Rotting teeth!

[tokimom88]

Hey everyone,

I just recently went vegan, about a month and a half ago. I've been feeling pretty good (a lot of my past issues have been fading away like sinus issues, arthritis, etc.) but I noticed that my gums started to get extremely sensitive, and a TOOTH is rotting at the back of my mouth!? This literally happened out of no where.
I then did more research and saw that I am not the only vegan who's teeth have rotted... and a lot of vegans have gotten cavities as well?

I realize it could be a detox thing, since the mouth issues are a good sign my body is detoxing. Also, not enough minerals in my diet could cause the rotting tooth as well.

I REALLY want to continue being vegan, but I'm not sure about it if my teeth or mouth health is going to get worse.

Has anyone else had this problem? What can I do?

 

[Deleted member 3018]

I don't know if this is a vegan issue, this might be just a problem of a modern world, where people eat too much sugar.
I have some questions for you to think, because taking care of your teeth isn't always obvious, especially if you have't been tought from a young age how to take care of them, or if you have forgotten over time.

Do you eat more bread and fruit, than before?
Do you remember to brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste?
When was the last time you have been at the dentist?

Fruit is healthy, but if you eat it more than before, it could worsen the problems that you already had, but wasn't aware of.
It's ingredibly important to brush your teeth in the morning, before eating anything, with an electric toothbrush, and a toothpaste that has fluoride and xylitol in it, but especially fluoride. It's also very important to brush your teeth and floss, before going to sleep.
It's recommended to eat sweets max. once a day. So, for example... if you drink soda or juice, you could drink that while having a meal, so that you don't accidentally drink too much, and otherwise drink just water or unsweetened tea.
Also, it's important to go to the dentist once a year, for a check up, even if you aren't experiencing any pain... There can be a latent problem that evolves into something more serious overtime.

Some people have claimed that we don't need fluoride, but I do not believe that. Maybe it works for some, but I wouldn't risk it since I want to eat fruit and bread every now and then. Instead of eating sweets, I chew some 100% xylitol gum after meals.

I hope this helps.
Good luck.

 

[Nekodaiden]

Hey everyone,

I just recently went vegan, about a month and a half ago. I've been feeling pretty good (a lot of my past issues have been fading away like sinus issues, arthritis, etc.) but I noticed that my gums started to get extremely sensitive, and a TOOTH is rotting at the back of my mouth!? This literally happened out of no where.
I then did more research and saw that I am not the only vegan who's teeth have rotted... and a lot of vegans have gotten cavities as well?

I realize it could be a detox thing, since the mouth issues are a good sign my body is detoxing. Also, not enough minerals in my diet could cause the rotting tooth as well.

I REALLY want to continue being vegan, but I'm not sure about it if my teeth or mouth health is going to get worse.

Has anyone else had this problem? What can I do?

It didn't happen "out of no where", and it certainly didn't happen in less than 2 months. That's not how your body operates. Even if you had the most horrendous diet for 2 months it's not going to show up in rotted teeth. Now it may be true that you have sensitive gums for whatever reason - though I highly doubt it's due to veganism in general and may be the specifics of what you are eating.

I am missing 2 teeth. One, literally about a week-2 weeks before I went vegan, and the other about a week into going vegan. Do I blame veganism? Absolutely not - these teeth were gradually decaying for years due to years of excess alcohol consumption long before I adopted a vegan diet. Since going vegan, I haven't noticed any obvious new tooth decay, although that may still be possible or even likely until I stop or slow way down with beer consumption.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Rotting teeth are generally a sign of poor oral hygiene, but can also be from eating too much processed sugar or excessive alcohol or drug consumption.

I have gone months without using flouride toothpaste since being vegan, using unflouridated or homemade toothpaste since fluoride is in the water supply in my country.

Any tooth decay I had was in early childhood except for one adult cavity. I had one root canal due to external pressure from orthodontics (I wish I could go back to my teens and sue this orthodontist), and I had mercury fillings from childhood replaced at a holistic health eco dentist.

All of this happened before I went vegan and I've never lost a tooth, outside of normal childhood tooth losses.

