Some Food for Thought Regarding Naturally Healing and Fighting Tooth Decay!
The lies perpetrated about tooth decay
According to the American Dental Association, the reason we have tooth decay is as follows:
"[Tooth decay] occurs when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) such as milk, pop, raisins, cakes or candy are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay."
There are a few problems with this theory, including:
• Groups of indigenous people who had fermentable carbohydrates stuck on their teeth all the time that did not brush or floss were mostly or completely free of tooth decay. • Bacteria do not consume processed sugar or flour because of the lack of nutrients in them. • Foods that bacteria like to eat, such as milk, vegetables, meat, fish and fruit, are not commonly implicated in causes of tooth decay.
So if the modern explanation of tooth decay is not accurate, what is actually the cause of tooth decay?
What actually causes tooth decay
Tooth decay, as researched by Dr. Weston Price and other dental pioneers, boiled down to three factors:
• Not enough minerals in the diet. • Not enough fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) in the diet. • Nutrients not being readily bioavailable, and your intestinal system not properly absorbing them. The presence of phytic acid largely influences this factor.
Over a period of time, if your diet lacks vitamins and minerals from a poor diet and/or contains high levels of phytates (from grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes), the blood chemistry and the ratio of calcium and phosphorous become out of balance, which results in minerals being pulled from bones, causing tooth and bone loss.
So, the long-standing belief that sugar causes tooth decay is true, but as a result of it depleting nutrients from the body, not because bacteria eat it and produce acid that ruins your teeth.
The food remedies that can heal cavities and tooth decay
In order to restore the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood, and to enable minerals to bond to our teeth, it is not enough to just avoid eating too many sweet or processed foods. We must also eat health-building foods, containing copious amounts of minerals and vitamins that will build a glassy hard tooth structure.
Foods to focus on are:
• Coconut oil, grass-fed organic dairy (especially butter), grass-fed meats, seafood and bone broths. • Organic cooked vegetables (soups with bone broth are ideal). • Organ and gland meats, like liver.
Limit foods that are high in phytic acid, like grains, beans, nuts and seeds, as well as limiting processed food intake full of processed flours and sugars that upset blood sugar balance.
Supplements to consider are:
• Fermented cod liver oil - very high in fat soluble vitamins A, D and K. • Magnesium - required to use calcium and phosphorous effectively. • Gelatin - if you don't have time to make bone broth, this is a good alternative and is great for gums and digestion.