Good health really starts with the way people take care of their teeth, yet we overlook this critical part of our lives far too often to our detriment.

It wasn’t until 1938 that what we call the modern toothbrush made of nylon bristles was mass-produced and before that it was brushes made with hairs extracted from boars and chew sticks.

So, how did humans make it this far with healthy teeth, yet without toothbrushes, toothpaste or dentists?

Not surprisingly, it always seems to come back to the foods we eat and the nutritional habits we follow, says CHEK Faculty Member Jo Rushton. There’s no escaping that we are what we eat…

In this video, Jo reminds us about some things we forget about when it comes to taking better care of our teeth and some tips on how to reduce the bacteria that ends up restoring a healthier pH balance in our saliva.

Jo starts off our conversation with a reminder that many people tend to take an overly generalized view of what constitutes being “too acidic” or “not being alkaline enough.”

There’s differences in pH levels between our blood, urine and saliva, and the foods we eat can alter those levels and affect the health of our teeth.