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, this is amazing. I can’t believe you can actually cure a cavity. I wish I had this info when my kids were younger. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. If you can cure a cavity, is there a cure for degenerative joints and discs and osteoarthritis and torn meniscus. I am in pain all the time. Anyone have any natural cures that can help me. Thanks.
Gina –
Matthew Wood (herbalist) mentions healing a torn meniscus with the use of goldenseal tincture (externally), by rubbing a few drops on the affected area. The goldenseal will not be effective if there is inflammation in the area, keeping it from healing together. So you’ll want to take a natural anti-inflammatory internally at the same time as you’re using the goldenseal externally. With all of the issues you have going on, if I were you, I would be looking into finding a well-trained naturopath, as well as an excellent chiropractor. Also, you might check out the book “Earthing”, as some people with chronic pain have found relief using the method described there. Don’t give up searching; in trying to find a natural solution, you’re bound to stumble across a few that won’t work. But there is hope out there, so don’t quit looking for the answers. I hope you find some relief from your pain soon!
My mother has a degnerative disk and has been taking Arthrenew fr Nutrition Express.com It has natural anti-inflammatory ingredients and also Curcumin natural pain reliever,MSM for regenerating the soft tissue in the joints and Glucosamine Chondroitin do similar things.Try it it might just change your life:) The Lord’s healing hand touch you dear, Psalm 103:1-5.
Very impressive! I just went Monday to have two cavities filled. Guess what? They weren’t there anymore! I was just there TWO weeks prior and the cavities were diagnosised with a DIAGNOdent.
They tried two different machines on me because they couldn’t understand what was happening. I just smiled. They would never believe that teeth can be healed. In all honesty I’m awful at taking my cod liver oil and the only thing I tried was going on a primal diet with tons of animal fat.
Keep up the great work Sarah!
It’s amazing how quickly they heal when you get the nutrient dense animal fats back in the diet! I won’t be making the mistake of letting my kids lapse on the butter oil ever again, that’s for SURE! I’m glad it happened though or this post would never have gotten written.
But everyone is always dissing animal fats saying they are high in saturated fats,that they raise artery clogging cholesterol …about the calories? Please elaborate.
Watch the movie “Forks Over Knives” or read “The China Study” (T. Colin Campbell) and “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” (Esselstyn). It will show you clearly what animal fats and animal proteins do to overall health. Especially the heart disease book.
Hi Shay. I loved learning about the China study, and it sounds so legit. I will say that I have not done a lot of research, and am a pretty standard internet scourer. I try to be careful about preaching something to someone simply because I read a few articles online or watched a few documentaries. There is a plethora of conflicting studies and research out there. Have you seen the documentary “Fathead”? He talks about the role carbs play on our health, and according to the science he shares, carbs can cause much of the same problems they claim animal fats and proteins do. So, I’m wondering, if many of those people they studied are eating lots of animal product, are they likely eating a good amount of carbs as well? In Fathead, he had himself tested first, then for 30 days ate McDonalds three times a day, BUT, he limited his carbs to under 100g daily. After 30 days, his numbers improved. I think the China Study has some great points, but I’m wondering if they’ve taken everything into consideration. Also, the meat that these people were eating, were they processed and injected, or were they grassfed and healthy?
Thank you for sharing this, Sarah. Just last week I was telling my husband how much better my very sensitive gums and one very touchy tooth felt (couldn’t chew with it for 1 1/2 yrs), which all started when I was sick 7 weeks ago (fever/chills/cough/aches/congestion) . I downed lots of extra chicken bone broth during those two weeks, and as I healed I noticed my mouth feeling better too. I can now chew with that tooth! I must admit that weeks prior to the illness, I had become more regular with flossing and I attribute both to my mouth healing. Never underestimate the power of good bone broth!
Sarah, is cultured butter as healthful as raw butter? I purchase vat-cultured butter that is vat-cured with live active cultures (Sierra Nevada Cheese Co.). What brand of raw butter do you use, or do you make your own?
Hi Corinne, my wonderful deep yellow raw butter comes from my local dairy farmer. I love it. It is full of the fat soluble activators and down here in FL with the cows on pasture in the sun, chock full of vitamin D too I’m sure.
