The Trouble with Tartar

[FwL]

As I stated in my intro... this is my third stab at low carb eating. Each time I have done this, I've suffered massive tartar build-up on my lower front teeth. Every few days, I'm in the bathroom with a dental pick scraping away at the stuff.

Does anybody else have this problem?

Any suggestions for keeping tartar at bay?

[sadie147]

Wow that's interesting!

I've always had issues with with tartar, one of the best things i've found is using a sulcabrush, it's great for your gums as well SulcaBrush - Homepage

[momtomany1]

Any chance chewing xylitol gums would help? Odd that when you aren't eating sugar you get buildup, but I believe you! But xylitol gums are good for teeth, and won't mess with your program.

[liv]

Some more crunchy vegetables maybe? I eat a lot of jicama to help clean my gums.

[SunnySmile501]

I've had just the opposite happen to me. Of course, I have been doing Atkins for a long time and I didn't notice it right away. I also had bleeding gums for years--that's been gone for a couple of years.

It's eating sticky starches like soft breads, sugary desserts, pasta and potatoes that causes the problem. Since I don't eat that stuff anymore, my teeth and gums are in better shape than ever. I eat meat and a lot of raw veggies. Both take a lot of chewing and don't leave a residue.

When I used to get up in the morning, I had to brush my teeth before going to the bathroom, no matter how bad I had to go. My teeth would be coated and nasty. Now, they barely feel like they need brushing.

[msanjelpie]

Ketones in your mouth may be causing a build up of tartar. Ketones are naturally acidic. It depends on the acidity or alkalinity of your saliva reacting to the ketones. Some people have an improvement, some get worse.

Because we have salivary glands under our tongue our bottom front teeth are more susceptible to tartar build up because of extra minerals in our saliva.

Flossing at least every 24 hours and perhaps seeing the dentist more often than every 6 months seems to help...

[Sunny_0ne]

One thing that helps me keep my teeth feeling like they have just been professionally cleaned is, after I put toothpaste on my toothbrush, I sprinkle baking soda in my hand and dip the toothpaste in it, then brush as usual.

Your might try it and see if it helps. Then, after you get your teeth really clean, you can just do it occasionally.

[chinadoll]

I use tha baking soda too but the dentist said not more than a couple times a week since it is very abrasive. Do you drink mineral water or is your water hard water? That causes mineral buildup on the teeth. I noticed this because in some countries we can only get mineral watter and other countries only distilled water. When we can only have mineral water the tartar builds up fast. With distilled water only I have to make sure i get enough minerals.

[FwL]

Hi everybody. Thanks for chiming in.

I've been brushing with baking soda. That seems to help a little... certainly better than any of the "tartar control" toothpastes I've tried.

Gum and me do not mix. Everytime I chew gum, I end up biting my tongue, lip or cheek. How's that for lack of coordination?

The water I'm drinking is either store bought plain drinking water or filtered tap water. Our tap water isn't particularly hard, but it can be fairly heavily chlorinated.

I'm assuming this is just a chemical reaction as msanjelpie suggested. I suppose the bright side is I'll save a bunch on ketostix

[Cristela75]

I noticed this too when I started and so did my cousin after she started it too and it was a problem for the first 3 weeks or so but now my teeth feel so clean. Maybe it is something that happens for a few weeks and then goes away. It has for me.