Increased dental plaque is not a direct result of low-carbing, eating meat, ketosis or anything like that. I had a long talk with my hygienist about this, since I noticed increased plaque last year, although I've been LC'ing for a long time. She told me increased plaque production is generally caused by bacterial overgrowth and decreased saliva, and has little to do with what the diet consists of.

So what causes bacterial overgrowth? Well, poor dental hygiene is the most obvious reason. And eating a lot of sugary sweets. But .. overzealous use of those "total" or "ultra" anti-bacterial toothpastes and mouth rinses will add to the problem because they not only kill bad bacteria, they kill the good protective bacteria too. Toothpastes and rinses often contain alcohol or peroxide, and can be dehydrating .. dry mouth / lack of saliva allows the bad bacteria to proliferate. This may be a problem for low-carbers if they're brushing and rinsing a lot more than usual to combat ketone breath. Low-carbers may also get a bit dehydrated because ketosis will increase urine output ... plus coffee (even decaf!), diet sodas etc have dehydrating effects. Saliva needs to flow freely to bathe the teeth, and to keep the pH of the mouth just right for gum and tooth health. Dry mouth is associated with not just increased plaque but also gum disease .. gingivitis.


The best thing I ever did was stop using antibacterial toothpaste. In fact, I stopped using commercial fluoride toothpaste .. and now use natural herb-based toothpaste from the health food store. It takes some getting used to because it's not sweetened but it comes in pleasant flavours like lemon, anise and mint which freshen the breath just fine and my teeth are as smooth and white as they've ever been. My last check up was just a couple weeks ago, and the improvement from last time is remarkable ... hardly any scraping required

Drink, drink, drink your water ... stay hydrated; this will help the ketone-breath too . And eat crunchy raw vegetables .. chewing helps to stimulate the flow of saliva.


hth,

Doreen