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Written by Hal A. Huggins, DDS, MS
My teeth decay although I brush
With a toothbrush hard or soft as mush
With fluoride paste or salt and soda
My progress is around iota
Those TV ads, my dentist's scolding
It's still his bill that I'm left holding
Some day I hope to find the truth
Without performing something uncouth.
Historically dental decay has confounded observers for centuries. At first it was thought that there
were tooth worms. Next it was the hardness of the enamel theory. Later it was determined that the
"acid attack" on the enamel brought about by decaying food was the culprit. Then bacteria took over
the role. In a few years a different bacteria took over. It took the work of Dr. Ralph Steinman of
Loma Linda University in California to finally determine the origin of dental decay. He published
his findings from 1958 throughout the 60's, and into the 70's. It was scientific, but not parallel
with the tooth worm or acid attack or bacterial theories, so, was accepted, but not widely
publicized.
It is quite simple in concept though. Dental decay is a "systemic disease". In rats, a good
laboratory example of the same mechanisms that humans use for decay production, Steinman found that
he could alter the diet and alter the amount of decay in a perfect parallel. He could feed the diet
as food they ate, or feed the rats through a stomach tube so that food never touched their teeth.
Results were the same either way. What they ingested controlled the amount of decay they generated.
What happens is that a tooth is a living structure? It needs nutrient supplied on a daily basis just
like any other tissue in the body in order to maintain good, decay-free health. Using radioactive
acriflavine hydrochloride, Steinman made injections into the rats and was able to trace the
radioactive substance from the injection site, into the blood stream, into the pulp canal of the
tooth, through the dentinal tubules (little tiny garden hoses that are 3 1/2 microns in diameter
that comprise the solid substance of the dentin), through the enamel rods (tiny tubes in the enamel),
clear out into the mouth in a period of approximately one hour.
This trip took place in healthy rats that maintained relative freedom from decay. When fed a decay
producing diet, the fluid flow reversed. Fluids flowed from the surface of the tooth, through the
enamel (bringing bacteria and debris along with it), through the dentin, and into the pulp chamber.
These rats experienced lots of decay. This flow could be turned one way or the other just by
altering the diet. What was diet doing?
The foods were controlling the endocrine system. Steinman and endocrinologist Dr. Leonora were the
first to isolate, purify and crystallize a hormone called "parotid hormone". Any guesses why they
named it parotid hormone? Yes, it is manufactured in the parotid gland. When this hormone was
produced in adequate amounts (influenced by a proper diet), the fluid flow ran from the pulp
chamber, bringing nutrients into all parts of the tooth, ran through the dentin, the enamel and
into the mouth. When foods inhibitory to the endocrine system (sugars and refined carbohydrates
mainly), the fluid flow dragging sludge from the saliva into the tooth where a chemical breakdown
took place. He also noted that decay always extended farther than X-rays might indicate.
There are ways of determining your "ancestral diet", or those foods that your ancestors ate for
2000 years. When you are on your ancestral diet, your tendency for decay is greatly reduced. There
are certain foods that are universally decay producing. Candy and soft drinks are obvious ones,
and now we know that this is due to the sugar upsetting your endocrine system. It is well to brush
your teeth and keep the surfaces free from debris, but recall, this is not eliminating the cause
of decay. Remember the stomach tubes. The rats did not brush, but there was nothing on the teeth
to brush off either. They still got decay.
Several questions arise. Is the health of the mouth really the barometer of the body's health? Does
eating the wrong foods affect all endocrine glands, or just parotid hormone production? Are all the
body parts connected biochemically? What role does fluoride play in decay control? In Steinman's
nearly 100 publications he addressed all these questions and more.
Hal A. Huggins DDS, MS, is a leading pioneer and the world’s
foremost authority in identifying toxic dental materials, balancing body chemistry and developing
a multi-disciplined approach to reversing autoimmune diseases.
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