The process of remineralization can be monitored by a dentist with imaging. This can be helpful because it may not be possible to tell if it is happening otherwise.
Tooth decay can indicate a nutritional deficiency, such as vitamin D. Can be done with supplementation. Foods that provide vitamin D include cod liver oil, liver or desiccated liver pills. Test again after 3 to 6 months. Also vitamin K2 (which can also be found in many organ meats). There are 2 kinds of K2 supplements, MK-4 (animal source, and is more active in the body) and MK-7 (which comes from fermented foods such as natto). Always supplement vitamin K2 when supplementing vitamin D. Vitamin A can also be found in cod liver oil. Taking vitamin D increases the need for vitamin A because they work together. Magnesium catalyzes all of these nutrients and is needed for vitamin D to work. Magnesium is part of the structure of the calcium phosphate tooth mineral structure. Magnesium deficiency keeps vitamin D receptors from working. Fermented foods can replenish oral bacteria which helps teeth regenerate. The body makes bone by first laying down a collagen matrix, made of amino acids, than calcifies that matrix. These amino acids are found in bone broth (made from the bones and joints of animals), skin (such as pork rinds), and from supplements.
How to Treat Cavities and Reverse Tooth Decay Naturally
Some cavities in the teeth can actually be healed and eliminated, and others reduced, by making changes in what you eat. For a dietary perspective there are 4 causes of tooth decay, which are; excess sugar in the diet, excess phytic acid, not enough minerals, and not enough fat soluble vitamins. Excess sugar feeds bacteria in and around the teeth causing it to multiply and erode the enamel that is protecting your teeth. This bacteria can also circulate in your body and lead to cardiac problems and many other health problems. All refined sugars should be removed from your diet. At first this should also include natural sugars such as maple syrup and most honey, but these natural sugars may be able to be tolerated somewhat later.
Phytic acid is a substance found in grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Phytic acid binds to minerals in the food and keeps those minerals from being absorbed and used by your body. Just because a food package says that it contains a certain amount of something, doesn't mean that your body will absorb and be able to use much if any of it. The phytic acid can be greatly reduced by soaking the food and sprouting it before using it (before milling it into flour in the case of grains. Personal note- most bean and nut flours are made from beans and nuts that were NOT soaked first). Make sure to get adequate calcium, magnesium, selenium, iron, phosphorous, silica, and other minerals in your diet. Vegetables, soaked nuts and seeds, and raw (goat and sheep) dairy are some good sources of minerals. A multi-mineral supplement can help, and eating a lot of probiotic foods can also help.
Lastly, the fat soluble vitamins including A, E, D, and K are essential for tooth health. Vitamins D3 and K2 are essential for our bodies to absorb adequate calcium and to put the calcium in our bones, where it is beneficial, rather than elsewhere in our body (such as our arteries) where it can cause disease. These can be taken as a supplement and can also be found in raw dairy and fermented foods, such as milk kefir and yogurt. Getting sunshine on the skin is important as a source of vitamin D. The fat soluble vitamins are found in fat, such as butter, lard, and some oils, so it is important to eat a good amount of these healthy fats.Vitamin A can be made in your body from beta carotene which is found in orange and green vegetables.
Another tool for healthy teeth is to do oil pulling, which is an ancient Ayurvedic technique, in which you swish oil around in your mouth. Use about a tablespoon of oil, coconut and sesame oil (not toasted) work well, and swish it around in your mouth for 5 to 20 minutes. While swishing it around make sure to "pull" the oil through/between your teeth, and make sure to spit it out when done rather than swallowing it. You can use the plain oil or add essential oils to it including clove, peppermint, cinnamon, and the best one for dental health is myrrh. Myrrh can also be rubbed on the gums to treat inflammation. Additionally a re-mineralizing "toothpaste" can be made by mixing baking soda with a mineral supplement (open the capsule and dump the powder in directly) and optionally an essential oil such as peppermint.
