Anyone a vegan and have healthy teeth?

[Koalamom]

I used to be a vegan but felt horrible since I ate packaged junk food all the time. Now I eat really strict healthy and nutrient dense foods. Every time I have meat, I feel pretty bad, but I am worried that we will have bad teeth without all the essential fats and nutrients in meat. I would just have dairy or eggs for the nutrients, but we are very allergic to those. So that would leave meat for those animal nutrients but I just don't feel that great with meat. We have been doing lots of bone broth to replace milk for the minerals, and don't feel sick with that.

[Sayward]

The way you phrased this question *could* be taken pretty offensively, though I know that's not what you intended.

I am a vegan and my teeth are fine - no better or worse than before I was vegan. It is very possible to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals, and enough fats to utilize them, on a vegan diet. Don't let the Weston Price crowd terrify you into thinking any differently.

Here is a page full of bright, healthy, thriving vegan-from-birth children. Their teeth and bones are just dandy - clicky

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by Sayward

The way you phrased this question *could* be taken pretty offensively, though I know that's not what you intended.

I am a vegan and my teeth are fine - no better or worse than before I was vegan. It is very possible to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals, and enough fats to utilize them, on a vegan diet. Don't let the Weston Price crowd terrify you into thinking any differently.

Here is a page full of bright, healthy, thriving vegan-from-birth children. Their teeth and bones are just dandy - clicky

Oh my, how was this worded bad? Seriously. I don't know how else to word the topic but I will change it.

I guess you figured out where I am coming from having the impression from the WAPF that I have to eat a ton of animal products but my dd did developed decay from following it, but I think it is because she is allergic to dairy even though it was raw and she was reacting badly to it than benefiting.

Thanks for the link, I just want to know that I wont be a bad mom for feeding my kids vegan as the WAPF has a very convincing argument for needing animal products.

[ShadowMoon]

I have been vegan for several years and have a vegan 3 yr old and a vegan partner. We all have great teeth.

[somegirl99]

Vegan and my teeth are great, I always get a good report from my dentist.

[caiesmommy]

I have great teeth. Be honest I didn't when I was preggers both times, but that seems to be normal in my family sadly. And I did eat meat in my first pregnancy and dairy in my second...go figure.

Since I went back vegan I havent had to go back to the dentist. Im 25 and have never had a cavity. My dh hasnt done dairy in years(though he eats eggs) takes horrible care of his teeth seemingly and has the most perfect beautiful teeth..34 no cavities nothing!

[catnip]

Yes.

[fresh_veggie]

Good teeth here!

[Doodlebugsmom]

I've been vegan for 2 years, vegetarian for 6. I've never had a cavity in my whole life. I personally thing genetics plays more of a role than diet. To a certain extent anyway. Obviously sugar/soda/junk heavy diets are not going to be conducive to healthy teeth.

[jkn]

I am vegan and my teeth are fine! I don't think a vegan diet would give you bad teeth, unless you ate a lot of junk food that was high in sugar. Some people are just predisposed to bad teeth regardless of meat and dairy.

[ChristaN]

I've been vegan for 21 yrs (since my teens) & haven't had a single cavity in that time. I have a few small fillings (maybe 2 or 3) from when I was a kid, but nothing now. Dds, 11 and 9, were vegan for the first few years of life & very strict vegetarian from that point forward (compromise with omni dh). They don't eat rennet, gelatin, or any meat, fish, etc. They rarely have something with egg in it (bd cake, cookies...) but dd11 has never eaten an egg scrambled, fried, or so on. Dd9 tried a little scrambled egg once. We use soy milk at home, so they also don't drink cow's milk.

Both girls have good teeth as well. Dd9 was just at the dentist -- no cavities. Since I know WAPF states that orthodontic problems are also caused by diet, dd11 has had all of her adult teeth in for the past year or so. She needs no orthodonture at all. Her teeth are straighter than mine are and I had braces as a child.

Dd9 will need some minor orthodontic work, but we're not sure how much yet. She has a very small "overjet" -- something like an overbite, but we could probably get by without correcting that. It seems to be getting less & less with time. They measured it at 2mm yesterday and I believe that it was 3 or 4mm previously. I do think that she has a minor degree of crowding on her top teeth as well but her bottom ones are quite straight. With one missing tooth on top, her top teeth look pretty straight, but looking at x-rays, things will probably be a bit tight. She still needs less orthodonture than I did on a non-veggie diet as a child.

[Koalamom]

It is so nice to hear from everyone. Thanks all!

So now what is everyone doing for calcium? What about vitamin K2?

[CatsCradle]

Calcium-rich foods:

Peas
Broccoli
Almonds
Brussel sprouts
Tofu
Spinach
All calcium fortified foods such as orange juice and whole breakfast cereals
Sesame seeds
Collard greens
Etc.

