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
@Melinda, i saw a comment you posted via email follow up and cannot find it anywhere on here….regarding not to fill a pinhole unless sure it’s penetrated the dentin. i was going to get a hold of the xrays today to bring to another dentist that work better under our insurance (ie: less money out of pocket for us) and will ask specifically about this. can you email me personally for a few other questions? val dot uria at gmail Hope you see this, thank you
To all you dentists out there: (this is from an article) Do you argue the verity of these facts?
How many types of fluoride are there?
Sodium Fluorideis used in most toothpastes, mouthwashes, dental varnish, dental preparations and nutritional supplements. This same form of fluoride is used as an insecticide and pesticide, as a preservative in glues, as a growth inhibitor for bacteria, fungi and mold. Sodium fluoride is also used in making steel and aluminum products. Added to molten metal, sodium fluoride creates a more uniform metal. Other industrial uses for sodium fluoride include glass frosting and wood preservatives. Sodium Fluoride is also used in the manufacture of chemical and biological weapons. Although this form of fluoride can be used for water fluoridation, the next two forms listed are almost always used due to cost.
Calcium Fluoride(CaF2) is compound of calcium and fluorine which occurs naturally as the mineral fluorite — also called fluorspar. Most of the world’s fluorine comes from calcium fluoride. Fluorides in general are toxic to humans, however CaF2 is considered the least toxic, and even relatively harmless due to its extreme insolubility. Moreover, calcium is a well-known antidote for fluoride poisoning. When an antidote exists in combination with a poison, it makes the poison far less toxic to the body. Calcium fluoride is the form of fluoride commonly found in natural, untreated waters.
Fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) is commonly used for water fluoridation. This form of fluoride is a toxic liquid by-product, acquired by scrubbing the chimney stacks of phosphate fertilizer manufacture. Other names for it are hexafluorosilicic, hexafluosilicic, hydrofluosilicic, and silicofluoric acid. The CDC approximates that 95% of our water is fluoridated with fluorosilicic acid. )
Sodium Fluorosilicate (Na2SiF6) is primarily added to public drinking water as a fluoridation agent. This same compound is also used as an insecticide and a wood preservative. It is a classified hazardous waste by-product of phosphate fertilizer manufacture which, if not put into our drinking water, must be disposed of at hazardous waste facilities. Other names for it are Sodium Fluosilicate and Sodium Silica Fluoride.
So the kind of fluoride in toothpaste is not the naturally occuring kind. By the way, the kind of fluoride, an industrial waste, added to our water has been shown to lower IQ.
I think I just found a few tiny cavities in my own mouth! 🙁
Does the cod liver oil have to be fermented? I’m finding a few different things online (I live in a rural area, I can’t necessarily find everything around the corner)… Does it have to be liquid or can it be a capsule? Same questions, I suppose, for the butter oil? Or is raw butter okay? Can it be melty or does it have to be bitten into? Thanks!
I hope you get this… I know it’s been a while since this was posted. Looking forward to your reply! Hope all is well!
I wanted to let you know that someone has taken this post and put it up as their own at project.nsearch.com/profiles/blogs/how-i-healed-my-child-s-cavity She does include a link to this post but otherwise it looks like she wrote it.
I am a DDS, in Hamilton, Ohio. Unlike bones, enamel of teeth has no vascular system in which it can regenerate. The tooth picture with the article shows a bicuspid and not a lateral incissor as she describes. Once the decay has punctured through the enamal, it will spread out in the softer dentine under the enamel. The picture shows that quite well. So to get minerals or oil or something to soak in there would be tough. Perhaps load the stuff into a waterpik and blast away.
There is a new toothpaste out there that combine Calcium and Flouride which may soak into teeth to perhaps regenerate the enamel some. Research shows some promise with that concept.
I think that her description of when she poked the “cavity” with a plastic probe, just does not standup. She was probably poking into soft plaque. If she asked her child to thoroughly brush and do that again, the cavity will probably have disappear that soon. Also, the tongue side of tooth usually stay clean and build-up is usually on the cheek/lip side. Persons drinking pop all day long will have cavities out of control along the gumline.
It is the amount of time sugar and the bacteria have on the tooth that is greatest threat, so brush 3-4 times a day and floss out food around you teeth if you want to keep them a lifetime and to keep the dental costs and pain minimal.
Well it seems the time has come to heed this advice! Honestly I’d been putting off trying fermented CLO and Butter Oil because of the cost… instead just focusing on diet. I have always had good teeth and still have no cavities at 39… however, I took my kids to the dentist for a check up the other day and discovered my youngest son (12) has two cavities! One a small hole in a rear molar and the other was a hole in the rear of his right lateral incisor (just like Sarah’s son!) which had gone unnoticed (this tooth had always looked funny since it came through, and the dentist suggested there may have been a weakness with the tooth right from the start which allowed the cavity to develop… I also see this as a nutritional problem).
I have showed my son this article and informed him that I’m buying some CLO and butter oil capsules (he looked horrified!) but hopefully he’ll see that it’s better than the alternative. He’s obviously more sensitive to tooth decay than his other siblings or me, which means we’re going to have to keep a closer eye on his teeth.
I will be really, really interested to see if this works! If it doesn’t heal the bad cavity (which is quite large… I really should have been checking his teeth but I’m a bit lax simply because I have no experience with tooth decay myself, I just insist on regular brushing and leave them to it) I’m hoping it will, at the very least, help prevent the forming of future cavities.
Has anybody else had any success with this.
Your welcome Caitlin! : ) You have it covered!
Not True. I have been a registerd Dental Hygenist and am now currently in Dental School and this is absolutley not true.
Sally,
I have been a dental hygienist for thirty five years. I am an orofacial myofunctional therapist. They used to teach about the research of Weston Price in hygiene and dental schools. This is absolutely true. I am surprised you have not heard of remineralization. Though enamel cannot grow back a tooth can be remineralized.
Sarah, A lot of people are wondering about the honey and butter combo, including myself. Can you address how this helps the cavity to heal and where we can read more about it?
Thanks so much.
Caitlin, I am a dental hygienist and a beekeeper! The butter will supply the vitamins A and D plus minerals and lots of other nutrients. The honey supplies the minerals. Honey is a good sweetner but you should not allow it to stay on your teeth long. It will heal skin very fast but will etch the teeth once mixed with the enzymes in your mouth, if allowed to stay on the teeth. It is good to eat with the butter and good for a sleep aid if taken an hour before bed. So I don’t know exactly what you are referring to except the mineral aspect of the honey will reinforce the remineralization of the tooth and we know the benefits of the butter.
Thanks for the explanation Melinda! We don’t eat a lot of grains here and I wasn’t sure if there was a specific reason of having the butter and honey chewed together and on toast. We eat tons of butter and honey as our only sweetener, so it sounds like we have that covered. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Caitlin,
How old is your daughter? I would like to know which tooth to have an idea when it will be coming out. Do not “put her under” to have a cavity filled! I think what you are doing will help and hope it is not long until the tooth comes out.
Melinda,
My daughter is 7 and she has one cavity in her upper left molar in between the back two (on the second to back). She also has one on her lower right, I think second to the back. The dentist said the one up top was getting close to the root. However, she was having pain awhile back when she ate certain foods and no longer is. I’ve introduced some herbal mouthwashes and changed toothpastes and added in the butter oil and a lot of chicken broth. I think my downfall was assuming that she was doing a good enough job brushing her own teeth.
Thanks for your input, it is so much appreciated!