Dr Axe's guide to oil pulling
Dr Axe's homemade baking soda toothpaste
Dr Axe's homemade toothpaste recipe
More on reversing and healing tooth decay from Dr Axe
Bone Loss Around Your Teeth | The Real Cause Will Shock You | The Side Effects Are DEADLY
Bacterial infections around the base of teeth, at the gumline, can erode bone and gum tissue, which can then compromise the teeth. These bacteria create biofilm around the roots of teeth. When a dentist or periodontist probes around the base of the teeth, they are checking to see how deep the "pocket" is between the tooth and the gum tissue around it. Infections in the gums, called "periodntitis", can then lead to bacteria spreading into the bloodstream. Once the infection is in the blood it can lead to many serious complications including heart attacks, strokes, angina, and arteriosclerosis. Additionally, chronic bacterial infection in the mouth can cause very bad breath.
Another significant source of tooth damage and decay is a misaligned bite. When the teeth don't line up right during the bite, this causes teeth to move and rock in their sockets, which can loosen them and can make the pockets around the teeth larger thus allowing more bacteria into the gums. Methods of cleaning teeth at home such as brushing, flossing, using a water pick, etc can't clean deep into the pockets and can't remove the biofilm around the roots of the teeth. Bacteria can also get into the actual bone structure of the teeth, into little holes called microtubules, which is also out of reach of most methods for cleaning teeth. These bacteria can reinfect an area around a tooth after it has been cleaned. These bacterial infections lead to actual bone loss in the teeth.
Standard teeth scraping and descaling don't address the biofilm and the bacteria beneath the surface. These techniques are meant to slow down bone loss but not to reverse it. There is a method of measuring how even the bite is. The teeth should be sharing the impact 50/50 and the teeth should be meeting in the middle, not on their sides. Laser therapy can remove the infected tissue, sterilize the roots of the teeth, and can even lead to healing of bone and gums around the teeth.
There is a method of treating periodontal disease and rebuilding bone around teeth called LANAP, which uses a laser. This method leads to slow regrowth of bone that can take several years to get desired results. This site has more information about the method and the laser it uses.
New cavity treatment offers no drilling, no filling
This is new, experimental method of filling teeth with a resin that can be applied to cavities between teeth, and doesn't use the traditional method of drilling and filling cavities.
!!! Warning about nitrous oxide (laughing gas) that is sometimes used by dentists
Nitrous oxide–induced vitamin B12 deficiency
Nitrous oxide can cause harm due to its "conversion of the active monovalent form of vitamin B12 to its inactive bivalent form (3)"
Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is a natural way to treat swollen and receding gums. Oil pulling means swishing some oil around in the mouth and/or "pulling" it through the teeth. It can be made with sesame oil (not the toasted kind), which has antibacterial action, or coconut oil. You can add Triphala Powder (a blend of 3 Ayurvedic herbs including Indian gooseberry, Belleric myrobalan, and Yellow myrobalan) which can prevent bad bacteria from growing in the mouth. Fennel seeds and cloves are also good and can be chewed.
In one approx. 8 oz jar put 10 to 12 cloves (ground in mortar and pestle, 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds (ground in mortar and pestle), 1 tablespoon triphala powder, 1/4 cup sesame oil, 1/2 cup coconut oil, close the jar lid and shake well. Let it sit for 2 days before using, shake it up several times. Strain the oil into another jar and throw away the leftover sediment. To use add 1 tablespoon of the oil to 1 tablespoon of water and swish around in mouth for 10 minutes. Spit it out, do not swallow it.
Clove Oil For A Toothache or Dental Abscess
An abscess is a fluid-filled cyst. Clove is anti-fungal (also good to treat candida in the mouth or on the tongue), anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory. It numbs the area in the mouth where it's used so it helps with pain. You can either chew on a clove directly to release it's oil, or you can put 2 drops in one tsp of coconut oil. Keep either option in your mouth for 2 to 5 minutes. Chewing on some garlic has very similar results.
Supplements and Herbs
Oral Care Extract from Mountain Rose Herbs
Homemade Mouthwash
If toothpaste makes your mouth sore, brush with a solution
of 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of salt mixed with 4 cups (1 liter) of water. Pour a
small amount into a clean cup to dip your toothbrush into each time you brush.
Rinse your mouth 5 or 6 times a day for 1 to 2 minutes each time. Use one of the following solutions when you rinse:
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of salt in 4 cups (1 liter) of water
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of baking soda in 8 ounces (240 milliliters) of water
- One half teaspoon (2.5 grams) of salt and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of baking soda in 4 cups (1 liter) of water
