The Invisible Toothbrush

http://www.westonaprice.org/dentistry/invisible-toothbrush

Written by Emmanuel Cheraskin, MD, DMD
March 29 2001

One of the many risk factors for heart disease is poor dental health. The root cause for both diseases is probably the same--nutritional deficiencies, including deficiency of vitamin C. In this article, Dr. Emmanuel Cheraskin presents evidence that serum vitamin C levels are just as important as brushing for the prevention of tooth decay. His research also explains why primitive peoples on nutrient-dense diets have no tooth decay, in spite of the fact that they do not brush their teeth.

A long time ago, President Harry S. Truman was asked the question, "What's new?" His response, "If you never heard it before, regardless of how old it is, it's new!" Utilizing the Truman benchmark, several points are obvious. First, the present notion that dental accumulations--stuff like plaque and scum that gets on your teeth--contribute to dental diseases and that these collections can be mechanically removed is not only old but generally conceded. What is also not new, as far as the published literature is concerned, is that there are nonmechanical contributions to the common dental diseases. Many of the reports are 30 to 40 years old. Some of them are quite recent, particularly the innovative discussions by Nigel Clarke and his associate in Australia.

However, what is really new and emphasized in this report, is that the accumulations in themselves may be due to the absence of an invisible toothbrush. The whodunit may well be hypoascorbemia--low levels of vitamin C! Obviously this is a relatively new thought and requires further study. And, by the way, vitamin C serves many other functions. It is well-documented as an electron donor and impressive scavenger; it plays important roles in protecting the capillaries from fragility and permeability; it is extraordinary for wound healing, and much, much more. So, providing the ascorbates may add a bonus to improved oral health. . . by contributing to general well-being!
Some Facts

Let's start with three inescapable facts:

The principal site for chronic disease is the mouth, even in this day and age.
Ninety-five percent of the civilized population suffers with tooth decay and/or periodontal disease.
Judged by our current successes and failures, the present explanations and solutions are filled with contradictions. For example, more brushing and flossing doesn't necessarily guarantee less disease.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)1 and other authorities, as we shall learn, argue that oral pathosis is a multifactorial problem. They identify three essential ingredients: (1) a critical microbial population, (2) appropriate diet and (3) a susceptible state, as shown in Figure 1. (These three factors apply equally to periodontal disease.) The figure implies that all three factors must be present for tooth decay to develop and that if even one of these three variables is absent, then pathosis does not occur.

Figure 1
tooth decay=susceptible tooth+bacteria+sugar




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How much should one then opt to take per day?

Since the serum levels of vitamin C are diminished pretty fast I guess several daily intakes are required.

Misirlou wrote:How much should one then opt to take per day?

Since the serum levels of vitamin C are diminished pretty fast I guess several daily intakes are required.

well, I think food sources are the optimum way to get vitamin C. If you supplement I think maybe once a day is sufficient since its water soluble.

At least twice a day. CS has good info on this - every 6 hours isn't it?

Mastery wrote:At least twice a day. CS has good info on this - every 6 hours isn't it?

How much? I use powder..I also wonder how much water I should add in...