If you ask most people whether or not you can heal a cavity, the answer you would get 99.9% of the time is that it is impossible.
Even conventional dentists would agree with this assessment. Ask a typical dentist at a routine cleaning whether you can heal a cavity on your own and he/she is likely to look at you like you’re crazy (I know this from experience).
In stark contrast to this current conventional “wisdom”, Dr. Weston A. Price DDS wrote of numerous situations in his dental practice back in the 1920s and 1930s where cavities healed with no need for drilling and filling. Dr. Price discovered through research that cavities are caused by nutritional deficiency and when this nutritional deficiency is corrected, the cavity heals.
Biological dentists also understand and teach their patients that teeth can remineralize naturally when the diet and microbial conditions in the mouth are conducive to the healing process.
If you think about this in an open-minded manner leaving all preconceived ideas about cavities behind, doesn’t this make sense? Shouldn’t the body be able to heal a cavity just like it heals a broken bone or a cut on your arm? Why would teeth be any different from a broken wrist after all?
Having read Dr. Price’s epic work Nutrition and Physical Degeneration some years ago, I’ve been of the school of thought that cavities can indeed be healed with proper nutrition for some time. But believing something intellectually and knowing it works from experience are two very different things, are they not?
For this reason, I am very excited to relay to you a recent story regarding one of my children. You see, my oldest child (12 years old at the time) developed a cavity in his top right lateral incisor. It was behind the tooth right on the gumline. My husband noticed it one night as he was checking his teeth to see if he was doing a good job brushing and flossing (he’s way too old for nightly brushing by Mom or Dad).
There was a definite hole in the tooth and not a small one either. My husband called me over to take a look and I was alarmed to see the hole and I used a rubber-tipped tooth probe that we have on hand to check how deep it was. The tip of the probe went way into the hole. There was no doubt that this was a cavity, and we both agreed that we needed to get it filled pronto.
Our reasoning was that the incisors are very prominent teeth and taking a chance that the nutritional approach would not work quickly enough to save the tooth was a big concern for us especially given that our soon to be teenager’s diet could likely not be controlled closely enough to ensure rapid success.
I called the dentist right away and made an appointment. In the meantime, I began insisting that my son take 3 butter oil capsules every morning along with his normal, daily teaspoon of fermented cod liver oil. I’ve always been pretty strict about the daily cod liver oil dose before school, but a bit slack about the butter oil along with it to be perfectly honest.
Not anymore. With this big hole in the back of his incisor, I knew that he needed to take both together. Dr. Price discovered that cavities healed faster when these two therapeutic and nourishing oils were taken together.
The dental appointment was a few weeks out, so I continued with the butter oil capsules every single day. I also told my son that he really needed to go back to his breakfast of two slices of toast each morning with raw butter and honey. This instead of tahini and honey which is what he had been having in recent months.
He was fine with that as he loves raw butter and had just gotten out of the routine of having it every morning. Did this simple change of breakfast have an impact on the development of his cavity?
Probably.
I didn’t change anything else. He didn’t go off grains and he still ate the occasional sugar junk that he gets at school (ugh). It was Easter time too so this type of stuff was rampant. He is almost a teenager, after all. Try to take all grains and sugars out of their diet and you are going to get a rebellion. Kids need to learn some things on their own.
I’ve found you can’t protect your kids from this stuff and raise them in a bubble. You can only teach them to be wise and they will learn moderation on their own over time.
On a side note, I was pleased to see that at a party following his class’s Poetry Day that he bypassed the big bottles of soda and Hershey bars. Amazingly, this junk was being handed out by the parents afterward (no, I’m not kidding).
I was very very proud of him. He knew that eating that stuff would give him a couple of zits for sure and make him feel lousy all afternoon and probably the next day too. We Moms have to celebrate little victories along the way, don’t we?!
Anyway, back to the cavity story.
As it turned out, the day before his dental appointment, the receptionist calls to say that the appointment needed to be rescheduled as the dentist had to unexpectedly go out of town for family reasons. This pushed out the appointment for another couple of weeks, but all the while, we continued with the 3 capsules of butter oil with a teaspoon of fermented cod liver oil after a breakfast of 2 slices of raw butter and honey toast.
Last weekend, I decided to take a peek at the cavity to see if it was getting any worse. It had been about a month since my husband discovered it and I was a bit concerned given that it was one of his top front teeth. I took a flashlight and he tipped his head back and I looked, and looked, and LOOKED!
