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
It’s amazing to pay a quick visit this site and reading the views of all mates regarding this paragraph, while I am also zealous of getting knowledge.
Sarah – My favorite saying from my studies is – For every great oak was a nut that stood its ground – As another naturopathist it is basically the same old -same old people calling us quacks I have been trying your suggestion and purchased Dr. Price’s book and it has been working on my 5 year old – it is natural so time and perserverance are very important and I hope people stick with it for as long as you tell them too. I read through some of the comments you have above and wanted to share a story from my work experiences in the last 15 years – I am a neuromuscular therapist and worked with a woman who had a severe neck injury from a car accident and was permanently injured from the neck down. Basically she lost use of her legs – torso and hands. I started working with her 3 years after her accident and well proof in the work – one day I did a psoas treatment on her and her leg lifted right off the table. She looked at me and I looked at her and at the same time we both said “did you do that?” That was the beginning of a glimmer of light – she had a small piece of the puzzle to work with and day in and day out she worked on controlling the muscle and eventually assisted standing and walking – she was also able to get her liscense back with an accessible van. This isn’t a lie – someone out there may find hope in reading this and therefore this passage is for you. Those of you who think it is a lie and need to spread your toxicity into our positive universe- take it somewhere else because we really don’t want to hear about it anymore , we have educated ourselves on what we are speaking of with life experience not Merck manuals, and frankly find something better to do with your time rather than creating such negativity in a positive place. Sarah, I find all of your suggestions accurate back to information I have studied from European Naturopaths and I thank you for putting this out there for all of us who work in the same field as you and continue to do so because we want to help – not because of our stock portfolios. Thank You
Jen!
tell me something, did the healing that you spoke about happened after a change in nutrition? =) are the two things you mentioned linked?
tk
Marco
Marco, The point I am making is that the body is so amazing in its own ability to heal itself, we actually have lived quite some time before the intervention of modern medicine and modernized foods. What we have also lived with is the fear and misunderstanding of how long it will take for our bodies to heal, and the fact that a healing crisis will most undoubtedly occur. If we would listen to our bodies own intuition and give it the time and perseverance that it deserves we may find it will give us back exactly what we are searching for. I think the average person probably spends more time on the computer daily than time on helping themselves with good nutrition, exercise, mind relaxation and bodywork. Perhaps we all need to learn from this and start helping ourselves rather than creating fear and panic in others.
I fully agree with you.
At the end it’s all just back to basic intuition, to me nutrition and physical degeneration are very strictly linked and it makes perfect sense to say so.
People should also learn that nutrition is a course of experience and every person has to embrace his/her own since everyone is different.
My question was more towards what you said about the woman you worked with.
I’m amazed at what happened, do you think that has to do with something she ate? Or her spine was not completely compromised so she recovered?.
I’m curious =)
tk
M.
In a neuromuscular treatment you are palpating for taught muscle fiber that isn’t quite responding correctly to stimuli. In many cases a twitch response can occur when muscle has atrophied and become ischemic, very similar to a muscle spasm. This response was what occured when I treated psoas major on my client for possible trigger points, at the time I thought it could have been a one time twitch response so we continued the treatment each week I returned. Week after week the response to the treatment stimuli grew stronger – nutrition – probably not she had been in a traumatic car accident and was depressed and not eating well – the bodies way of reacting to natural stimuli – absolutely. Her spinal cord was not completely severed so there was still nerve connection through the cervical area that was injured, however she was in a wheelchair for 3 years prior to me stepping into the picture and unable to walk or stand on her own. This one treatment started her on her way to being able to become semi independent again. I am sure some scholar can give a text book response to exactly what happened however in the many years I have been practicing and the tens of thousands of hours I have into bodywork I can say that I have proved many diagnosis’ wrong, and of course the reason why I used this as an example is because it involved the spinal cord a quite complex area of the physiology of the body. One might say that if the body could do such amazing things like this from a spinal cord injury than why would it be absurd to think that we couldn’t heal a cavity.
I know a woman who suffered the same type of injury when she was 15. She is now 36. If you can offer any information on how she can heal I and she would be so grateful.
I was wishing to try the tooth cavity protocol and was wondering if there are there any alternatives one can use for the fermented cod liver oil ? The reason being is I have always been allergic to all fish oil products and seafood products. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks.
Do you think this would work for a tooth that keeps absessing. My husband has already had a root canal. The dentist now wants him to go to a specialist. He has had this same tooth get infected several times. It goes into his sinus and causes a lot of pain, puss, and infection. Thank you.
Kirstian, You really need to find a DDS that does ozone!!! My daughter had this and you can email me at [email protected]. She had more abscesses on her body too. It is a detox by the body but the ozone kills the bad stuff and removes it also!!! Where do you live? I will send you the web site that has Drs that do this!!
