>>It has little to do with food stuck in your teeth.  You will always have
>>some food particles left in your mouth after eating, no way to avoid it.
>>However, mother nature has been dealing with teeth and decay for millions of
>>years.  Healthy saliva a) provides a hostile environment for destructive
>>bacteria b) reacts with any exposed dentene (sp?? the part of the tooth
>>under the enamel) causing it to harden into new enamel.  Healthy teeth are
>>nourished from within and will resist bacterial decay.

>So are you saying the answer is "yes?"  Point-blank:  do raw food eaters
>gain any benefit from brushing and flossing or is it unnecessary, assuming
>one doesn't eat dried fruit or its ilk.

I still haven't gotten an answer on this one.  There have been posts
recommending the Water Pik and others, but humans in the natural state do
not have water piks.  So I ask again: are brushing and flossing
counter-productive things necessary for the average eater of cooked glop but
not the raw veg/fruit eater?

I'd really like to retire my toothbrush.