it's ok if  your teeth fall out you learn how to suck very hard!

I'll repeat what I know about teeth illnesses:

- Saliva pH determines whether you tend to develop cavities or tartar.
- Diet (and smoke) can influence each person's "normal" saliva pH.
- Hygiene will determine how often the patient will develop the one corresponding to his or her pH.

In my case, I'm "lucky" to tend to develop tartar. I need to get cleanups regularly, but have not developed a single cavity in my entire life. My father is the same, and he has all his teeth with no fillings at 65+. My mother, on the other hand, has struggled with cavities and has had several fillings and even a replacement or two done.

If I remember correctly, sugar / carbs push the saliva pH towards developing cavities. So if someone has had really bad cavities before the diet, he or she would be arguably better off with paleo. The tartar guy, on the other hand, will probably accumulate tartar at a faster rate.

Yeah, that's what I meant by "normal". It is specific to each person and determined by genetics.

You saucy little minx

I noticed less plaque with the change in the diet, and plaque, as I understand it, is tartar that hasn't hardened yet.

It's not so simple. If you read "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" you can see that some groups that consume no carbs have more cavities than groups consuming carbs. For example, the Inuits had more cavities than many of the groups that consumed carbs.

The data presented by Price was from Inuits who were not modernized. He describes the diet and mentions there is no use of modern foods. I have no reason for not believing him.

BTW, I don't think Price reported bad teeth, quite the opposite, he reported good teeth (same with Stefansson). The number of cavities just happens to be a bit high than other carb consuming groups. That's why I think there is more to the picture than just the amount of carb consumed.

Blaming biological reactions to one thing often leads to poor conclusions.