The Experiment: Day 117 ~ Well I’ll Be Jigged! Keto & Teeth (And Blood Pressure Too!)

Well DANG! As my Canadian friends say, I am simply GOBSMACKED!

And I don’t want to keto you to death, but, well, this is just remarkable.

I take good care of my teeth, I am very mindful about them but I struggle because since I was paralyzed from Bell’s Palsy in 1995 and it never went away getting in there on the left side with floss is nearly impossible. And, well, not just on that side but it seemed that no matter how much I brushed, I still had trouble with bleeding gums at my teeth cleaning appointments, my gums were very sensitive, and I would have a fair amount of plaque or tarter. It was embarrassing. I am a very clean person and I BRUSH!

Today I had my teeth cleaned. I am still in shock. Three months on the ketogenic diet and there was NO bleeding, almost NO tartar or plaque at ALL (A tiny bit, she said, on the Bell’s Palsy side at the very back but negligible.), in fact she said my mouth looked really good. It was absolutely remarkable.

I wondered, as I was getting ready to go to the dentist today, if the ketogenic diet would cause good things to be happening in my mouth too AND Gee Willikers, I seem to have a whole new mouth!

As most of you know who follow me here I had a terrible time in September with horrific tooth pain. I couldn’t afford all the work they wanted to do so I tried a natural remedy that thousands of people say works miracles — oregano oil on the bad tooth — and WHOO, does it taste bad! — but it made the pain go away! And it stayed okay until December when it got painful again and was even a tad loose. It turned out that I had a bad abscess. Well I knew if it got to that point I was going to have it out, it was my only alternative. I couldn’t afford the root canal and crown and she said sometimes they don’t even work and you end up getting the tooth out anyway. Well if I couldn’t afford it to begin with I certainly didn’t want to pay for it and have it not work anyway! In December I had that molar out, the 2nd molar out in 4 years. It was probably because the fillings in them were as old as Methuselah — I have a lot of fillings, my generation was raised on lots of candy and very little information on dental hygiene! I have been terribly worried about my teeth because I just don’t have the money for a lot of expensive dental work. Little did I know a change in diet could change everything.

And, the dental assistant, of all things, is on the ketogenic diet and really believes in it! She has lost a good chunk of weight but not just that, she said she feels better than she ever has in her whole life! She is 50. And her son is on it too and her daughter has tried it but when back to college and off keto! Of course! But the thing is she told me that people don’t understand but even if you take good care of your teeth if your whole body is not healthy and well your teeth aren’t going to be either. And she said sugar is bad for you and does so much damage that she wishes people would just get off of it. It’s destroying their health AND their teeth!

Now the other interesting thing is that over the summer when I had to give up my beloved dentist of 20+ years because I could no longer afford dental insurance and she was just too pricey, I went, sadly, to the clinic. I didn’t want to give up my dentist but I had no choice. (I actually am getting EXCELLENT dental care at the clinic and I love my hygienist. I now get all my medical care at the clinic and I love the people there. I was amazed when I went for my physical 2 weeks ago and did so well my doctor was thrilled but, she said, “not surprised” because she really believes in the ketogenic diet too! Imagine that. And now at the dentist there my hygienist is on the ketogenic diet!) When I went for my new patient checkup in August I was in the middle of a bad time with my blood pressure which was mystifying because in my whole 63 years I had NEVER had elevated blood pressure at all. The top number, or systolic, has always been about 118-120. However in the 6 months prior to going keto my blood pressure was up to 160 on the top, we couldn’t figure out why, but it was frustrating and scary and I was afraid I was going to be put on blood pressure medicine which I really didn’t want to do. In August when the hygienist took my blood pressure the top number was 160. That’s about what I was when I started the ketogenic diet Oct. 11. Well TODAY when she took my blood pressure she said,”Wow!” My blood pressure was 122/78. She said, “That’s remarkable, chalk another one up to keto!”

3 months on the ketogenic diet and I have lost, now, 26 pounds, I am no longer in the diabetic range at all, my blood pressure is good, my teeth and gums are in tip top shape, and I am now, almost completely, off all my psych meds. In just 3 months. Now if that isn’t worth going ketogenic I can’t imagine what would be? And as I study health and human body issues more and more I have found out something truly amazing. Our body completely regenerates itself from days — the human brain regenerates every two months! Is it surprising then that in 3 months on keto I am going off my psych meds? There is tons of research out there now on the ketogenic diet and mental health issues, truly a miraculous thing! — to completely, everything, in 5 to 7 years. So as time passes now my body is not only regenerating but it is regenerating on keto meaning I am becoming a completely different and healthier person down to the cellular level. I find that shocking and thrilling and I can’t wait to see how it all goes. Today I am just tickled pink about my happy mouth, my teeth and gums are singing!

In the last two weeks of a physical checkup, med management appt., and teeth cleaning today EVERYTHING has changed so dramatically I am in awe. How could I not do this? How could I ever do anything else. I am a walking miracle! I am smiling so big my mouth pretty much looks like the one at the top of this post!

And folks, if you are not interested in keto I do apologize, but you know what? I can’t not share these miracles that are happening. At 63 my whole life is changing in so many ways that if sharing what is happening for me helps even one other person then that is exactly what I need to do, what I will do. I said yesterday that I put myself at the top of my Life List. Well here’s proof of what happens when you do just that!

I can only ask, If not, why not? If not now, when? Indeed…

The Experiment ~A 365 Day Search For Truth, Beauty &
Happiness: Day 1 ~ Introduction To The Project
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda