1) Serious periodontal disease permanently healed This case was reported 13 years after x-ray diagnosis of serious periodontal disease including numerous smaller and larger pockets. The dentist had already started working on some of the patient's teeth (scraping off deposits). Wishing to avoid the tremendous outlay for dental treatments the patient was facing and having previously heard of a University of Texas study according to which 1 gram of vitamin C per day could prevent periodontal disease, the patient immediately started taking 15 g of C per day, equally divided over three meals. After three months, he had his teeth x-rayed again. To the dentist's amazement, the number and size of the patient's periodontal pockets had strongly diminished, with some of the smaller pockets completely gone and the larger ones less than half their original size. Interestingly, this person had not changed his diet or anything else about his lifestyle, so the healing of his strongly compromised gums can only be ascribed to the high-dose vitamin C therapy he undertook (as well as to the placebo effect which of course applies to any kind of treatment one believes in).1
2) Very aggressive and painful gum disease being healed with megadoses of vitamin C Reported on the internet and in a private communication2 For years the lady in question had had her teeth professionelly cleaned every 3-4 months. When her dentist started pointing out that she had developed problems with her gums, she had no pain and felt no symptoms of gum disease. Several years later, she finally did develop pain. In addition to receding gums which constantly bled, every time she ate, food would collect in her gum pockets which was very painful. By this point, she had lost so much bone in her jaw that her teeth were on the point of falling out. In desperation, she tried a number of dental treatments which however were nothing but band-aids, i.e. they would help for a month or two only for the bleeding to return. Although no dentist and periodontist she had seen had given her any hope regarding her receding gums, she finally tried high-dose vitamin C treatment on her own initiative.
Starting at 20 grams a day, she gradually tapered down the dose (at the time of last reporting, she has been taking 2 - 5 g of vitamin C every day for ten months). Since starting on the vitamin C, plaque and tartar stopped building up on her teeth and below her gumline. When she went for a cleaning after not having had one for nine months, the hygienist actually found nothing to clean. She is convinced that the cause of her gum disease was a lack of vitamin C and that she is on the road to full recovery. She currently observes her receding gums growing back and no longer has pain at mealtimes (since the previous gum pocket spaces are now filled with new, healthy gum tissue). She has not had any more x-rays since starting on the vitamin C regimen but writes she would not be surprised if even her jaw bone had started to grow back (another impossibility according to the dentists she saw, although also reported by other individuals4). "I'm so happy to hear my story is helping others!
I still take between 5 - 15 grams of buffered Vitamin C powder every day (I go by feeling, do I need more or less today?) and I still have all my teeth except the one I allowed the dentist to pull before I started taking the vitamin C (which I totally regret!) I do want to say while it has been a miracle for me, it is a treatment, not a cure. I really have to be diligent with it because even missing one day, my teeth start to loosen and my gums become painful and inflamed. I do not leave my house without vitamin C! It's an ongoing battle, I know I'll have to fight the rest of my life. But it's soooo much better than the helplessness and hopelessness I felt before learning about high dose Vitamin C. I believe most diseases are a result of the body not getting enough of the nutrients it needs or an inability to use those nutrients effectively. I think my body uses vitamin C at a much faster rate than most people, so that I have to keep replenishing on a constant basis. Again, I have no doctor or dentist to confirm this but really, who cares?
It works for me, my teeth are still in my mouth where they should be even though I was told I should have lost them all by the time I was 33. Doctors don't know everything. Listen to your body." 3) Megadoses of vitamin C plus iodine (potassium iodide) administration against gum disease Physician Dr. Richard A. Kunin shares an interesting case report. Following a major alcoholic spree, the teeth of one of his patients had become so loose they were moving in their sockets, and his gums had filled with pus. Only one week of topical potassium iodide application on the gums combined with high-dose ascorbic acid plus other nutritional support later, this patient - the dentist had recommended extracting all his teeth - had both his healthy gums back and his teeth had almost normalized - he did not lose a single one. In cases of inflamed gums, gingivitis and periodontitis, Dr Kunin warmly recommends routine topical application of potassium iodide, while also mentioning earlier research by Drs. Caulfield and Wannemuehler showing that iodide (as well as fluoride) - particularly when administered in an acidic solution - could kill Streptococcus mutans (the major culprit involved in tooth decay).
Addendum by Healing Teeth Naturally: There are numerous other/additional measures one can take to powerfully assist one's gums and jawbone. See the numerous healing testimonials on this site as well as the Nutrition, Dental Care and Oral Detoxification section. Three little-known contributors to gum disease are amalgam fillings and conventional toothpaste. as are - apparently - (relationship) problems and other stress. Published in the Journal of Periodontology in 2000, this study found that individuals with the lowest vitamin C intake who also smoke, are likely to present the most pronounced clinical effect on their periodontal tissues. This Chinese study (published in the Shanghai journal of stomatology in 2012) concluded that oral health and antioxidants are closely linked: "Lower dietary vitamin C content, flavonoid content and ß-carotene intake lead to destruction of periodontal tissue and higher incidence of periodontal disease". This study which appeared in the Journal of Dental Research (2012) concluded that "low serum levels of ascorbic acid and a-tocopherol may be a risk factor for periodontal disease".
This study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (2007) found that individuals with vitamin C deficiency (low plasma vitamin C levels) had more periodontal attachment loss which "suggests that vitamin C deficiency may contribute to the severity of periodontal breakdown". From the study abstract: "Serum concentrations of vitamin C, bilirubin, and total antioxidant levels were inversely associated with periodontitis, the association being stronger in severe disease". (published in The Journal of Nutrition, 2007) (published in Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology, 2003) (published in New York State Dental Journal, 2000) (published in New York State Dental Journal, 1998) (published in Proceedings of the Finnish Dental Society, 1993) (published in International journal for vitamin and nutrition research, 1982) There are several potential pathways. For one thing, vitamin C is required for collagen synthesis, with collagen forming an essential basic component of bones, gums and dentin.
For another, the antioxidant vitamin C strengthens the body's immune defense against invaders. Interestingly, there appears to be a correlation between vitamin C status and oral "debris", irrespective of tooth cleansing habits, hence the moniker for vitamin C, "The Invisible Toothbrush".3 Incidentally, in today's world vitamin C deficiency is likely to be very common. Ascorbic acid with all its undoubtedly outstanding qualities - it has even successfully been applied in cancer treatment5 - is still a synthetic compound since in natural foods vitamin C will never occur as an isolate but only as a complex including bioflavonoids and calcium (the presence of which helps the body to better absorb the ascorbic acid).6 There seem to be relatively few adverse effects reported from high-dose intake of ascorbic acid (the main known complications appear to be diarrhea when dosage exceeds bowel tolerance, and with intravenous vitamin C treatment concern individuals with renal impairment or glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency).
One in-vitro study - not necessarily transferable to how the compound acts in vivo - found that "Sustained levels of ascorbic acid are toxic and immunosuppressive for human T cells" (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8744863). Some authors suggest that ascorbic acid will only trigger diarrhea when the intake exceeds what the body can use - a notion that (to me) makes intuitive sense. Personally to be on the safest side I would take synthetic ascorbic acid only for relatively short periods of time while otherwise purely relying on natural sources such as citrus fruit and edible wild herbs. 1 The original testimonial can be read here. 2 by J.R., 2014 (thank you) 4 See Dental health prerequisite number 6: proper mastication - exercise your teeth and gums by chewing well. 5 See Oral Megadoses of Vitamin C and Cancer, Intravenous Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Infusion in Oncologic Treatment and Dietary vitamin C intake from natural sources, cancer prevention & incidence.