Hi Sarah, do you know if it will work for adults? I’m definitely interested to see if this is also applicable for all ages. One of my sister recently called me because she found a cavity on her tooth.
Thanks for this great article Sarah 🙂
This is very interesting. I’m very open to information like this and believe nutrition is key in all areas of health. But I would really like to have read a verifiable statement from your dentist (or, even better, more than one dentist) with photos, stating that on first examination the cavity had existed and then after your treatment it had disappeared. Maybe next time, not that I’m wishing cavities on anyone’s children!, someone using this method could do so. It would be very convincing. I think quite often really important information is let down by a lack of evidence. And yes, amassing enough evidence, studies etc is expensive and drug company conspiracies etc, but anecdotes don’t convince anyone except those who want to believe. Best wishes to you.
Hi there … Do you have any suggestions from your reading of Dr. Price’s book on how to minimize/eliminate “craze lines”? I’ve googled it some and can’t find anything helpful. Thanks!!!
Love this post, Sarah. Interesting to see well-meaning dentists weigh in with warning of doom for people following this protocol. They can see that when the population at large understands and adopts traditional diets, doctors and dentists will become obsolete. Dr. Weston A. Price found healthy tribes eating animal foods with high vit. A, D, K2 who had no dental decay, cancer, arthritis, degenerative diseases, or mental illness. These people had no need of dentists, doctors, or prisons. We modern people will find our way back to radiant health. And that day is coming soon.
The dentists that have commented here are pretty scary. I wouldn’t want to end up in their chairs. Yikes!
I hope I am not one of the scary dentists you were referring to. We believe that nutrition is INCREDIBLY important in preventing and halting tooth decay. This was a HUGE part of our education. It will not fill in a cavity though, that is what we are refuting, that’s it! The reason cavities are filled is they are incredibly hard to clean and make the risk of the cavity getting worse exponentially higher. Don’t believe me because I am an archaic close minded dentist, here is a direct quote from Dr Price: “Note that this mineralized dentin is not vital, nor does it increase in volume and fill the cavity.” This in reference to the changes he saw with existing cavities when the diet was changed. They stopped getting bigger and that’s where it ends.
The reason these tribes didn’t have decay is because they ate reasonable diets and didn’t overindulge on foods like we do or drink soda, etc. After we eat something the bacteria in our mouth go into overdrive producing acids, demineralizing the enamel surface. The saliva comes in and neutralizes the acid while at the same time remineralizing the enamel. Well, if we eat a snack 30 minutes or an hour later the saliva hasn’t had a chance to catch up. you do this enough and eventually enough enamel is lost to form a cavity.
For anyone in Europe – the best value supplier is http://www.funkyraw.com – is around GBP 35 for 120 capsules versus $85 most other places online.
Funny. That’s about what it costs to get a cavity filled…. except the supplements are an ongoing cost. Who is it that’s getting $$$ here, exactly? The filling is a one off, the cavity due to the fact that I stopped taking flouride for about two years.. yes, FLOURIDE.
I have remineralized soft spots (NOT cavities) with flouride.
I have read Weston Price, and am a believer and user of many complementary therapies. Sadly, I kind of thought Price was full of crap. Just go to the dentist people. It’s not that bad. Promise.
When I first started using fermented cod liver oil and butter oil about a month ago, the taste was pretty bad. After watching the video and swallowing my cod liver oil with some water or milk, I’ve gotten use to the taste. I put the high vitamin butter oil in the frig and it tastes great now. Unfortunately, I ran out of the butter oil and Radiant life is always out of the high vitamin butter oil and I couldn’t afford to order more than one bottle. I ordered two each of the butter oil and cod liver oil from green pastures, but don’t have any idea when it was shipped or when it will arrive. When something is shipped by ups it’s easy to use the tracking number, but with fed-ex, I can’t find out anything. If you get to liking these products, order more than one of each and everytime you get down to just one of each, start looking for more. If I could get raw butter or cream to make my own butter, I would probably just use the fermented cod liver oil and eat lot’s of raw butter. Since I started taking probiotics and using the cod liver oil and butter oil, my stomach pain has just about gone away and I’m off the Nexium which I had been taking for years. I also had my right hand break out and bleed and stay sore all the time and that has healed nicely. I don’t have many teeth, but hope with these nutritional remedies and good hygeine, I can take care of what I have left as long as I live. Thanks Sarah, I value your advice and the other readers posts are informative, also. Beware the experts, they have sank a many ships. The experts also don’t want us to use raw milk, butter or use natural healing agents like cannabis. I wish I had purchased Nourishing Traditions and Dr. Cowan’s book years ago. I want to ask my endo doctor to prescribe natural adrenal gland extracts like Dr. Cowan and Dr. Rice, but I may just have to find a homeopathic doctor for this problem. The hormones I have been on for the last two years have added 40 lbs to my waist line and I need some relief.