NO CAVITY!
That’s right. There was no hole at all. It had completely filled in and was as smooth as the tooth next to it. I told my husband and he took a look too. He was delighted to see that the hole was gone.
I took the probe and pressed around just to be sure and confirmed what my eyes were telling me – the cavity had indeed healed over.
I will still be taking him to the dentist to have a check-up but there is no doubt that there is nothing wrong with that tooth any longer.
The best news of all is that I changed very little to get this tooth to heal. He didn’t use coconut oil pulling or any special remedy. He simply continued on his normal, nourishing traditional diet at home with the lapses that typically occur at school and playdate events. We added the butter oil with his daily dose of cod liver oil, and he substituted raw butter for tahini on his toast every morning. The butter oil added critical Vitamin K2 to his diet which supercharges the absorption of the Vitamins A/D in cod liver oil.
That’s it!
I hope you find this story encouraging! Dr. Price’s research really does work in practice!
Dentist’s Conclusion After Examining My Son’s Cavity
This brief update has been added since the original posting date of this blog. I did indeed take my son to the dentist to have a full examination and there was no cavity to be found anywhere in my son’s mouth. A hole was there, the hole is gone. Nutrition can indeed heal cavities!
Diet not only heals early cavities, but it can also heal severe ones where a root canal is recommended. This article on avoiding root canals details that scenario.
Please note that a cavity in a tooth that has already been drilled and filled in the past cannot be healed. Please see a dentist right away to have that cavity filled with non-toxic materials (not mercury amalgams).
Also, a tooth that is cracked or has had part of it broken off cannot be healed with diet. Again, consult with a dentist to have that situation properly handled.
Best Cod Liver Oil and Butter Oil to Heal a Cavity
Please click here for where to buy cod liver oil and butter oil. Note that any old store brand of cod liver oil is not going to work for healing cavities. These brands contain synthetic Vitamin A and D and are heavily processed. Only use these vetted and tested brands to ensure quality results.
Click here to watch my video blog on how to make ghee if you are not able to order butter oil where you live.
Also, this article which provides photographic proof cavities heal can help you see the visual results.
Child Needs to Be on Traditional Diet
Please note that if your child is not on a healthy diet already, the addition of cod liver oil and butter oil (for Vitamin K2) alone will not be sufficient to heal a cavity. A diet consisting primarily of convenience foods that resulted in a cavity problem cannot be rectified with a couple of superfood supplements. It will definitely help and may prevent future cavities, but won’t fix existing ones.
For more information on the diet necessary to heal cavities including high vitamin cod liver oil and butter oil, read the book Cure Tooth Decay.
A Second Cavity Healed!
In May 2017, the same child mentioned in the story above healed yet another cavity. This time he did it all by himself (he is 18 years old now). He noticed a small hole in one of his front teeth. Like the last time, the early cavity was right along the gumline. It was also on the front of the tooth and easy to see in the mirror. I am kicking myself now that we didn’t take before and after pictures!
He asked me what to do about it, and I referred him to what we did 6 years earlier to heal a hole in one of his lateral incisors. He hadn’t been taking much cod liver oil for awhile. So he immediately went back on 1 tsp raw, extra virgin cod liver oil per day (which we are now using instead of fermented liver oil). To supercharge the absorption of the Vitamin A/D in cod liver oil, he also doubled his Vitamin K2 intake (180 mcg/day). Finally, he cut out the few sweets he was eating. Within 2 weeks, the hole was gone!
Please note that instead of butter oil to add K2 to the diet, this time he used a potent natto extract supplement. Both butter oil and natto extract contain the critical Vitamin K2 necessary to heal cavities. It is best used synergistically with cod liver oil for optimal and fast results. Butter oil contains MK-4 and natto extract contains MK-7. This article contains more discussion on MK-4 vs MK-7 forms of Vitamin K2.
Diet is Always First to Heal a Cavity Followed by Cod Liver Oil/K2
My son felt very empowered by the experience. Please note that other than lagging on his cod liver oil/K2 supplement regimen, he was eating an excellent Traditional Diet. Certainly no fast food (ever), candy or soda. Junk to him is a piece of pizza at a party and sweets are a couple of organic cookies after a quality whole foods dinner.
As a Mother, there is nothing better than knowing your children have learned from your efforts raising them and are able to successfully put traditional health into practice for themselves as young adults.
