I've read that Atkins is good for your dental health, but I just noticed that I seem to have built up an unusual amount of plaque since my last cleaning almost six months ago (I go twice a year and am due). I've been on Atkins about 4 months, and taking new supplements including calcium and lysine during this time. Am I a fluke or is there any connection?

Not sure, but my Dentist often remarks that "some people just need cleanings more often" and suggests every 3 months.

If anything, I'd say I have less plaque buildup than before Atkins.

I get cleaned every 3 months, and it's diffently gotten worse since on Atkins. I was told that was normal for eating this way. Of course my dentist is on Atkins to.

Gee, I'm doing much better on Atkins. I figured the lack of sugar was good for it too!
I guess it comes down to what you eat and your individual situation.
BTW, all that water is good for the teeth, too.

When I started Atkins, almost 2 months ago, my teeth (and breath) got awful. I always had this real nice smelling film in my mouth. I have always tried brushing my teeth twice a day (night and morning) but most times I missed my night brushing (never missed mornings...wife would have a cow). Ever since starting Atkins I have been religiously brushing twice a day and it has helped tremendously. I still have stinky breath (or so says my wife) but I very rarely have the nasty film in my mouth.

To make a long story short.....brush more often

Cody

I haven't notice any difference, but I brush my teeth after every meal. That's a habit I picked up while I had braces (late 2001 through early 2003) and one I decided to keep after the braces came off.

Yes, I keep a tooth brush and paste in my desk drawer at the office and one in my purse for when I eat out.

One word......FLOSS.

I've started flossing twice a day. I think it's all the meat I eat getting stuck betweeen my teeth. I just had a cleaning on Monday and the plaque buildup was worse than usual. She suggested flossing everyday twice a day. I'm giving it a shot. I hate when they have to do too much scraping!

Good Luck to All
Kiersten

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

Actually I have way less than before. It's also not as solid as before. Very easy to floss it away.

I just checked with my dental office and it seems I have been remiss and it has been over 6 months since my last cleaning, so what do I expect! Thanks for the tips, however, everyone.

I seem to have the same problem? I have excellent dental health and visit the dentist regularly every six months for a cleaning. I was recently there (between checkups due to sensitivity) and asked about something I felt on my teeth, and it was PLAQUE buildup...very gross - he took pictures inside my mouth go show me.

I have never previously had this problem, and given some of the other responses, I think it might have something to do with low carb eating. Not a big deal though, dentist made a note on my chart to come in for cleaning three-four times per year rather than twice!

Froufie

i find my teeth are a LOT less painful and sensitive now... the decay is caused by acidic secretions from oral bacteria. take away the starches, and oral bacteria has nothing to feed on. sugar causes tooth decay.

if plaque is a problem, that means you arent eating enough fiberous veggies to naturally "clean" the teeth during the day. try chewing on parsley or celery every day. it should help your problem quite nicely.

I have noticed a buildup of tartar (the harder stuff that has to be scraped off instead of just brushed or flossed off) on the inside of my bottom front teeth. This has been happening only since I started low carbing in July of 2002, and never before. I use a dental scraper to keep the tartar down between cleanings, and my hygenist is extra diligent when cleaning that area. I informed the hygenist and my dentist that I was eating low carb, and they are going to try and see if any of their other patients have the same thing happening.

But, this buildup isn't consistent. I have tried to figure out if it's related to how much cheese I eat, how many sugar-alcohol sweetened foods, etc, but can't make a correlation.

Here are a few past threads that also address this:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...highlight=teeth
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ighlight=tartar
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ighlight=tartar

I'm sure that there's more information out there with the proper search terms.

Joan

Thanks so much for those links, Tag. It makes me feel less "loopy" since the official position is obviously that a no sugar diet couldn't cause plaque buildup.

I have always had bad teeth. Part of it is genetic, I inherited my mother's thin enamal. Part of it is so-so hygiene as a child. Alot of it was being unable to afford a dentist and having no insurance. I had my teeth worked on quite abit when I was pregnant with my first child and just after, thanks to good insurance at the time. Prior to that I may of had 4 dentist visits my whole life.

Pregnancy can be bad for rotting teeth because of the lack of calcium. I have not been fortunate enough to be able to see a dentist since that time, about 4 years ago. My teeth are in horrid shape, and I am starting to get cavaties tword the front

What I have noticed with LC though, is that while my teeth are still deteriorating, I don't have pain with eating. Nothing makes my teeth hurt worse then trying to eat something sweet. I use a sensative tooth paste which helps, but I think what helps most of all is being away from sugar.

Unfortunetly my son has inherited my teeth I think. Even though he takes floride and brushes at least twice a day, he has 2 cavaties. Tomarrow is his first appointment with a pediatric dentist. I don't mind the hour drive to reach the dentist, and hope my son likes him, because he's going to get his small but dragged there at least twice a year for cleanings whether he wants to or not

My daughter has 2 teeth on bottom and 2 coming in on top. She thinks brushing her teeth is a great game and loves it. Of course she is also the child who loves eating her veggies (why oh why do they have to get older and opinionated? )