 

[Sax]

Sorry, that sucks!

I'm gonna say it's definitely not your diet. You could do meth for a month and a half and wouldn't see your teeth rot that fast.

I guess it's possible that your change in diet exposed or aggravated an underlying issue, but that still seems like a pretty rapid onset. What was your diet like before, and what is it like now?

 

[TofuRobot]

Honestly - I had horrible teeth as a child. I quit eating most meat (all except for fish) when I was 27. Vegan for 2 years. I have not had a single NEW problem since I was 27. I finally had to extract the 2nd tooth last year, but it was a problem that had started in my early 20s. You do not develop problems with your teeth in such a short period of time. Like Nik said - that's not how your body works.

 

[VeggieTerrian]

Probably sugar or an extreme case of lacking nutrients. Double check and make sure you are getting calcium and vitamin D.

 

[Hog]

I have good dental hygiene. I get my teeth cleaned every three months. And, I still get cavities.

 

[rogerjolly]

Umm….

Have you noticed that as veganism has expanded so also has the number of websites attacking it? One popular theme is bad teeth.

One site says vegans tend to eat more fruit and thus have a greater intake of fructose. Also it claims that vegans tend to snack between meals which creates more problems. So the writer advises against veganism…. It’s bad for you. Apparently it did not occur to him that if an individual does take a lot of fruit and does snack a lot then they should just be extra careful with their oral hygiene.

The same person also says that we all learnt as children that milk is essential for us. He would be more correct to say that we were indoctrinated as children.

For an extra piece of anti-veganism he argues that vegan infants cannot be fed at the breast as humans are animals and thus breast milk is an animal product. If babies are going to have breast milk then they might as well have all sorts of other animal products.
His “logic” is obviously ridiculous but apparently he considers himself to be an expert because he was once a vegan for eight months.

Another site proclaims that vegans are underweight, have bad skin, lacklustre hair and bags under their eyes.
I am now on the lookout for sites that tell me that vegans will develop fungal growth on their toenails, will have a problem with excess nasal hair and are in imminent danger of their belly buttons bursting wide open.

Roger.

 

[Nekodaiden]

To the OP and any new vegans. Watch this video from a long term vegan (25+ years) responding to lies about him by anti-vegans:

 

[Whoa182]

Like others have said, tooth decay is a process that generally takes years.

It's possible that increased sugar and poor oral hygiene could accelerate the process but certainly not in two months. The tooth was already dying.

Anyway, oral hygiene is extremely important for overall health so I hope you've sorted it out. I would get some bitewing x rays to look for any periapical abscesses or tooth that have decay before they reach the pulp... Untreated infections can really screw up the health of your body and brain and lead to increased risk of many diseases..

If you catch things early enough, you'll be able to avoid root canals. Although if decay is deep enough, removal of it can trigger irreversible pulpitis which can trigger the dying process.

Some people are more susceptible to tooth decay than others, but it's almost always preventable unless you suffer from chronic dry mouth, have immune system issues, and/or deficiencies.

Another site proclaims that vegans are underweight, have bad skin, lacklustre hair and bags under their eyes.

Lol like there isn't plenty of non-vegans with those issues. Vegans are leaner than omnivores and vegetarians... with a BMI around 21 according to some studies, compared to 25-26 for non-vegans. Far healthier and well within the 'normal range.' People just don't know what normal is anymore...

 

[Sproutskies]

The problem is that lots of people are going vegan just like that, today I go vegan. They are not looking for information, a nutritionist, for example, and so on. No, they wake up and just change a small thing in their life, yeah, small! That thing changes almost every aspect of your life actually, so before going vegan, it is mandatory to know what you are doing. Talking about your problem, it is almost obvious that you have cut all the good nutrition to give to your teeth, and you didn't pick something in exchange. Calcium goodbye...

Yeah, there are many varying degrees to this problem depending upon the individual and their level of detail and care. You really need to put in the research into what a balanced diet looks like... test how your body responds... adjust... and repeat. Getting a yearly or quarterly comprehensive blood test can be one of the best ways to see if you have been covering the basics.

