Brushing with Iodine
I had a patient come in today with the most stain I have seen in some time. He had brushing his teeth with iodine.
Iodine Stains Teeth
More remarkably, it’s been only 3 months since his last cleaning. He claims to drink coffee and take Chinese herbs, but the big difference is he is brushing with iodine. That is a major stain producer for teeth.
Iodine as A Nutrient
Iodine in the proper form is a nutrient, and is used by the thyroid gland to produce its hormones. Data shows that it strongly deficient from the American diet. I have so many middle aged patients who, on their medical history forms, write down that they are suffering from some thyroid condition. Fluoride, on top of everything, is similar to iodine in structure and competes with iodine in the thyroid. This is one of the arguments for not fluoridating the public water systems.
Learn more https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12753370
In recent years, in the aftermath of the accident at the Japanese nuclear energy plant, iodine has become a popular way to proof the body against radiation created in the nuclear fallout.
According to the CDC “KI (potassium iodide) is a salt of stable (not radioactive) iodine that can help block radioactive iodine from being absorbed by the thyroid gland, thus protecting this gland from radiation injury.
The thyroid gland is the part of the body that is most sensitive to radioactive iodine.” The article continues with this advice: “Time after contamination: The sooner a person takes KI, the more time the thyroid will have to “fill up” with stable iodine.”
Iodine as a Disinfectant
I noticed that there is a solution called “Lugol’s Iodine” which has been used to disinfect water. So iodine has many uses and one of them is as a disinfectant in the mouth.
Iodine is not a well publicized product for intra oral use. But research shows it can help with decay and gum disease. Check the directions, and realize that with some types of iodine can stain your teeth a lot. You and your hygienist may become good friends!