I had the privilege to interview holistic dentist, Dr. Stanley, where we discuss all the top recommendations to reverse and remineralize cavities! (See video interview Pt. 2 below!) While they may sound pretty easy, they may take some effort to implement. The seven keys to reversing external cavities are oil pulling, nutrient-dense foods, fat-soluble vitamins, cold-pressed cod-liver oil, raw milk, grass-fed meat, sunshine, and trace mineral drops. There you have it! Now, let’s get into how cavities are formed! These seven items can help you and your family reverse those cavities.
It turns out that there are two main reasons for cavities. The first factor is the bacterial oral environment. Many people don’t realize that the mouth has its own biome – or ecological and bacterial environment. When there is a high pathogenic bacterial count, the body tries to fight off this imbalance through inflammation, aka cavities. The second factor is the level of acidity in the mouth. Not surprisingly, sugar consumption, medication, poor diet, and mouth breathing negatively impact both your mouth’s bacterial environment and acidity levels.
I used to think that teeth were just dead bones. It’s not true! There are miles of microscopic tubules within the teeth that carry nutrients as well as bacteria – throughout the teeth. This means if your mouth’s microbiome is healthy, beneficial bacteria will be circulating through your teeth creating healthy teeth whereas if your mouth isn’t healthy, pathogenic bacteria will circulate throughout your teeth promoting cavities! Yes, teeth are hard, but they are very much alive and flowing with either a healthy or unhealthy bacterial environment!
Can cavities be reversed or remineralized? Good news! In Dr. Stanley’s opinion and clinical practice experience, cavities that are on the outer layer of the teeth can be remineralized. However, cavities that have gotten into the dentin layer of the teeth are much harder to reverse and often need dental attention. Here are seven ways you can reverse and remineralize your cavities:
#1 Oil Pulling for Cavities
Oil pulling is a great way to alkalize the mouth (Remember, acid is the enemy when it comes to the oral environment.) and has a positive effect on the soft and hard tissue. What is oil pulling? Simply swish a non-processed (cold-pressed, virgin) oil such as coconut oil in the mouth for several minutes and then spit out. Curiously, the oil draws toxins out of the mouth. For more information and detailed instructions on oil pulling, the book, “Oil Pulling Therapy” by Bruce Fife is a wonderful resource.
#2 Nutrient Density of Food
The soil is where all health begins! Choosing foods that have been grown in high nutrient soils increases the mineral levels in foods. Conventional (non-organic) grocery store produce becomes depleted of nutrients and antioxidants. This is due to pesticide exposure and non-regenerative farming methods. This ultimately has an impact on our dental health. Dr. Price discovered that indigenous peoples’ in locations had four times higher levels of minerals and ten times higher levels of fat-soluble vitamins in their foods than modern foods of his time did. These people grew their own food and lived off their own animals or herds.
Nowadays, the best way to find nutrient-dense produce or animal products is to look for a farm/farmer who practices organic farming methods. They go by several names such as biodynamic, permaculture, eco-certified or regenerative farming. Each of these methods focuses on particular ways to increase the nutrient density of the soil. Local farmers markets or community-supported agriculture (CSA) co-ps are great places to find this kind of food. Just because something has an organic label, doesn’t mean it comes from the most nutrient-dense soils! Know your farmer and his/her practices! Dr. Stanley emphasizes that “Foods are nourishing and offer huge benefits!”
#3 Fat-Soluble Vitamins – D, A, and K2: Top Vitamins to Reduce Cavities
As discussed earlier, the primitives Dr. Price discovered had few to zero cavities or diseases and their diets were ten times higher in Vitamins D, A, and K2 than the modern Westernized diet. These important fat-soluble vitamins are only found in pasture-raised animal foods. Surprise! Dr. Stanley has seen first hand that “K2 Vitamin is like the foot on the accelerator and helps…slow down cavities!” in his patients. However, he cautions against taking just one fat-soluble vitamin without vitamins A and D as they are presented in nature. Ideally, we would get these vitamins through food and sunshine! “The undercover nutrient (K2) works synergistically with vitamin D to fortify calcium in bones and teeth while keeping it from accumulating in blood vessels, muscle tissue, or other soft tissue,” Jessica Stamm, CCN explains.
#4 Cold Pressed or Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Fermented cod liver oil is a great source of Vitamin A and D and Dr. Stanley recommends supplementing with it as a whole food supplement. A fabulous whole-food way to provide synergistic supplementation of these three important fat-soluble vitamins is to combine cod liver oil (which is high in Vitamins A and D) and high vitamin grass-fed butter oil (high in K2). It’s important to choose high-quality, traditionally processed oils from clean-water fish. This is essential to gaining these important health benefits. I recommend the brand ‘Dropi’ for cold-pressed cod liver oil and the brand ‘Green Pastures’ for fermented cod liver oil and high-vitamin butter oil. For kids, here is a liquid cod liver oil in cinnamon flavor. The Weston A. Price foundation also vouches for these two brands.
#5 Grass-Fed Raw Milk and Meat Products
I personally love raw milk because it contains Vitamin A, D, and K2 – all three in one! Through nature, God provides exactly what our bodies need, in just the right proportions. The cream products of grass-fed cows are excellent sources of concentrated K2. Certain hard cheeses like gouda and edam are high in K2. Pasture-Raised goose, chicken, and beef liver are also high in Vitamin K2. Even pasture-raised beef contains some K2. To find raw grass-fed milk locally, visit realmilk.com for raw dairies in your area.
#6 Sunshine Provide Vitamin D – a Bone Remineralizer
Sunshine is the ideal way to get vitamin D. If “Vitamin D is necessary for proper bone mineralization,” according to Dr. Seneff, it would make sense that tooth remineralization would also occur in the presence of Vitamin D. Additionally, Dr. Seneff clarifies that vitamin D supplements cannot replace the benefits of sunlight and that numerous studies demonstrate that most of the claimed benefits of Vitamin D come mainly through sunshine exposure. Mid-day sun is the best time to convert UVB rays to Vitamin D through your skin. Can you take an extra ten minutes of your lunch break to head outside, sans sunscreen, for your daily dose?
#7 Trace Mineral Drops – to Increase your Minerals
Dr. Stanley recommends including trace mineral drops into your water to increase your mineral intake. Remember how I mentioned earlier that the healthy indigenous tribes had higher levels of minerals in their diets? “Their food had up to four times the phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and other minerals of modernized foods.” I try to add a few drops of trace mineral drops to my filtered water every time I drink water. Another great way to add minerals is through a high mineral salt such as Redmonds, Celtic or Himalayan salt.
Utilizing these methods, Dr. Stanley and many other holistic dentists have seen their patients reverse their tooth decay – especially in surface layer cavities. These recommendations will significantly increase your mineral and fat-soluble vitamin intake as well as encourage a healthy ecosystem in your mouth. By following these ways to reverse and remineralize cavities, you’re not only reversing tooth decay, but you’re also preventing new cavities from forming! It’s a win, win!!
Knowing that you can take control of your own mouths’ microbiome is empowering because you can make the diet changes you need to and you can be confident that you’re assisting and not harming that delicate balance of bacteria in your mouth. I hope you get started with one of these ways to reverse cavities today!
Have you experienced tooth remineralization? I’d love to hear what protocols you used.
