The answer is… You can’t. The fact of the matter is, if you never brush your teeth you will most certainly end up with cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss. But believe it or not, there was a time in the ancient past when people could get away with neglecting their oral hygiene and not suffer the consequences that we do today.
Modern man needs to brush two times per day, and floss once a day. Use a fluoride toothpaste and maybe even an antibacterial mouthwash to keep our mouths clean and teeth cavity-free. Our teeth just aren’t as tough as they used to be in ancient times when people didn’t brush their teeth but had relatively few dental health issues. Scientists say that it is mainly because of a change in our diet.
It all started with farming and the shift from meat, nuts, and vegetables to grains and sugars. This has wreaked havoc in our mouths by changing the kinds of bacteria we find there. Also of note, the all-natural diet of early man was much better for their teeth than ours is today. Almost everything we put into our bodies today is processed with additives, preservatives, sugars, and chemicals that early man’s food did not have. They only ate foods that contained the pure, untampered nutrients and vitamins that were grown and eaten in season. No genetic alterations, or anything unnatural. Nowadays, there are too many unhealthy ingredients in our food, the worst being sugar, which feeds the bacteria in our mouths and is an enemy of the teeth. Another point that is critical, people of the past ate a lot more fiber, which not only gave them a healthy digestion system, but kept the mouth and teeth clean similar to a toothbrush—cleaning away food particle, acids, and bacteria from the mouth.
If you would like more information about oral health, call Dr. Pete Olberding and our helpful team at E. P. True Dental - West Des Moines, IA. Phone: (515) 224-9899. Make an appointment or come by our office in West Des Moines, Iowa.