One of the most effective aids for gum health that I have come across is the liberal use of baking soda.  My experience is that it is a little too abrasive to brush with, but my daughter uses it that way.  I brush with a mild natural soap, rinse well, and then pat baking soda at the base of every tooth with a wet fingertip.  That gets quite a bit of the powder in the mouth.  Then I swish it all around very well with saliva and spit.  The next step is to floss thoroughly, and that gets the baking soda up between the teeth and against the gums.  The bacteria that cause bleeding gums cannot live in a base environment, much preferring an acidic condition.  

This practice has eliminated completely my gum inflammation, and there is no more bleeding at all.

great tip Victoria!

BS also keeps your teeth stain free!
not to mention bad breath!
if it helps your refrigerator eliminate bad odors, why not your mouth, right?

Thanks so much Lola.  

I've  been on the Coq10 for ages and the selenium in an antioxidant formula taken daily... but will try the folic acid rinse and up the avocados

Cheers  

The only real problem I've ever had with my teeth is that my lower jaw (mandible) is too small to fit all my teeth in, evenly.  As a result, the two teeth alongside the two front-and-center teeth of my lower jaw, are slightly pushed back, out of the line of teeth, giving me a bit of a snaggle-tooth look on my bottom row of teeth.

As I was strongly discouraged from eating red meat all my life, I partly attribute these crooked teeth to that, because I've been hearing over and over again that red meat may be important for bone growth.

I’ve had horrible teeth all my life.  Since being on the BTD, I haven’t had any new cavities (knock on wood).  I go to the dentist to get all those silver fillings out.  I do still have gum problems though.

One cavity at 33 years old. We used a lot of fluoride toothpaste at my house. Elementary school classes used to use fluoride gel together (for one minute). This probably helped.

As a teen I got sealants on my molars. After these wore off was when i got the cavity.

I've always had more problems with swollen and bleeding gums. That and an aching in my lower jaw. Vitamin C helps keep the bleeding down. It happens when I forget to  brush at night.

The dentist attributed the no cavity streak with having the right balance of bacteria in my mouth.

I drank a lot of milk as a kid too. I wanted to be healthy and grow up strong so I bought the Milk Council's daily dairy messages. This probably helped with my dense bones (but i sure don't miss the phlegm!)

Cavity Central, from the get-go.
My mister and I both recently cheated and ate a lot of wheat-based stuff. We both noticed we got bleeding gums immediately. Behave on BTD, and the bleeding stopped.
Gotta run. Love ya all, see ya later.

Baking soda does wonders on bleeding gums.  

sweeties... I am sorry to go against, neither any supps nor whatsoever called aids worked for me...nada...nada..just n a d a....mostly I get to hear...hey you aren't ok for the cleanings of my dents ...ha-ha-haaa more nobody can do for em...but really since I can use my brain, nothing worked .....
and today I am sooo feed up (since aprox. 2 years right now, that  I won't do anything anymore...just take em out and feel good without em   

Oh Isa, I have a feeling you are losing your teeth because of all the years before you found the BTD, and ate ALL the wrong foods, as well as all the coffee which robbed your teeth and bones of minerals.  

ahem yep one of those causa's might have had been the trigger, but all my minerals are ok ..... I think it's merely a genetical issue as well...none of my family (we are a lot of AB'ers and B's) do have had good teeth...no-one ....

Quoted from Lola

folic acid added to a 1/4 glass of water for rinsing is very helpful, I ve heard.

I just felt there was something in here for non-nonnie me too   never lose hope for your gums

Quoted from Captain_Janeway

I have always had cavities, but for the past 10 years not so bad. I have never had gum problems, but on occasison have mouth ulcers....a nonnie trait.

Really? Mouth ulcers? I get those regularly...it really is a nonnie trait?  
I haven't had my secretor status tested....but I am leaning to getting it done even sooner now...  

Hi all.

I didn't have a cavity until I was 19, even though I ate chocolate most days and didn't brush my teeth regularly. I had milk daily and cheddar cheese most days, had roast beef and potatoes for many meals.
My sister (an A, most likely a sec.) had a filling every time she went to the dentist. She drank no milk. I have a baby tooth still (yes, a 54 year old baby tooth!). It has been filled but is still strong.

