How to Cure Cavities

By Sarah C. Corriher

While traveling to some of the most remote regions and cultures of the world, Dr. Weston A. Price discovered that some groups which had no access to traditional medicine had extremely low incidences of cavities. He discovered that the cultures which consumed foods that were high in fats and minerals had the best dental health. Some of those groups did not even brush their teeth.

When people are malnourished, dental problems are often the first indicator. Most people from the Western world believe that teeth naturally decay with age, so everyone will inevitably get cavities. Popular consensus is that teeth self-destruct. However, a person’s diet primarily determines his dental health. The myth that people have no control over the deterioration of the teeth is one of the justifications for the fluoridation of water supplies, because it is tacitly contended that human teeth disintegrate without help from the chemical industry. In truth, cavities and dental malformations occur as a result of malnutrition, which is actually exaggerated by chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and fluoride. Western foods are not only deficient in vitamins and minerals, but they also contain chemicals which impair the utilization of nutrients in the body. Tooth decay is more common in pregnant and nursing women, because these women have greater nutritional needs.

Fluoride, in particular, pulls calcium and phosphorus into areas of the body that they would not normally travel, such as the pineal gland and the arteries, so these minerals are not properly used for strengthening the bones. Teeth too are bones. Fluoride can prevent the healing of cavities, because it disrupts the proper mineral usage of the human body.

“It is most remarkable and should be one of the most challenging facts that can come to our modern civilization that such primitive races as the Aborigines of Australia, have reproduced for generation after generation through many centuries — no one knows for how many thousands of years — without the development of a conspicuous number of irregularities of the dental arches. Yet, in the next generation after these people adopt the foods of the white man, a large percentage of the children developed irregularities of the dental arches with conspicuous facial deformities. The deformity patterns are similar to those seen in white civilizations.”

– Dr. Weston Price, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 1939

Healing Cavities

When provided with the right diet, cavities can heal. This healing process is known as remineralization, because it is a process of giving the teeth the minerals that are needed to repair them. The two minerals that are most important for dental health are calcium and phosphorus. To use calcium properly, the human body also needs adequate amounts of vitamin D from sunlight or fish (not the chemical type found in milk), and the body also needs magnesium from vegetables and nuts. In addition, the fat-soluble vitamins are invaluable. Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. These vitamins can be found in butter, eggs, dairy products, and meats. A healthy diet that heals cavities is the opposite of the low-fat diets that are most often promoted by the media, and the ideal diet is reminiscent of the Atkins Diet.

Food High in Phosphorus

• Meats
• Real butter (yellow-orange butter is best)
• Cheese (especially parmesan)
• Oats
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds (contain vitamin E, magnesium, and other fat-soluble vitamins)
• Nuts (especially brazil nuts, cashews and walnuts)
• Flax seed oil *

* Flax oil must be processed, packaged, and handled properly to be safe and effective. Reference the article about flax seed oil for more information.

Items to be Avoided

• Artificial foods, chemical additives and pharmaceuticals invariably impair the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, and they lead to an increased excretion of nutrients, by being toxic to the beneficial bacteria of the intestinal tract,
• Soy should always be avoided, because the high levels of phytic acid that it contains reduces the assimilation of magnesium, calcium, copper, iron and zinc. Soy also imbalances the hormones, which exaggerates issues caused by malnutrition.
• Tea and coffee contain naturally-occurring fluoride, so those who currently have cavities should limit their intake until the cavity is healed.

Do not brush or attempt to clean the teeth with lemon juice, or acids. Similarly, abrasives such as baking soda should not be used whilst attempting to heal a cavity, and these things should only be used occasionally by people with good dental health. The ideal toothpaste will include both calcium and a phosphorus containing ingredient, such as monocalcium phosphate. It should never contain fluoride.

Antibiotics cause tooth decay in multiple ways. They reduce the assimilation of nutrients by triggering an artificial immune response with their mold-based bio-toxins, like most pharmaceutical drugs do. Antibiotics additionally kill the beneficial bacteria. The mouth is similar to the gastrointestinal tract in that there is always the presence of two types of microorganisms. Candida albicans (or just simply “candida”) is the yeast that ferments sugar inside the human body. It is known for eroding the teeth with its acidic wastes. It is also responsible for bad breath and a plethora of health issues cataloged in the article about allergies. In a perpetual war with candida is a beneficial bacteria that is known as flora. Flora is much easier to kill, and when it dies, candida flourishes. Flora is killed by a variety of chemicals and toxins, and it is vital to helping a body digest its food.

Sugars should be avoided as much as possible, and carbohydrates should be reduced while attempting to heal cavities. Fructose specifically causes a decrease in phosphorus, which is one of the reasons why sugar contributes to cavities. Cavities are certain to occur whenever there is phosphorus depletion, because contrary to popular belief, the teeth (like everything else in the human body) are always in a process of being slowly destroyed and rebuilt. Sugars stimulate yeast growth.

It is not possible to heal cavities on a vegan diet, and it would be challenging on a vegetarian diet. The nutrients that are needed for good dental and bone health do not exist in adequate quantities in vegetable sources. Persistent dental problems are the most common reasons why vegetarians and vegans return to healthy diets.

When a cavity is healed, the area where it previously existed often turns black. This is purely cosmetic, and there are no health implications. The discoloration is likely to be permanent. Any dentist who notices it will drill it, if you are foolish enough to let him.

Toothache Remedies

The remedies being provided are meant to help people obtain temporary relief from toothache pain. If these steps are used perpetually, but no effort is made to heal the cavity, then it may eventually become impossible to heal. This could result in serious complications; for example, a brain infection.

• Clove oil applied directly to the the troublesome tooth is known to be very effective. If clove oil is not available, a paste can be made using ground clove powder and olive oil. The paste can then be applied directly to the tooth.
• Vanilla extract, applied directly to the tooth using a cotton ball. Ensure that it is real vanilla, not an artificial flavoring.
• If the toothache is the result of wisdom teeth entrance, simply using menthol-based cough drops may be enough to reduce the swelling and provide pain relief. Read the ingredients in such products to avoid artificial sweeteners or other unacceptable ingredients.

Dr. Weston Price’s Book, “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration” is out of copyright, and may be freely downloaded from our archive.

This information has been made available by Ready Nutrition