I find this group of articles so fascinating and keep thinking the longer I'm living, the more I find out about the VALUE of OPC's (grape seed ex, pycnogenol and resveratrol). I'm headed into 20th yr on these first two mentioned above.

This major link has many side articles to the right and a lot of discussion about raisins for one. And how many have believed they are too sugary for our teeth, I was one of them, but I believe more and more in moderation they are very good.

I had deep pockets back in 80's and did nothing but once I got on OPC's in 1995, they are history. My gums are tight and for the last 10+ yrs no dental issues...but believe me, I had issues and dental work in my life.

I work to use the cleanest type dental toothpastes as I believe there are so many negative ingredients in commercial toothpastes, sweeteners and other chemical preservatives. I make up my own with a coconut oil base and add MSM, grape seed powder, clove oil, myrrh oil. I buy a couple others that I've worked with over the years, like Vicco which is an ayurvedic herbal TP.

I absolutely avoid "fluoride" as much as I humanly can.

I hope Bryanna will comment on this info. I find it absolutely informative and I'm a layman but one who has been taking OPC's for almost 2 decades:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2728698/

Hi caroline,

Thank you for sharing this informative article and your personal dental history! I also utilize natural plant based and therapeutic substances for my oral care and avoid the chemically derived products that are typically recommended by dentists. As you know it takes a bit of effort to make our own toothpaste, etc as compared to just buying a tube of something. But I agree with you that the benefits are so well worth the effort!

The about consuming sticky food such as raisins is that they may not be a wise food choice for people who have deep grooves called pits and fissures in the biting surfaces of their teeth. Sticky foods like raisins do get caught in those fissures and do not break down as easily as the article stated because the depth of the fissures can cause the raisins to get caught in them resulting in a slower break down rate. Since most people do not brush their teeth after they have eaten sticky foods and/or because sticky foods can be difficult to brush out of deep fissures, the raisins will sit in those crevices long enough to become cariogenic. So for that reason, even many holistic dentists will tell patients to avoid sticky foods such as raisins.

I also agree with you about fluoride in that avoiding it as much as possible is probably a healthy thing to do. Fluoride is actually a toxic product made from the collection of waste from air pollution devices in the phosphate fertilizer industry. Fluoride is a known endocrine disruptor and it can negatively affect bones, brain, thyroid and even blood sugar levels. There is some minimal evidence that it can help prevent tooth decay in certain circumstances, however the indisputable health risks of using fluoride outweigh the minimal benefits. This is why products that contain fluoride carry a poison warning on the label.

Using therapeutic medicaments rather than chemical laden ones is certainly helpful in reducing the incidence of cavities and gum disease. However, they cannot take the place of proper nutrition. The real value to having and maintaining good oral health comes from the elimination of non-nutritive processed foods, sugar/artificial sugar substitutes and avoid the over consumption of starchy foods as all of these will alter the pH of the saliva contributing to acid forming bacteria called plaque. Even people with the worst family history regarding dental health, can have little to no dental problems if they eat nutritiously and maintain good oral hygiene.

Caroline, keep up the good oral hygiene and thanks again for sharing )

Thanks Bryanna for your comments, we are in a lot of agreement. I know the grape seed ex keeps my gums tight. As I said above, I was told I had pockets, are these the same as fissures? Well, pockets are history and I know it's the grape seed ex. I don't eat raisins much but when I do it's organics. I keep them on hand to add to things.

Hi caroline,

Pockets are the spaces between the teeth and the gums. The deeper the pocket depth the more bacteria it can hold and the more difficult it is to clean it out. There are 6 places around each tooth that can be measured in millimeters and the depths measuring 0-3 mm hold little bacteria. Anything greater than a 3mm is considered a concern as the deeper the pocket the more bacteria it will hold. Frequently in people who have had periodontal disease, the gum recedes which actually shortens the depth of the pocket. However, the recession also exposes the root surface. So in those cases it is imperative to keep the exposed surfaces very clean as they are vulnerable and prone to tooth decay and plaque accumulation.

