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Immune Cells May Play a Role In Causing Cavities (newatlas.com)
Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that cavities may be collateral damage from an overzealous immune system. New Atlas reports: Traditionally, bacteria have taken most of the blame for cavities and tooth decay. The bugs cling to your teeth as plaque and produce acid as waste, which dissolves tooth enamel, dentin and even filling material. But the new study suggests the story is more complicated than that. Oral immune cells called neutrophils are dispatched by the body in response to invading bacteria -- but the researchers found that they might be a little careless in the battle.
On their own, neutrophils can't damage teeth but the problems arise after acids from bacteria demineralize them. Once weakened, enzymes released by the neutrophils could wreak havoc on other tooth substances. Damage was found to appear in a matter of hours, and worse still, it also seems to apply to tooth-colored fillings, which may explain why they tend to fail within five to seven years. The silver lining of the discovery is that it could lead to new types of treatment, or new standards for testing materials that are to be used in fillings. The research was published in the journal Acta Biomateralia.
On their own, neutrophils can't damage teeth but the problems arise after acids from bacteria demineralize them. Once weakened, enzymes released by the neutrophils could wreak havoc on other tooth substances. Damage was found to appear in a matter of hours, and worse still, it also seems to apply to tooth-colored fillings, which may explain why they tend to fail within five to seven years. The silver lining of the discovery is that it could lead to new types of treatment, or new standards for testing materials that are to be used in fillings. The research was published in the journal Acta Biomateralia.
"Immune Cells May Play a Role In Causing Cavities"
The key word is "may".
The issues are not being fully explored.
I follow a carnivore diet, on which I dropped 70 pounds and halted my internal inflammation. So no sugar or plants.
6 months in, I went to the dentist.
The hygenist was doing her thing. The dentist walked in and asked "So how is he doing with his flossing?"
The hygenist said "Perfectly - he'd been keep it clean between his teeth, there is zero build up and his gums aren't inflamed any more".
But I had not brushed or flossed once.
So plants and sugar that promote inflammation also contributes to the tooth decay. This is n=1 supportive evidence of that finding.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
I know we've seen worse in science reporting, but 'overzealous' is not a helpful term to use in describing the immune system.
They still saying acid produced by bacteria is the underlying cause, so nothing new there, *but* they've identified a mismatch between the immune system's strategy for responding to the bacteria and the altered chemical environment created by said bacteria, and that insight potentially could prove very valuable in determining improved treatments.