Where to Find a Biological Dentist
I get many requests about who I recommend as a truly holistic dentist. If you are looking for one, I recommend Dr. Carlo Litano of Natural-Smiles.com – (727) 300-0044. Be sure to tell Dr. Litano that the Healthy Home Economist sent you and get 10% off your first visit!
He sees children and does phone consults too!
More Information
Child’s Severe Tooth Decay Healed with Diet
Whiten Your Teeth Without Dangerous Chemicals (that will eventually destroy the enamel)
Healing Periodontal Problems with Bone Broth
Natural Alternative to Baby Teething Gels
Coconut Oil Stops Oral Strep Bacteria from Damaging Tooth Enamel
Cause of Crooked Teeth
10 Signs Your Dentist is Truly Holistic
Could the Cause of Your Illness Be Right Under Your Nose?
Wisdom Tooth Extractions
Wow… these are some rediculous claims. I bet she believes in the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause too. Now, where to start breaking apart her lies. First of all, to think that anything injested into the body would ever reach a carious lesion (a cavity for you non-dental folks) through the blood stream is ludicrous. This ignorant lady has stated that a cavity should heal like any other part of you body such as you wrist. Well, you wrist has a blood supply to it, through arteries, capillaries, and veins. You tooth does as well, however, it only reached the pulp of the tooth (the soft tissue in side the tooth). The blood supply has not way to reach the lesion. Furthermore, the cavity is caused by 1 thing and 1 thing only. Bacteria. Does it have to do with nutrition as she says? Yes, but not the way she describes it. As bacteria feeds, it produces acid. Acid is actually what causes the cavity, not sugar. Sugar, however, plays a huge role. Bacteria love to eat sugar and the more sugar they eat, the more acid they produce, The more acid they produce, the faster you cavity progresses. So, given the fact that a tooth’s blood supply is on the inside and does not reach the outside of a tooth where the cavisty actually starts, how do you explain how “nutirents” you are injesting get to the cavity. It is simply not possible. Next, where else do you find people quoting 1929 junk science as fact? If it were true, it would be repeatable (the true test of any scientific writing or experiment), and every dental school on the planet would be teaching it (as would every medical school, nursing school, high school, junior high school, elementary school, and pre-school across the nation). If it were that simple (and true) everyone would be talking about it. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not listen to the things this quack is saying. I spent 4 years of my life earning a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree and years practicing my profession. My comments are based on published facts that have been proven and tested numerous times. Are there things that can be done to reduce the risk of cavities? Yes!! The best is community water fluoridation. This is PROVEN efffective. Check the reasearch on the website of the American Dental Association.
You give credibility to all the wrong sources. Check your sources – if you haven’t been totally brainwashed already. Have you seen the teeth of once healthy American Indians, once our government decided to heavily fluoridate their water? They had multiple times the rate of tooth decay as unfluoridated populations and lesser fluoridated populations. I have recently been to a reservation – it is sad what our government has done to the people.
Water flouridation?!?!?! Really? You just lost all credibility. Nations that live on high fat and whole food diets and NO flouride in their water have MUCH better teeth than we do! Look at southern mexico. For example. Teeth go bad once grandma and grandpa move to the US. Before that, never had a problem with tooth decay, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, etc. I live in a border town and have heard the stories and see it first hand. Can’t trust everything you read in a book, sometimes you gotta get out and live life a little bit. Outside of the bubble.
True. I do notice that people from other countries tend to have better-looking and straighter teeth. Except for Britain.
Wow. Fluoridation is awful. It poisons the whole body! Btw, I lived without fluoridated water for 32 years and had ZERO cavities and no discoloration. I got my first cavity soon after moving to a fluoridated area. This is also when I started having thyroid problems. You probably also think filling a cavity with mercury is a good idea. Ugh. More proof that an expensive degree (notice I didn’t use the word EDUCATION) is useless in the hands of fools.
hello, I am curious if I can try this method while breast feeding? I have a two month old baby and do not plan on weening him any time soon. Can this upset his system? Thanks.
Carlie,
You may try this while breastfeeding as it is just whole nutritnt dense foods. Lots of butter (raw is best) and cod liver oil. These foods will only help your child’s future.
