Our friend, Dr. Al Danenberg, has 40 years of experience as periodontist (a dentist specializing in the treatment of gum disease). Over the course of 40 years, you can imagine that he has ‘been there, done that’ with all kinds of gum disease treatments.
However, a twist of fate provoked him to question everything he ‘knew’ to be true regarding how to navigate the path to optimal oral (and whole-body) health: he had a stroke.
Then in 2013, Dr. Al was introduced to ancestral nutrition. And, he was ready to hear it.
He took on this new information (essentially, a Paleo-like diet) with gusto, and he has never looked back. In the process, he has massively improved his own health.
But he didn’t stop there. As a long-time periodontist, he decided to put his new ideas to the test in an in office study where he tested patients for existing gum disease and provided them a specific dietary supplement regime.
Here’s how Dr. Al ran his in office study…
He found 13 patients who had existing gum disease, had not had antibiotics in the last 3 months, and were willing to participate in the study.
He tested them for gum pocket depth as well as the number of ‘bleed points’ (gum pockets that easily bleed when the depth probe tool is gently inserted into the pocket).
Dr. Al found that these 13 patients had a total of 41 tooth sites that bled upon probing and an average gum pocket depth of 6.5 mm.
He also tested their C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (a blood biomarker that’s commonly used to identify inflammation in the body).
Then Dr. Al directed the patients to follow this protocol for 30 days:
- Don’t change your diet.
- Don’t change your oral hygiene routine.
- Add the following supplements to your diet:
- 8 capsules of Green Pasture’s blend of fermented cod liver oil with high vitamin butter oil
- 2 capsules of Green Pasture’s fermented skate liver oil
- 2 capsules of Oregon’s Wild Harvest organic kelp powder
After 30 days, Dr. Al retested all 13 patients.
Results from the in-office study:
- 66% reduction in the number of sites that bled when probed.
- Average gum pocket depth decreased from 6.5 mm to 5 mm.
- No change to C-reactive protein levels.
So, what do we make of this awesome study?
We’re on the right track. 🙂
Diet is foundational in helping us navigate to optimal oral health. This is clearly shown by the reduction in gum pocket depth and the reduced number of pockets that bled when probed.
However, diet alone is only part of the path. This is shown by the fact that C-reactive protein levels remained unchanged.
To best support us in creating massive positive change, we must approach this subject from two angles.
- In-the-mouth using strategies that are proven to consistently lower infection in gum pockets.
- System-wide immune support (diet is a big part of this) to maximize the body’s ability to mount an immune response to the thug bugs.
If you’d like to read more about our ‘two-pronged’ approach to effectively address existing gum disease, check out our HealThy Mouth System. It contains all of the tools and education that you need in order to effectively address this complex subject from both an ‘in-the-mouth’ angle as well as a ‘system-wide’ immune supporting approach.
Also, here’s a link to an article where a thrilled happy HealThy Mouth System customer describes what she did to create massive change in her oral health over just 42 days.
Kudos to Dr. Al Danenberg for conducting this study! If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Al, here’s a link to his site.
Feel free to download our FREE Guide to Safe Dentistry, which explains what questions to ask to find a dental team who will work with you on your journey to greater oral health.
Helpful, Related Resources:
Guide to Safe Dentistry [free eBook]
What 42 Days of Positive Action Can Accomplish [customer story]
4 Reasons Why Brushing Is So Important [article]
19 Pearls for Overall Health [guest post from Dr. Al]
What to Eat to Support Greater Oral Health [article]
What Foods Undermine Our Oral Health and Why [article]
HealThy Mouth System [product solution]
Sources sited in this article:
Great blog!I totally agree with this. “Diet is foundational in helping us navigate to optimal oral health”. My sister had gum disease a year ago.After her visit to her dentist, she concentrated more on her oral hygiene and diet. She gave up smoking and trust me, that made a big difference. Drinking green tea regularly also prevent gum diseases. She ate more of food rich in Vitamin C like papayas, broccoli etc which also helps to fight bacteria. If you still have a gum disease there are new options like laser treatments. I recently read a blog on it. http://www.stevemocrae.com/how-lasers-are-changing-gum-disease/ Found it very interesting.
Thanks for the feedback Kay! Congratulations to your sister!
Awesome Article, with Good information.
Good article/study. Also check out the book from 2014 called the Microbiome Diet by Raphael Kellman, MD. Although it speaks to weight loss, the foundation has to do with gut health. Restoring the gut plays a huge roll not only in overall health, but [as glimpsed through myself being my own guinea pig]…the gums get healthy. I don’t have deep pockets as those in the study, but I was having flare-ups in my gums and it was steady discomfort and concern. Now that I’m eating essentially a Paleo diet and taking pro-biotics regularly [including on specifically for the mouth]…the book talks about stopping cravings for sugary/starchy things, leaky gut, etc. all which influence overall health and oral health. This is the best book I’ve found addressing these issues…that I’ve been struggling with for years.
Aloha Anne!
Thanks for stopping by to share your ideas! I will definitely check our Dr Kellman’s book! It sounds right up our alley.
Aloha!