[lilyka]

My teeth suck but always have, even when I ate meat. I have been vegan for a year and they are just fine. No further chipping or anything no cavities. I had to have a wisdom tooth pulled but that has nothing to do with being vegan So, in short, I do not see anything that would indicate being vegan (and I am not even a careful vegan) has had a detrimental effect on my teeth.

[To-Fu]

Originally Posted by Sayward

The way you phrased this question *could* be taken pretty offensively, though I know that's not what you intended.

I am a vegan and my teeth are fine - no better or worse than before I was vegan. It is very possible to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals, and enough fats to utilize them, on a vegan diet. Don't let the Weston Price crowd terrify you into thinking any differently.

Here is a page full of bright, healthy, thriving vegan-from-birth children. Their teeth and bones are just dandy - clicky

We are a vegan family here! I am approaching my mid-thirties and have never had a cavity in my life. My 2.5yo has no cavities, either. My family has some nice-looking teeth, if I do say so myself!

What nutrients exactly are you worried about not getting on a vegan diet? If you can say specifically, we can help point you toward sources.

[almadianna]

Hello all,

Please remember this part of the rules of N&GE.

We will be active in discouraging an individual from posting for the purpose of disagreement, with no interest in practicing the belief or view in discussion, or to prove a dietary concept or a belief to be wrong, misguided, or not based on fact. Controversial subjects of discussion and debate related to dietary choices and lifestyles can be found elsewhere on the internet and we invite you to seek out other sites for that purpose.

If you have any questions about this please PM me.

Thank you!
-Alma

[PikkuMyy]

I've been vegan for 10 years.

You felt bad because you ate a horrible diet, not because it was vegan.

I eat lots of nutrient-dense foods with very little processed foods. I do occasional supplements (calcium/mag, Vitamin D, and omega fatty acids) but most of my nutrients come from my food.

I do have some cavities but that comes from not having my teeth cleaned for almost 8 years. Once I started getting them cleaned regularly, they've been perfect ever since.

[veganjoy]

Vegan for 5 years, great teeth. I actually lost part of a filling about 3 years ago (biting a corn chip, of all things), and 12-18 months later the space was filled in with fresh enamel. I was pregnant, and so hadn't been able to get it fixed, and it really surprised me. That's was on a vegan, mostly raw diet.

I get plenty of calcium and other minerals from leafy greens, vegetables, seeds. K2 isn't much of a concern for me, since most people convert K into K2 in the intestines just fine. I do supplement my vegan 2-year-old with K2 every few weeks, since she's breastfeeding less, and sometimes children don't have a good conversion factor until they're a bit older.

[Koalamom]

It is such a relief to read everyone's replies. I don't feel so great eating meat, dairy and eggs, we are actually allergic to most of then, but I am just so worried that my kids and I won't get adequate nutrition without them. But with eating these things, my dd and I have developed cavities. There is just so much info to back up the need to eat non vegan (WAPF, I am not wanting to argue here) but I have trialed it and I just dont feel good with it.

I feel like it is impossible to get enough calcium and k2 without dairy, but you all feel different. Thank you. Please hold my hand and help me to know what to eat everyday to get enough minerals. I can make the switch, I just need help.

Today I ate
pre b- orange
b- smoothie (1-2 cups raw swiss chard, 1 cup wild blueberries, banana, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon brewers yeast, 1/4 cup soak really raw almonds, 1 teaspoon camu camu powder, blended with water)

L - huge sweet potato with grass fed ghee, and dulse, and bowl or collards

#1 s- sweet potato
handful peacns
#2 s- orange
fresh carrot juice

D- tons cooked green beans, brown rice, dandelions, homemade refried beans mixed with red lentils to stretch it, covered with ghee
1 tablespoon flax oil


I am still hungry but usually am at night after nursing baby ds. I usually have some kind of beans for lunch but didn't today. I just feel like I need some bone broth or some meat to be complete like I am missing something. What is this type of diet missing as I eat like this most days but switch it up with other grains, beans, and vegetables. I am so worried that I will have worse teeth than I have now if I go vegan. How can I prevent this?

I didn't know I can synthesize K2. That means that I don't have to have the grass fed ghee? I just need to find a fat/oil replacement.

[Jaspersmommy]

We are vegan and my son has horrible teeth that required dental surgery at 18 months of age. Do I think it's because of our plant based diet? I can't be sure but I doubt it

That being said, I didn't really supplement or focus overly on calcuim intake during pregnancy and lactation and didn't supplement my son either. I also didn't know what I know now in terms of calcium, k2 and good dietary sources of calcium. I can almost guarantee that our calcium intake was not what it should have been.

Also, I have a genetic pre-disposition to tooth decay via genetics...

I believe a vegan diet can be optimal if planned correctly. It took me years to get away from processed foods (mock meats, refined grains) and move towards a more healthy, predominately plant based diet which I believe facilitates good oral health and health overall!