JMR/PDF/MAY/Motamayel_et_al.pdf

This findings indicated that the oral products containing a garlic extract is effective in preventing and treating periodontal diseases, and has potential value in inhibiting periopathogens.
http://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/A ... _v12n3_631

It (garlic) has a great role in the treatment of periodontal diseases.
http://www.nitte.edu.in/journal/dec%202 ... ni%20K.pdf

Barki & Douglas (2005) and Groppo et al. (2007) observed that garlic extract inhibits the growth of oral pathogens and certain proteases and thus it may have therapeutic value, particularly for periodontitis.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Di ... ivum-L.pdf

Time-kill curves for Streptococcus mutans and P. ginigvalis, showed that killing of the latter started almost immediately, whereas there was a delay before S. mutans was killed. The garlic extract also inhibited the trypsin-like and total protease activity of P. gingivalis by 92.7% and 94.88%, respectively. These data indicate that garlic extract inhibits the growth of oral pathogens and certain proteases and so may have therapeutic value, particularly for periodontitis.
http://www.aobjournal.com/article/S0003 ... 8/abstract

Taken together, these observations suggest that garlic extract or allicin may be of therapeutic use against periodontal diseases or other oral diseases [28].
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2011/680354/

Groppo et al. [20] have observed a remarkable reduction of mutans streptococci after gargling with a 2.5% garlic mouthwash solution. Another study, reporting a reduction in levels of S. mutans after garlic mouthwash, mentioned that a 3% concentration was the minimum concentration at which a zone of inhibition was observed. [21] Multidrug-resistant and non-multidrug-resistant strains of S. mutans have also been reported to be sensitive to garlic extract. [12] In addition, combination of garlic with lime is reported to have a noticeable antibacterial effect against isolates from carious teeth. [22] Although these studies were performed using different concentrations from that used in our study, the similarity between our findings and that of other authors is obvious.
It might be concluded that using optimum concentrations of garlic extract in toothpastes or mouth washes can be useful in the management of dental caries and periodontitis.
http://www.ijdr.in/article.asp?issn=097 ... =Houshmand

Considering in vitro data obtained in the present study, mouthwashes or toothpaste containing optimum concentration of garlic extract could be used for prevention of dental caries."
http://forums.prohealth.com/forums/inde ... ns.191500/

As one of the world’s most studied spices, turmeric’s effect on S. mutans has also been examined. When applied to slides prepared with S. mutans biofilms, Javanese turmeric demonstrated similar bactericidal and acid inhibitory effects to chlorohexidine, at 1/20th the dose. In addition to its strong bactericidal activity and inhibitory effects on acidogenesis, Javanese turmeric also alters the microstructure of S. mutans biofilm, leading the study authors to conclude that it may be a good therapy for the prevention of dental caries.18
http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/features ... rspective/

2016 In Vivo study CONCLUSION: Coconut oil is as effective as chlorhexidine in the reduction of S. mutans.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/coc ... on-s-mutan

I expect that good old Listerine would probably do a better job killing oral bacteria than the natural methods listed. But to each his own.

What about using Listerine or equivalent, waiting an hour, and then taking a liquid probiotic and swishing it around before swallowing?

FarmerD wrote: d. Chew gum or mints with Xylitol , a “tooth-friendly” non-fermentable sugar alcohol that is widely known to inhibit S mutans and to alkalinize saliva in the mouth.

My mouthwash has xylitol. I like using it just before bedtime, and also between coffee and brushing. (It doesn't feel right to brush the acid into the teeth without rinsing first).

I think cavemen used to chew on birch twigs for the same reason. After coffee. ;-)

WiseOne wrote:I expect that good old Listerine would probably do a better job killing oral bacteria than the natural methods listed. But to each his own.

What about using Listerine or equivalent, waiting an hour, and then taking a liquid probiotic and swishing it around before swallowing?

Chlorhexadine is still the disinfectant and antiseptic of choice for the dental profession. It is the gold standard for mouth washes. Daily use of mouthwash is not a particularly good choice.

