The Real Cause of Cavities Isn’t Sugar, You Won't Believe What Is | Dr. Staci Whitman, DMD
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What common misconceptions do people have about cavities?
Parents are always posting their toddler's teeth that have these like brown spots all over them. I mean, they look rank and they're like, this is what's happening to my kid's teeth after switching to cleaner toothpaste. I think there are some people are getting paid. Big Florida is very threatened by some of these alternative toothpaste. They've taken a hit. I'm a board certified pediatric dentist. I see 200 patients a week. I've been working and practicing for 20 years and I've never seen these things that you see in Facebook groups. Toothpaste does not cause cavities.
Most people think cavities, bleeding gums, bad breath, even fertility issues start everywhere except the mouth. That's completely backwards. Today's episode might permanently change how you think about fluoride, mouth breathing in kids and adults, the signs in your mouth that reveals something is off with your hormones, and even how erectile dysfunction could start in the mouth. My guest is Dr. Stacey Whitman, one of the leading voices in functional dentistry. She's board certified in pediatric dentistry and functional medicine, co-founder of the Institute for Functional Dentistry, and she focuses on the oral microbiome, airway and sleep health, women's hormones, and true whole body prevention.
You can watch this episode on the Real Alex Clark YouTube channel or Culture Apothecary on Spotify. Make sure to leave a five-star review and tell everyone why this is your favorite podcast in the health and wellness space. Please welcome functional dentist, Dr. Stacey Whitman to Culture Apothecary. You're a functional dentist. What does that mean? So a functional dentist takes a look at the root cause of your issues. So unlike traditional dentistry where we're putting out fires and we're dealing with end-stage disease like much of the medical system, we're looking upstream to see why. We're trying to unpack why, and it's a lot about systems biology, so how the mouth is connected to other parts of the body.
One thing that I do, Dr. Stacey, that apparently you are anti and against is 24-7 I have a Steripod on my toothpaste. I have that little pod that it makes my toothbrush taste minty and it allegedly kills germs and I won't travel without it. And I always have it on my toothbrush on the counter. Why are Steripods bad to have on your toothbrush? Well, it's covers in general. It's because when you take something wet and you cover it, it can't breathe. And so it can breed things like mold and bacteria. So you really want it to air out ideally. Okay, but it has little holes in it. I'd have to see it. So a lot of the holders are, they don't have holes. So yours might be fine. Yours might be fine. And also with all of these recommendations, we're all bio-individual.
So are you having issues? You know, if someone is doing this and they keep getting, Candida or fungal infections or they keep having gum disease or cavities. It could be they're inoculating themselves with bacteria, mycotoxins, mold, et cetera, from their toothbrush. But if you're doing fine, Alex, just stick with it. Are we getting cavities because we're not brushing our teeth well enough or because we're eating too much sugar? The villain is big food. So it's beyond sugar. Everyone thinks it's just sugar, but it's actually our ultra processed foods. It's fermentable carbohydrates. It's all the preservatives. It's the dyes, et cetera. And why is that? It's for many reasons. So yes, sugar feeds bad bacteria, which release acid and that leaches minerals out of your teeth.
And that's how we get a cavity. But flour does the same thing in the mouth. But also everything we put in our mouth is going to shift the microbiome. We have an oral microbiome. So many people are familiar with the gut microbiome. We have an oral microbiome. It's the second most diverse microbiome in the body. And so if you're putting in things like food dyes, preservatives, artificial colorings, et cetera, that's going to shift to be a state that's more acidic generally.
How does the oral microbiome affect overall health?
And bad bacteria love acidity.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What common misconceptions do people have about cavities?
0:00–4:12
2
How does the oral microbiome affect overall health?
4:12–7:40
3
Why is fluoride not the main cause of cavities?
7:40–11:48
4
What role does diet play in dental health?
11:48–16:19
5
How does mouth breathing impact dental and overall health?
16:19–30:54
6
What are the effects of pregnancy on dental health?
30:54–37:51
7
What are the dangers of using conventional toothpaste?
37:51–51:54
8
How can parents address their child's mouth breathing effectively?
51:54–1:24:50
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