Carb Backloading Fights Cavities

Could carb backloading help fight cavities?

During my last dental cleaning the hygenist flat out said, “Wow, there’s nothing really here.  I’ve never seen anybody with so little plaque.”
In all my years of going to the dentist, this was by far the easiest, no scraping I’ve ever had in my entire life!  I had no caries!
Dental caries, also known as tooth decay or a cavity.
The Start of My Hypothesis
I had some ideas in my mind why my cleaning went so well but I never really understood them until I saw the slide above.  When I did, it made sense.  Let me explain.
I travel frequently to various health and fitness seminars where I see none of my peers.  These type of seminars are not about bodybuilding or supplements.  They are given by the people working in various industries related to the sport I love but way behind the scenes.
In this particular session given by the American Association of Candy Technologists called “A Spoon Full of Sugar … Helps the Medicine Go Down” there was a presentation by Stefanie Ringo of Cargill.  Her presentation was called “Pros & Cons of Sugar and Sweetener Alternatives.”
She didn’t know it but she just told me why Carb Backloading helped me get the best dental cleaning of my life.
Carbohydrate Fermentation
On the slide above it says “Caries develop as carbohydrates are fermented by mouth bacteria to acids causing demineralization of the teeth.”
Here’s what an entry in Wikipedia says about the process.
Bacteria in a person’s mouth convert glucose, fructose, and most commonly sucrose (table sugar) into acids such as lactic acid through a glycolytic process called fermentation. If left in contact with the tooth, these acids may cause demineralization, which is the dissolution of its mineral content. – Source
Hypothesis:
Limit the time carbohydrates would be on my teeth compared to a typical diet.  This leads to less bacteria from carbs that could ferment.
Experiment
Eat my carbs after my workouts up until bed.  Limit the time carbs would be on my teeth at any given time without changing the regular brushing schedule.
Conclusion
Carb Back Loading Helps Fight Tooth Decay
It seems to me that no matter what nutritional protocol you follow, if you simply utilize carbohydrates as a fuel timed around your training with brushing after such an intake, you may have better dental checkups.
Be Fit, Stay Strong!
Marc David – CPT