 

[Brian W]

It's odd that whenever anybody chooses a way of life that is different to the norm, as soon as something goes wrong, it is blamed on the change and not on simply being human. People with all diets get tooth decay. Lets say somebody chooses to start jogging every day and then they get tooth decay. Is it due to jogging? Of course not. But when it is a dietary change, it is far too easy to join the dots and see a connection that isn't there.

 

[silva]

It's odd that whenever anybody chooses a way of life that is different to the norm, as soon as something goes wrong, it is blamed on the change and not on simply being human. People with all diets get tooth decay. Lets say somebody chooses to start jogging every day and then they get tooth decay. Is it due to jogging? Of course not. But when it is a dietary change, it is far too easy to join the dots and see a connection that isn't there.

Oh geez! I just saw that they'd been vegan a month and a half That isn't enough time to even develop a deficiency if they were leaving out a whole food group!

 

[David3]

The problem is that lots of people are going vegan just like that, today I go vegan. They are not looking for information, a nutritionist, for example, and so on. No, they wake up and just change a small thing in their life, yeah, small! That thing changes almost every aspect of your life actually, so before going vegan, it is mandatory to know what you are doing. Talking about your problem, it is almost obvious that you have cut all the good nutrition to give to your teeth, and you didn't pick something in exchange. Calcium goodbye... I would go to a good dentist if I were you, like Sarnia dentist, and also to a good nutritionist, because that is a thing to worry about, not joking at all!

.
Agreed, but note that the OP only went vegan about 6 weeks ago. That's not enough time for a person's teeth to be affected. Something else is going on.
.

 

[fakei]

 

[silva]

When I started a vegan diet, I faced something similar. However, it was not that bad, but I switched to flexitarian because this diet is more flexible and incorporates meat and animal products from time to time.

We know what flexitarian means--omnivorous--however a plant based diet has no effect on tooth decay

 

[Urban Gardener]

No one has mentioned calcium (and therefore also vitamin D) as a factor in tooth decay.

It would be unusual to develop tooth decay in just a month or two. If that did happen, it would probably be from causes other than just diet.

But it could definitely happen over time after switching to a new diet and not covering all of your bases nutritionally. This can happen with any significant dietary change. The SAD tends to cause malnutrition. This isn’t unique to veganism. But it is something that can happen.

I bet some of the tooth decay stories are from people who gave up dairy and didn’t get enough calcium from plant-based sources.

Other often overlooked factors in tooth decay include dry mouth (which is a common side effect of anti-depressants, marijuana, stimulants, and many widely prescribed drugs) as well as tobacco use. These could be confounding variables. It’s not unusual that a dietary change coincides with other life changes (treating your depression or other health issue, life changes that lead to taking up new substance use habits, etc). Correlation is not causation.

I’m sure some of it is also completely random. Teeth don’t last forever. We all start to get cavities at some point.

If you make a dietary change and you experience a new health issue, go to the doctor and/or dentist and get checked out. They can run tests to see if it’s a nutritional issue or something else.

 

[vanefras]

This is not a vegan lifestyle problem because those foods that are generally in the diet of visitors to this forum do not have any destructive factors. I think a dentist should check your teeth and gums because this is not a normal situation. I'm always afraid of toothaches and problems in my mouth in general because they can't permanently be fixed. Last year I started wearing aligners because I noticed how crooked and ugly my bite was. It really bothered me, and I first started looking for information on the type of how to fix it without going to the doctor, but it turned out that the only option was the advice of a specialist. I was lucky because there was nothing wrong with my teeth, and my situation was not significantly detrimental to the future of my mouth.

 

[Sproutskies]

Not sure if this is rooted in truth but my teeth always feel clean and strong after eating a ton of raw greens. With the occasional bit needing to be flossed out.
Maybe avoid too many sugary and acidic foods for a little bit while this thing gets resolved.

EDIT: there is a glitch on the time stamps but actually remembering this as an old post. Maybe too late to give OP advice but this is now just an opinion for the record.