Dental Research References

This blog post by Ramiel Nagel gives some more references I’d like to track down, specifically the work of dentists Melvin Page, Ralph Steinman, and John Leonora.

Dental Health

Nora has eight teeth, I’m overdue in finding a dentist, and I have no idea how to reconcile all the various claims about diet, jaw development, tooth decay, and (in the process) mercury amalgam fillings, root canals, and fluoridation (topics which I’ve never particularly had any interest in, but which are always mentioned along with diet in holistic dentistry sources and articles).

The Cure Tooth Decay website is anti-vaxxer, which automatically makes it untrustworthy in my book. It’s also anti-fluoride, which I suppose shouldn’t be surprising. (I just don’t see why diet and fluoride need to be enemies. Yes, diet may well be the better solution, but fluoride is proven to be a broader one.)

At this point, I don’t really have any good leads. Everything still circles back to the Weston A. Price Foundation in one form or another, with all its unsavory bedfellows. But, doing the best I can…

This article from Wellness Mama seems like a good starting point.

http://wellnessmama.com/3650/remineralize-teeth/

It links to to The Whole Health Source, which also looks like a promising resource.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/03/preventing-tooth-decay.html

And, on the subject of fluoride, Mark’s Daily Apple links to some credible sources that do a good job of summing up the “debate.” (My nutshell reading: Fluoride does offer protection against dental caries, topical applications such as toothpaste are probably more effective than systemic application in drinking water, and the edge cases where fluoride is harmful are very inconsequential.)

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-fluoride-safe/#axzz4DeoyVBWZ

I only skimmed, but this post from The Paleo Hygienist looks like a decent roundup of the anti-fluoride conspiracy theories, as well as knowledgeable commentary with regard to the public health decision to fluoridate. (If it benefits those in low income communities with no dental care the most, is it fair to make everyone partake?)

https://thepaleohygienist.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/fluoride-facts-controversy-science/

Most of this research was an utter waste of time, akin to verifying that the earth is indeed round. I don’t consider fluoride conspiracy theorists to be as dangerous as anti-vaxxers, but they’re not harmless either so I don’t want to stand too close to them.