My Dad (an A, probably a nonsec) died at 87, with all his teeth. I found out that he brushed his teeth once a day , in the morning. He did use a toothpick. He was Very particular about his diet. He was always meticulous about his personal habits and never had bad breath, even on his deathbed, so I was surprised about the once a day brushing. He often ate cheddar cheese, which I have heard protects the teeth.

Since I have been on the BTD some of my teeth have started to darken. Now that I am on the genotype diet and can no longer have soy milk I worry about the calcium.

After I went on the BTD I noticed that foods that weren't good for me coated my teeth. When I ate good things my teeth felt clean and polished. Anyone else notice this?

Newly discovered nonnie here with good teeth. No baby's but still have all wisdom's. Never any mouth ulcers. Are those the same as canker sores? I've had a couple of those over the years.

Quoted from 544

Really? Mouth ulcers? I get those regularly...it really is a nonnie trait?  

Yes and they also can be a symptom of gluten intolerance. I was so surprised that after I dropped gluten from my diet I didn't get them any more! I used to get them frequently! I 'cheated' by eating some bread after many months of being gluten free and lo, one cropped up the next day.

Quoted from Novelia

Yes and they also can be a symptom of gluten intolerance. I was so surprised that after I dropped gluten from my diet I didn't get them any more! I used to get them frequently! I 'cheated' by eating some bread after many months of being gluten free and lo, one cropped up the next day.

Wow I never knew that. I get them all the time, even on the BTD. It's rare that I haven't got at least one, and sometimes the pain makes me utterly miserable. But then I'm still having the odd bit of amaranth, kamut, rye and lots of rice, all of which are allowed for O-nonnies. Kamut is now the only one which is out on the GTD, and I haven't had any for 3 weeks now, but I'm still getting mouth ulcers.

I have no cavities or gum trouble though. Maybe the nonnie mouth troubles manifest in different ways?

Quoted from GillianR

Since I have been on the BTD some of my teeth have started to darken.

My teeth have stained a lot on the BTD.  However, it is surface stain from green tea, carrot/wheat grass juice, beets, blueberries, cherries and all the other deeply pigmented foods that I eat regularly now.

The Ecodent tooth powder is doing a great job of removing all stains if I use it daily.  It's mainly baking powder, but not nearly as abrasive as straight baking powder.

My mouth is one big cavity!  
Last fall I had so much dental work done.  8 cavities and 5 teeth pulled.  lots of gum problems to.  I rinsed my mouth with a drop of tea tree oil in a glass of water... really helped cut out the sore bleeding gums.

nuts also stain teeth big time!

spent my life as a kid in the dentists chair--but that all ended when I smartened up as a young adult and eschwed sugar and junk food. C10, Vit C and Vit A all good for the gums but flossing and regular cleaning by a pro is essential I think for us nonnies. I can tell my oldest son isnt a nonnie just by this teeth, absolutely perfect, although he was raised junk food free.

Just got back from the dentist and good news!...NO CAVITIES!  I was almost certain I had another.  I did have a lot of tartar build up since the last time I was there, which was 2 months ago.  The one cleaning my teeth says that my type of teeth collect a lot of tartar.  So now I have no gingevitus or cavities! :

I have just had a tooth taken out - always one of my worst nightmares, but I think this has been a weak spot for a few years, and I keep getting infections all over the place at the moment.It is my gums that are a challenge.

I am experimenting at the moment with teeth blotting,where you don't brush the teeth, you blot up the plaque  (apparently when you brush normally you brush any plaque into the gum, hence the problems), and also you clean the whole mouth, and use the same brush to floss (I am just about getting the hang of it). I have noticed that although I still keep getting infections in different parts, they seem to clear up, rather than get worse at least. It may be I need to do it more than once a day which I have been at the moment (interestingly, you do not need water as the brush needs to be dry to work - you have to keep sucking the brush for this - you should have seen my dad's face when he caught my mum & I  )My fiance says his gums have been bleeding less since using them. My mouth is certainly getting a much thorough clear out than it's ever had! Most of the plaque I find is around my mouth, rather than on the teeth.Amazing!

This is the link to where I got them from in the UK with some more information: http://www.swsupplements.co.uk/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=73. I ordered the DVD which explains how to use them.

I hope to see more improvement as I go on.

I just got the results of my secretor test and it looks like I can reply to my own question  
I've never had a cavity in my life.  I was not allowed to eat sweets at all as a child so maybe that had something to do with it? My gums have always been very healthy too. And I think I've only been to the dentist about 6 times for cleanings.
It sounds like I am a lucky nonnie