Pits and fissures are grooves in the biting/chewing surfaces of the teeth. They are the bumpy indentations that you see on those surfaces. In some people these grooves are shallow and in others they are deep.

Bryanna

My issues were pockets, no fissures...on the "F" issue and I've been in the battle since I knew the negatives of it in 1991, my grandgirl who is 18, went thru 2 yrs of braces, has beautiful teeth, well she/her mom, let the dentist do fluoride gel baths, I don't know how many, and she is left with dental fluorosis....I was sick when she showed me last Dec....said her gf's have this now too. Then I've read news reports on the teens with this dental fluorisis. I can't put my words down here on how I feel. I try to forget it block it out, guess I will when I'm gone...

Caroline,

Okay so you had issues with deep pockets around your teeth. As you probably already know that condition indicates periodontal disease. So in your case, what dental work did you have done to reduce the depth of the pockets? Did you do something alternative to periodontal treatment? Do you now have areas of gum recession where the roots are exposed?

Yes, in dentistry it is common to see fluorosis which is a permanent calcification of the enamel of the teeth caused by excessive exposure to fluoride. FYI to those who may not know.. excessive exposure to fluoride simply means when it is ingested (in water or other ways) and/or used in topical applications on the teeth such as toothpaste, mouthwash, or in fluoride trays, or taken orally in a vitamin on a "daily" basis.

Bryanna

The grape seed extract cured the pockets. I have no exposed gums. My gums are tight. I was told I had pockets in mid 80's and did nothing and when I got on grape S.E. in 1995 and subsequent dental visits, pockets have never been mentioned. Everything is tight to my teeth. I detest the fluoride mess, long history of PROFITS.

Caroline,

I am a big proponent of grape seed extract for many applications not just gum health.

GSE is therapeutic in reducing harmful bacteria in the mouth when the bacteria has either not become out of control and/or when the bacteria has been deliberately reduced or brought under control first by some other means. These are the times that the GSE, when used daily, will tighten up the gums and reduce the recurrence of the perio disease. The person may still end up with gum recession as the gums tighten up but the bacteria is reduced due to the intervention and usage of GSE.

It's important to note that periodontal disease is a progressive bacterial infection that is not self limiting to the gums. In the early stage the infection can be brought under control fairly easily. But once the infection has spread out of control, oral medicaments by themselves are not going to cure it. I think it is possible for unhealthy gums to tighten up from the usage of GSE because it is just that potent. But the tightening of the gums does not necessarily mean the disease is cured as the bacteria can get trapped underneath the tight gum tissue and continue to proliferate. The health of the gums is measured by pocket depths, striation, color and contour of the gum tissue, amount of bone loss, gum recession, bleeding gums, odorous discharge from the gums, and mobility and abnormal movement of the teeth.

GSE is also good at remineralizing the cementum of non invasive decay on the "root" surfaces of teeth. Root surfaces are not covered by enamel. Instead they are covered by bone called cementum, which covers the dentin layer of the tooth. Without the enamel the roof surfaces are softer and more vulnerable to decay. Non invasive means the decay has just started and not broken through the cementum to the dentin. Invasive decay, that of which has perforated the cementum may be slowed down but is not able to be reversed with GSE.

It's important to note and I think you will agree, irrelevant of what we use topically or take orally is only a piece of the health aspect of oral care. Nutrition is the key and anything else healthy that we do is a bonus!

Glad to hear that you have had good results using the GSE and thanks for sharing your information with everyone!!

Bryanna

I have sent our city council messages periodically about their brainless actions of adding toxic fluoride to our public waters and just sent them a huge one yesterday. But will send one a week or so to keep this on top of their minds.

What they have allowed is to let the waste by products to be added to public waters...they are letting our water supplies be disposal sites. I'm pretty sure so much of this waste now comes from china. Very tragic.