I agree one cannot grow back enamel. But with proper nutrition including lots of fat and minerals, we can remineralize the tooth. In my daughter’s case the filling was leaking and that was remineralized though the old filling still had to be removed to find a bit of decay underneath the filling. That was removed and ozone gas applied then refilled to then allow the nerve and blood vessels to heal from the infection. So it is not impossible though remineralization is not enamel it is harder then enamel more like glass. And your right we would not want to trap bacteria under that. The ozone oil can help with that. My daughter is an experiment. So far it is working and improving and we are watching closely with ozone treatment. Try cod liver oil and butter sometime to do your own experiment.
I’m sorry to crush your hopes and dreams about this treatment, but it is impossible. The ameloblast, which deposits enamel as the tooth is developing is completely obliterated when a tooth erupts into the mouth. There is NO possible way to “heal” a cavity. All teeth have the ability to lay down what is refered to as sclerotic dentin in response to bacterial toxins and byproducts, but many carious lesions are too aggresive for this to be of any benefit and left long enough will penetrate even this barrier. Please, don’t fall into this practice, especially for your children. Don’t doom them to a life of edentulism.
Hi, Just wanted to share with you a story about my daughter. I am a NTP and dental hygientist. She developed an abscess (after being at school in St George, by the way, where she was fed horribly) We used the Redmond toothpaste, butter lots and lots and colloidal silver and coconut oil swishing. I was not going to have a root canal that would haunt her the rest of her life. But the Standard of care these dentists are taught in school is so bad, I could find no one that would work with me. She ended up with surgery as the abscess was behind the bone and gave her such great pain it had to be drained. I had just been to a study club of myofunctional therapists and heard a talk on ozone. This is normally used in root canals as they are doing the procedure. Also used on the gums to kill bad bacteria.
I decided I would try just the food and supplements. As I was going along and the tooth had remineralized on the outside and there was no opening alongside the original filling of this lateral incisor and she seemed to be getting better, the dentist that does ozone near us emailed me and asked how she was. I told him what I was doing and he said I should add ozone to that. Before he had been politically correct because he did not know me then my friend had dinner with him at the dental convention and told him I was ok. haha So she has had ozone which they do not do for this purpose, to save the tooth and prevent root canal AFTER an abscess, but do it in Europe routinely. The ozone kills the bad infection and cleans it out of the body. She had her beautiful smille back and no bad filling in the tooth though they did refill it with a good material and there was some decay under the filling but not to the pulp! So ozone just helped it to continue to heal with the nutrition and supps I was doing. Oh, I used the ozone oil along the gum each night also. A sample I got from the dentist who did the talk. I am now going to a course to be certified in ozone therapy and though it is for the dental practice I expect to use it as I do CO2 in Buteyko Breathing, the ozone oil can do much also. The best treatment however is to eat as we do nutrient dense food to prevent this all in the first place tho the dds still thinks sugar had nothing to do with it.. We know better!!!
Sarah, could you please fix the link: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-how-to-make-ghee-butter-oil/ It isn’t working, and I would like to see the video. Thanks!
Should I give my kids the Butter Oil Cod Liver Oil Blend or just purchase the Butter Oil separate from the Cod Liver? Do you know how much I should give a 1 year old and a 4 year old?
I just have to say that these methods sound very good and I am willing to try them. Dentists- I dont care how many years you have “under your belt” of education and what not you have never benefited me. So now I will take matters into my own hands.
Don’t be mad at your dentist when you needed a $150 filling last time, but need a $2000 root canal and crown the next time you go in.
HG causing me to vomit daily during my pregnancy I believe has weakened my formerly great teeth, can I take the butter & oil while nursing my baby? What about if I were pregnant again? For a toddler?
Hi Sarah
This is a very encouraging story. My son, who has ulcerative colitis, is home from college for the summer. Because medications (prednisone and Remicade) have not helped him, he has finally agreed to try SCD. It’s been a week and he’s doing well. I had a nasty shock yesterday though – he complained that his gums hurt and in looking in his mouth I was horrified at the condition of his teeth! His previously straight, clean teeth look like he hadn’t brushed in months! He swears he brushes and flosses every day, and after doing some research on the internet and talking to a nurse friend, it appears his year-long prednisone intake is responsible. I wanted to cry; he used to get comments even from schoolmates on what nice teeth he had!
More web searches have led me to hope that strict adherence to SCD (we do grass-fed butter and I am ordering a yoghurt maker) as well as supplementing with K2 (he already takes Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin D) will help restore his teeth to some degree. I wish the MD or pharmacist had mentioned this side effect (and shame on me for not doing more research when he started the medication).
I would appreciate any other suggestions you might have.
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