Did you know
tooth decay is a (relatively) recent problem for mankind? Until the advent of farming approximately
12,000 years ago, cavities were rare in our ancestors. With the addition of grains to the diet, the bacteria in our mouths began to change. The bacteria, once
benign, started evolving. Thus, tooth decay was “born.” As more food processing developed people started eating flour, breads, sugar,
and processed foods. This encouraged the oral bacteria to become even more
aggressive and destructive.
A researcher
from the turn of the 20th century, a dentist named Weston Price, was
a man well ahead of his time. He and his
wife traveled to many points on the globe, exploring the mouths and diets of
people living in isolated tribes or communities. These people had not had exposure to the
processed foods, flour or sugars that were the main diet staples of the then
current “modern” societies. Dr. Price
photographed and documented the many big, beautiful, healthy smiles of these
indigenous people.