The Health Benefits of Melatonin

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Cavity, Gum Soreness
Posted by Art (California) on 12/15/2022 2338 posts
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A friend who takes high dose melatonin every night recently mentioned to me that she discovered that she had a new cavity forming on the side of one of her teeth.

She uses melatonin that dissolves in your mouth, so she decided to place melatonin at the site of the cavity with her tongue each night when she went to bed. She told me that within two months, the cavity was very significantly reduced in size, so she will continue to repeat this process until it is completely gone. She also told me she had an area of gum that was sore, so she told me she applied melatonin to the area of the sore gum, and she said the pain was gone in two days. This second aspect she is reporting does have studies to support that melatonin is healthful for the gums.

I was aware that melatonin is good for the health of the oral cavity, but I was not aware that it could reverse a relatively new cavity. When I looked at studies regarding melatonin and oral health, I found that melatonin is noted for use against or as a preventative for gum disease, but no mention as a cavity fighter. Here is a typical study discussing multiple health benefits of melatonin for the oral cavity, including bone regeneration, but teeth are not actually the same as bone :

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1607551X16301012

Here are some relevant quotes from the study :

' Oral cavity is affected by a number of conditions such as periodontitis, mucositis, cancers, and cytotoxicity from various drugs or biomaterials. Research has suggested that melatonin is effective in treating the aforementioned pathologies. Furthermore, melatonin has been observed to enhance osseointegration and bone regeneration. '

' Topical administration of melatonin has a positive effect on periodontal health and osseointegration. Furthermore, melatonin is particularly effective in improving the periodontal parameters of diabetic patients with periodontitis. Melatonin exerts a regenerative effect on periodontal bone and may be incorporated into of periodontal scaffolds. The cytotoxic effect of various drugs and dental materials may be countered by the antioxidant properties of melatonin. Topical administration of melatonin promotes the healing of tooth extraction sockets and may also impede the progression of oral cancer. '

As you can see from this study, melatonin offers many benefits to help maintain oral health, but the repair of new cavities is a new one to me.

Art