Here's a study from 2014:
Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the antibacterial effect of a new generation anticavity mouth- wash (CariFree CTx4 treatment rinse) with that of a 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash (Clohex), 0.05% sodium fluoride mouthwash (Colgate Plax Complete Care), 2% povidone iodine mouthwash (Betadine gargle and mouthwash) against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Conclusion: It was concluded that chlorhexidine is still the best mouthwash available.
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... ical_Study

Mouthwash has more alcohol in it than wine and consumers could be heading for a health disaster no less than oral cancer. According to the findings of a study published in the Dental Journal of Australia, mouthwash poses a serious risk to the development of oral cancer among consumers. A substance called ethanol in mouthwash makes the lining of the mouth more permeable to cancer causing substances. Mouthwash, when gargled tends to get converted into acetaldehyde which can then accumulate in the oral cavity. Acetaldehyde is a by product of alcohol known to be highly toxic.
This same study stated that mouthwash containing alcohol should be made a “by prescription only” product with all the necessary health warnings printed on the front.
http://blogs.naturalnews.com/the-proble ... mouthwash/

Chlorhexidine is well known to cause staining of teeth. That's why dentists don't want you to use it for more than 10 days straight.

From Wikipedia “Continued use of products containing chlorhexidine for long periods can cause stains on teeth, tongue, and gingiva, also on silicate and resin restorations; prolonged use can also reduce bitter and salty taste sensations.

Chlorhexidine's role in preventing tooth decay (dental caries) is controversial and "the clinical data are not convincing".[30]”

Javanese Turmeric appears to have the strongest anticariogenic agent as shown in several recent studies.

As one of the world’s most studied spices, turmeric’s effect on S. mutans has also been examined. When applied to slides prepared with S. mutans biofilms, Javanese turmeric demonstrated similar bactericidal and acid inhibitory effects to chlorohexidine, at 1/20th the dose. In addition to its strong bactericidal activity and inhibitory effects on acidogenesis, Javanese turmeric also alters the microstructure of S. mutans biofilm, leading the study authors to conclude that it may be a good therapy for the prevention of dental caries.18
http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/features ... rspective/

Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb., commonly known as temu lawak or Javanese turmeric, has been traditionally used in Indonesia for food and medicinal purposes [1]. It has been reported that Curcuma xanthorrhiza confers a variety of biological activities such as antitumor [2], hypotriglyceridaemic [3], anti-inflammatory [4], antibacterial [5], etc. In this research we found that xanthorrhizol (1,3,5,10-bisabolatetraen-3-ol), isolated from Curcuma xanthorrhiza, possessed remarkable anticariogenic activity against Streptococcus mutans.
Antibacterial activity of xanthorrhizol was investigated by the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) test and the viable cell count method. MIC of xanthorrhizol against S.mutans was determined to be 2 µg/ml, which was much lower than other natural anticariogenic agents such as 16 µg/ml of sanguinarine, 125 µg/ml of tea polyphenol, 125 µg/ml of carvacrol, 250 µg/ml of isoeugenol, 500 µg/ml of eucalyptol and 500 µg/ml of thymol. Fig. [2] shows that 5 µg/ml treatment of xanthorrhizol killed completely S.mutans in a minute. This bactericidal activity is of practical significance, since applications of xanthorrhizol in mouthwash or toothpaste should be effective within a few minutes. These results suggested that xanthorrhizol could be employed as a potential anticariogenic agent.
https://www.thieme-connect.com/products ... 29-1243135

Earlier study by Hwang and colleagues reported that XNT showed the highest antibacterial activity against dental caries causing bacteria (Streptococcus species) followed by periodontitis causing bacteria (Actinomyces viscosus and Porphyromona gingialis) [16]. XNT also strongly inhibited Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli [34] and acne-causing bacteria Propionibacterium acnes [35].

