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If you are wondering can you reverse tooth decay we are going to explore how the tooth decay process starts and how it can be stopped or even reversed? When a tooth is exposed to acid frequently like if you drink acidic drinks or consume acidic foods this can erode tooth enamel and cause your tooth to lose minerals. This is an early stage of tooth decay and can be reversed.
Historical evidence, and more recently the newest research points to the idea that diet has a big impact on oral health. When examining populations with excellent oral health, it is often remarked that these people did not have access to modern dentistry. The dentist, Dr. Weston A. Price, found and detailed in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, throughout the world, some cultures have perfect teeth spacing with no evidence of cavities. This was despite no access to dentists or modern toothpaste, while similar cultures with different diets had very high rates of tooth decay.
Historical Evidence
Some people live in primitive societies and eat a primitive diet, and others have modernized their diets. There has been research that concluded that primitive cultures were able to completely avoid tooth decay and the many oral health problems we struggle with today. This was true even in cultures that did not brush their teeth. What was the underlying factor here? Diet.
Recommended Read: 3 Benefits of a Wheatgrass Rinse for Teeth
Specifically, that tooth decay is largely determined by diet, especially three main factors:
- Having enough minerals in the diet.
- Consuming enough fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) in the diet.
- How bio-available these nutrients are and how well the body is absorbing them.
People who consume large amounts of phytates (found in most Americans) in the form of grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes have higher rates of tooth decay, mineral deficiencies, and arthritis.
Reverse Tooth Decay Research Study
From this research, doctors discovered that teeth are able to heal themselves in a process called remineralization. Teeth have cells in the middle that can regenerate dentin. Dentin is the layer of tooth just under the enamel. Tooth enamel can be remineralized from the outside on its own. When phytic acid is removed from the diet and minerals/vitamins are added, this same process happens in bones.
This was proved in a study where a test group that consumed no phytic acid and supplementing Vitamin D showed very few new cavities and actually had many existing cavities heal.
This article at Whole Health Source explores the entire study.
How To Reverse Tooth Decay
To recap, the study found the things to be important for oral and bone health are:
- The presence of enough minerals in the diet.
- The presence of enough fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) in the diet.
- How bio-available these nutrients are and how well the body is absorbing them. They found that this is largely influenced by the presence of Phytic Acid in the diet.
To reverse tooth decay:
- Cut foods that contain phytic acid
- Limited foods containing even natural sugars or starches
- Eat healthy fats
- Take a mineral-based supplement
Although it is impossible to completely eliminate Phytic acid from the diet, this should not discourage anyone from trying to minimize its presence. High phytic acid content can be greatly reduced by soaking items like nuts, legumes, and grains.
If foods high in phytic acid are going to be eaten, check out this article from the Weston A. Price Foundation on how to sprout, ferment and soak them to make them less harmful. Check out the video below for more on how to avoid phytic acid.
Supplements to Help Reverse Tooth Decay and Improve Oral Health
Tooth decay is often a result of too few minerals from food. If your tooth decay is severe, it may be necessary to increase your mineral consumption with supplements. While a healthy diet alone might be enough, many foods are low on nutrients since they’re grown in nutrient-depleted soil. Supplements help fill these nutritional gaps
Toothpastes and Powders to Reverse Tooth Decay
How to Prevent Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is not something new. It has been around for ages and it is still a common problem that people have to deal with even today. The sad thing about all this, you cannot avoid tooth decay. There are however ways on how tooth decay can be prevented or even stopped from worsening so that you don’t get problems with your teeth in the future.
The tooth decay process starts with plaque. Plaque is a sticky, colorless film that forms on your teeth and gums as a result of bacteria growing inside your mouth together with sugar particles, food debris, and other organic compounds. This bacteria is known to produce acids that will gradually damage the enamel around your teeth, which is the hard layer that protects your teeth from tooth decay.
In order for you to prevent tooth decay, here are some measures that you should do:
1) Brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride-based toothpaste and in addition to brushing, also floss every evening before going to bed. Flossing and brushing will remove the dental plaque from your teeth and gums.
2) Eat a healthy, nutritious diet that is rich in minerals and vitamins such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, milk products, and lean meat. Healthy food helps to strengthen your tooth enamel and provides them with vital nutrients that are required for proper oral health.
3) Limit the intake of highly sugary food. Sugary foods like chocolates and candies bring about tooth decay over time as they contain sugar, which is a type of substance that can damage your teeth if it remains on them for too long.
4) Have regular dental check-ups every six months or twice a year so you can have your teeth examined by the dentist.
5) Use a soft brush to gently remove food particles and plaque from your teeth at least twice a day. By doing so, you can reduce the risks of tooth decay or gum diseases.
6) Avoid smoking as it can cause serious health problems in general such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Smoking also causes bad breath which means that you need to floss more often than usual. So give up smoking for good if you want healthier gums and a brighter smile!
7) Get into a habit of rinsing your mouth with water after meals instead of brushing your teeth immediately after eating because this will prevent acids from digesting food from damaging your tooth enamel in addition to removing any remaining sugar in your mouth.
8) Brush and floss regularly to remove bacteria that can cause bad breath, tooth decay and gum diseases. Don’t forget to brush on the surface of each tooth so as to ensure that you get rid of plaque. Make sure that you hold your toothbrush at an angle so that you can reach all the areas between your teeth where tartar may settle down. Be extra careful with brushing after meals because this is when most food particles will be left in your mouth which makes them easier to scrape away by using a toothbrush. The best time to floss is after you have brushed because it would be much easier for the floss to remove whatever was left behind from brushing if there are no particles stuck between your teeth.
Avoid sugary foods and drinks as much as possible. You should also try to avoid anything that is known to cause tooth decay like alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine-rich food.
If you have a severe case of dental cavities you may need to schedule an appointment with your dentist for help in determining the treatments that would be most appropriate for you. For mild cases of tooth decay, it is best to see a dentist if there are any other problems like gingivitis or bad breath so they can determine which treatment will work best for your specific problem and then treat them all together all at once.
If you are able to reverse can tooth decay there are still going to be times when your dentist needs to treat the problem. It’s not like you will never have a cavity ever again and you can just go about eating whatever whenever without thinking about it.
You still need to make sure that if you get some dental work done, that it is taken care of correctly.