Tooth Decay

Tooth Decay

An estimated 98 percent of Americans have cavities; most develop between the ages of 5 and 15. Researchers believe that cavity formation drops off by the midteens because the body develops immunity to decay-causing bacteria, primarily several types of streptococcus.

Green Pharmacy for Tooth Decay

Tooth decay was an even bigger problem before the fluoridation of water in this century. From ancient times until the nineteenth century, herbalists put a great deal of effort into studying plants that helped preserve teeth. They discovered quite a few that were very effective.

Tea (Camellia sinensis). In addition to a generous endowment of several compounds that work together to prevent tooth decay, tea also contains a considerable amount of tooth-preserving fluoride.

Green tea may contain more fluoride than black tea. To get potent decay-preventive action from just the fluoride in tea, you'd have to drink three to ten cups a day. But you actually need less because of all the other anti-cavity compounds in tea. (There's also a good chance that the water you use for your tea already contains fluoride.) If you sweeten your tea, try using licorice instead of decay-promoting sugar. To do this, simply brew your regular tea with a little dried licorice root.

Tea Tea, which is native to China, was originally used to flavor water that had been boiled for purification.

Bay (Laurus nobilis). Bay's aromatic oil contains a powerful bac-
teria killing chemical (1,8-cineole) that is used in some dentifrices. Check
the toothpaste label for bay if you'd like to take advantage of this herb's decay-preventing potential. If you don't find a toothpaste containing this ingredient
in your pharmacy, you might have better luck at your local health food store.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria officinalis). Many studies have shown that dental-care products containing bloodroot help reduce the amount of dental plaque deposited on the teeth in as little as eight days. Bloodroot contains a compound known as sanguinarine, which seems to be responsible for the plaque-reducing effect.

Sanguinarine chemically binds to dental plaque and helps prevent it from adhering to the teeth. And since dental plaque is responsible for gum disease as well as tooth decay, bloodroot is also a good choice for adults who are fighting gum disease.

You can take advantage of bloodroot's plaque-fighting potential by looking for toothpastes and mouthwashes that contain this herb. One popular brand is Viadent.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). In addition to containing the bacteria-killing, nonsugar sweetener glycyrrhizin, licorice also contains indole, a powerful decay-preventive compound.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea). Before I retired as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's expert on medicinal plants, people always ribbed me about keeping peanuts as munchies in my office. I did it because I like peanuts. But I have learned that researchers at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York, have shown that peanuts are less likely to cause cavities than pretzels. Pretzels, in turn, are less likely to cause cavities than dried fruit, potato chips, saltines, graham crackers, fruit, chocolate and anything containing sugar.

I often mixed my decay-preventive peanuts with sugary, decay-promoting raisins. If I were more concerned about cavities, I guess I'd go with just the peanuts.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana). This sweet herb from Paraguay is another tasty, nonsugar sweetener. Simply buy a box of tea and use a pinch whenever you want to sweeten a beverage. You'll find that it's extremely sweet. (Come to think of it, this is good advice for anyone who's trying to cut calories, too.)

Toothache tree (Zanthoxylum americanum). This herb is best known for minimizing the horrible pain of toothache. It also contains a bacteria-killing chemical that can help prevent tooth decay. The late Alabama herbalist Tommie Bass recommended chewing twigs. You could make a concentrated tea to swish in your mouth. You'll probably find the herb only in some specialty herb shops.

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). This herb can contain up to 30,000 parts per million of the decay-preventive compound geraniol. Bergamot has about 20 times more geraniol than tea has.

Wild bergamot also contains a great deal of thymol, another powerful antiseptic that is the active ingredient in Listerine, the popular mouthwash. But why stop at just thymol? My own recipe for a potent mouthwash contains several oral antiseptics that can help prevent tooth decay.

Chaparral (Larrea divaricata). One scientific study, initiated by researchers who knew that chaparral has been used as a folk remedy for toothache, showed that chaparral mouthwash reduced cavities by 75 percent. And scientists have learned that one compound in the plant, nordihydroguarietic acid, is a potent antiseptic. Just brew a tea with chaparral to use as a mouthwash, but be careful to spit it all out without swallowing any.

Myrrh (Commiphora, various species). Myrrh's antiseptic uses go back to biblical times. Tincture of myrrh has both deodorant and disinfecting properties, and it can be used as a dental rinse, gargle and mouthwash.