Moreover, the ability of XNT in preventing dental plaque and removing oral bacterial biofilms has been demonstrated on the oral Streptococcus mutans biofilms in vitro [22]. Biofilms removal activities were affected by XNT concentration, exposure time and the biofilm phase growth. For example, XNT (5 µM) completely inhibited the formation of S. mutans biofilms at adherent growth phase, whilst XNT (50 µM) removed 76 % of biofilm at plateau accumulated phase after 60 min exposure. XNT killed S. mutans at planktonic growth due to its direct contact with biofilm outer layer cells [15, 22, 36]. The antimicrobial activities were induced by the capability of the hydrophobic chains of XNT to penetrate and reduce the viability of dental plaque biofilm [37].
https://cancerci.biomedcentral.com/arti ... 015-0255-4

Xanthorrhizol has strong anti-biofilm properties
http://www.academia.edu/12446406/Anti-b ... al_strains

So is chewing Xylitol gum actually going to reduce your likelihood of getting cavities compared to not chewing any gum at all?

MangoMan wrote:Okay, since everyone here knows I am a pug worshiper but also a dentist for 32 years, here are a few comments, with the disclaimer that I did not read any of the papers cited in the OP:

Chlorhexidine is not "the mouthwash of choice" for most dentists or even periodontists [gum specialists]. It tends to be used post-surgically and cases of persistent ginigivitis. Otherwise, as WiseOne stated, we usually recommend Listerine [generic is fine, IMHO] which uses essential oils to reduce unfriendly oral bacteria. If the alcohol content bothers you, the newer version is alcohol-free.

Xylitol has been clinically proven to reduce Strep mutans, the leading cause of tooth decay. Gums containing this substance are helpful, as is the saliva produced during chewing which contains buffers to reduce the acidity that promotes decay.

Sugar is bad, but any carbohydrate that the bacteria can metabolize [think soft bread, pretzels, chips, etc] are also bad.

Oil pulling has not been proven to be of any value. This practice periodically makes the rounds on the internet of fake health news, nonetheless.

I can't comment on the garlic or turmeric as I have no knowledge one way or the other, but that just can't be good for your sex-life.

While weeding your oral bacteria seems good in practice, I don't think the technology is there yet, but again, Listerine helps.

If anyone has any specific questions, I will do my best to answer them.

You're really not addressing any any of the points I made in the OP. I respectfully ask you at least peruse a few of the studies I've linked before passing judgement. And I'd really like to hear your opinion after you've done so.

The evidence that raw garlic quickly eradicates bacteria that cause periodontal disease is overwhelming. There are a large number of in vitro and in vivo studies that bear this out including a few I linked above. The evidence is so overwhelming that I elected to try this on myself when I developed a gum infection. The garlic wiped out the infection in 2 days just as predicted. Sure beats the surgery, narcotics, antibiotics, liquid diet for 2 weeks, and pain following gum surgery

The essential oils in found mouthwash (thymol, eucalyptol, etc) can reduce bad bacteria levels. However, all the research I've seen indicates they are rather weak antimicrobials, especially in the concentrations found in typical mouthwash. I'm not aware of any mouthwash that is effective against S. mutans.

BTW I've never had a dentist recommend any commercial mouthwash. On the contrary, when asked about mouthwash, I've always been told emphatically to avoid mouthwash as it denatures your gums. It also wipes out the beneficial bacterial in your mouth leaving S. mutans without any competitors.

When medical researchers come up with new mouthwashes, the efficacy of their mouthwash is always compared to Chlorhexidine because Chlorhexidine is regarded as the best oral antibacterial substance. That's why I referred to it as the gold standard for mouthwashes.

BTW garlic is also a 100% effective birth control measure. No man has every gotten a woman pregnant after consuming raw garlic.

Pointedstick wrote:So is chewing Xylitol gum actually going to reduce your likelihood of getting cavities compared to not chewing any gum at all?

Don't have time to search out a reference just now, but my recollection is that xylitol is rapidly taken up by oral bacteria, but unlike other sugars, the bugs cannot properly metabolize it. The result is that the bacteria become "saturated," unable to take up additional sugars, and eventually starve and die.