We think there is substantial merit to an argument that’s been recently explored in real food and paleo discussions. Does eating a processed food diet lacking fiber to chew functionally cause us to lose our oral health? We’re all clear that eating a diet that lacks the nutrition necessary to create and maintain optimal health definitely contributes to a decline in our oral health. That’s been proven over and over again by all the giants we quote like Weston Price, Melvin Page, Ralph Steinman, and Edward and May Mellanby, to name a few of our favorite heroes on this subject. But does the actual fact that processed foods are soft contribute to a weakening of the jaw bones? We’re talking about the physical action of chewing on foods that require that we chew them to break them down. This action of chewing activates one of the ‘universal laws’, we call it ‘Use it or Lose it’. Bottom line, the bone density in our jaws, or anywhere else in the body for that matter, will diminish if we don’t put stress/demand on them saying, “Hey, we want this bone tissue to stay strong and healthy”. The body has an innate intelligence of conservation and thriftiness about it Ultrasonic Scaler. If the body senses that the bones in the jaw aren’t being stressed/challenged, the body will shunt the minerals from that area to another area that has a greater need for bone building minerals. We want to be sure to gently yet persistently challenge our bodies. Whether it’s working out to stress the bones to avoid osteoporosis and maintain muscle mass or challenging our mental faculties with memory games or crossword puzzles to challenge our cognitive function, the body grows stronger when it’s (gently) challenged. Our favorite ‘use it or lose it’ solutions for strong teeth and jaws. Any food that you really have to dig in and chew is a great workout for our jaw bone density. A quality organic jerky is a great ‘to go’ workout that also provides a source of quality nutrition. Also, we have found a good sized snip of raw parsley, enough to make a mouthful, has loads of nutrition and fiber to chew and get a jaw workout. While some may point to raw carrots, we find it more important to have a mouthful of some nutritious food that requires that we chew strongly on it for several chews to soften it a superior jaw workout than the ‘crack’ of chomping a raw carrot. Foods to Avoid to Optimize Bone Health At least equally important as getting as much nutrition into our diets as possible is knowing what foods disrupt or diminish our uptake of the nutrition necessary to optimize our bone health. What Are The Signs Of Dental Phobia? for more information.Now, this subject is big enough to be a book by itself, so we really can’t do this important subject justice in this article. However, let’s touch on some good starting points. Also, here’s another article if you’d like to take a closer look at what foods to avoid to navigate to optimal oral health. A commonly demonized ‘anti-nutrient’ is phytic acid, found in high concentrations in grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Phytic acid (also called phytate) inhibits the absorption of several minerals including iron and zinc. That means, even if you are eating enough specific minerals, your body may not be getting used of all the nutrition. The old saying ‘You are what you eat’ isn’t quite accurate. We find ‘You are what you assimilate from what you eat’ a more physiologically accurate statement. There’s plenty of resources on the net that will detail how to lower the phytic acid in these above foods. Most of the strategies are to 1. either avoid eating them or 2. special preparation techniques like soaking and sprouting which deactivate the phytic acids present in these foods. Honorable mention must go to sugar (in all forms). Not only does sugar disrupt the balance of our blood chemistry which directly undermines our body’s ability to optimally express our genetic ability, sugar also suppresses our hunger for real food and so can cause us to miss the opportunity to nourish our health with foods that actually give us the nutrition necessary to thrive. I can hear your sugar bugs screaming at this point… “But our brains run on glucose. Don’t we need to eat at least some sugar dental handpiece?” No. In fact, experts argue that the body functions metabolically much ‘cleaner’ and more efficiently using fats for energy rather than sugar. Sorry sugar bugs, we don’t need to eat any sugar. We hope that this information on how to stop receding gums and remineralize your jaw bones helps you along your path to optimal oral health.