Nutrition is Very Important

"Then, especially if the person has a lot of problems, we do a blood analysis, and I go over the test results with the person. We look at calcium, phosphorus, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and show what elements are high and which are low. Then I tell them what they can do with their diet and carbohydrate metabolism."

Dr. Knapp, by the way, also teaches nutrition at nearby Volunteer State Community College. and he has a good reason to believe in the nutritional-preventive approach to dentistry. "I started getting into this about two years ago. My son was hyperactive. He had rapant tooth decay and here his father was a dentist! We took a hair analysis and found that his sodium was just out-of-this-world high. and a lot of other things were high. So we got off the salt, got off the lunch meat, got off the preservatives. We got off the junk food and the sugar. But he still had cavities. Then we suspected he might be allergic to homogenized milk. Got him off the milk and he hasn't had a cavity since. and he's not hyperactive anymore. He went from just barely passing kindergarten to making A's and B's now."

Just like he took Junk food out of his family's life, Dr. Knapp recomments that his patients do the same. "I try to get them to take the soft, high-carbohydrate foods out of the diet. Thjese foods get impacted and cling to the teeth and cause decay. Detergent foods that require vigorous chewing stimulate the gums, clean the teeth and inhibit the formation of plaque. Sugar, alcohol and caffeine must go. With these three things in the diet, it's impossible to get the blood elements in balance.

"Some people may have a gum problem. Sometimes it's related to stress. You'd be surprised what can come about because of stress. We've had a lot of cases of gum disease that had no plaque at all. We found out that the person wasn't eating enough, wasn't getting enough sleep, and was under a lot of stress. There's a lot of gingivitis among people taking exams in college, and among people getting a divorce."

Using Vitamins

"You know, periodontal disease - disease of the gums - is the major source of tooth loss in people over 40. so we have to pay special attention to the health of the gums. Cyanosis - easily bleeding gums - is something that has to be taken care of right away. As far as supplements go, I get them on B complex and C. But it's most important to find out the diet and take a long health history to make sure there are no systemic problems like diabetes or hypoglycemia.

"Teeth can also be lost if the part of the jaw holding them in, the aveolar ridge, deteriorates. Usually, people who have periodontal disease have what is called a periodontal profile, which shows up on hair and blood analysis. They're low in zinc, iron, copper, potassium, magnesium and manganese. If I find this to be the case, I put them on a supplement and check them again later on, to see if the minerals are balanced yet. I also work on their diet because they should get their minerals from their food.