I’ve never heard that ghee is equivalent to butter oil – butter oil is an extracted fraction of raw butter, not just raw butter with the milk solids removed – right? If it were just ghee… $50 a bottle is a rip.
Hi Mati, the Green Pastures raw butter oil has the milk solids extracted by centrifuge (just like Dr. Price made it) so it is raw whereas ghee is not. If you get a group order together the price comes wayyyy down, so it is much more affordable.
OK, I’m still confused. If it’s just removal of milk solids, what is the advantage (for people who can use whole milk products)? I’ve made ghee and the milk solids are are small percentage of the total weight. In addition, the butter oil has a relatively strong “pasture” taste vs. raw grassfed butter. I don’t see how they can be equivalent. If they are, I can just up our consumption of raw butter and cream much more pleasurably (and inexpensively) than taking a supplement.
That’s the other issue – my daughter loves raw butter, so do I – but she won’t take butter oil and I’m none too fond of it either. It just seems to catch at the back of my throat. I have two bottles of the regular, scoopable “liquid,” , not gels/capsules, that I don’t want to waste. Any suggestions on how to take this without tasting or “urping” it? We have no problem with the CLO – she calls it “cinnamon drops” and just likes a little elderberry concentrate after.
Thank you so much for sharing this testimony! I am SO very impressed that I am not even writing my blog tomorrow, but just putting in the link to your story. Again, thank you…what a blessing!
~’Clee’, The Nourished Nana
Hi Cindy, how wonderful! I am glad that you are finding the testimonial of help for your readers. Best to you and thanks for the link! 🙂
Blogspot was down last night and a good portion of today, but I did finally get a chance to share your story. I’m still amazed and thrilled. 🙂
Hi Sarah,
I love your post! Actually, I always love your posts, lol! Are some people more susceptible to nutritional deficiencies? I rarely had cavities when I was young, and I never ate an “ideal” diet until now. However, I didn’t eat candy or sugar very much during that time either. I wonder if it’s because I’m the oldest in the family, and my mother ate a lot of fruit and meats while I was in her womb. My younger brother who is a year and a half younger than me is more easily susceptible to cavities. My mother was consuming more junk food while she was pregnant with him. I can eat the same SAD diet that he’s eating, and still won’t get cavities unless I’m eating a LOT of junk.
Hi Erica, as Mom’s nutritional stores go down, her later babies will be born with more degenerative problems. Cavities are one of these problems. Also when babies are spaced too close together (less than 3 years apart), Mom does not have time to replenish her stores (especially if she is breastfeeding). and these problems can crop up from this as well. This is why traditional societies took such GREAT CARE to space children no closer than 3 years apart and to provide special superfoods to Moms and Dads so that nutritional stores were optimal BEFORE conception.
Amazing! Thank you for posting! My son’s too love the deep gold butter on their toast each morning. What a great testimonial. I agree with the parenting, always tell my friends that you can protect your child but you should not shelter them 🙂 There is a big difference.
The other day I cought my husband telling an adult couple about sprout fed eggs and how much better tasting and better for you they are, I almost fell over 🙂 While he is gung-ho about eating it, I never thought he would be preaching it! hahaha, my little testimonial too 🙂
Also- since I have switched our toothpase over to the Young Living Theives Ultra, not one cavity in our house of 5 for 2 years since we switched!!!! My husband has horrible teeth from growing up out of the US and no dental or steady nutrition, he was always having to go in for root canals and yucky stuff at the dentist, not once since the Theives Toothpaste switch. My last check-up, the dentist told me she wanted MY teeth! So funny, I keep telling them what I use so maybe one day they will stop telling me to use flouride??? I too have had many a cavity growing up without dental ins. and raised on Kraft. Knowledge is power. Thanks again for sharing your evidence.
Natasha..what is Young Living Theives Ultra and where can I get it?
Looking at ingredients on Youg Living Theives toothpaste. Any kind of substitute sugars like xylitol, run risk of being made with GMO corn and probably aren’t best for health. But good thing you’re not ingesting it. Xanthan gum also could be derived from GMO corn.
Thank you, Sarah for this wonderful and inspiring post!
Excellent post! So well rounded. I am filled with hope and inspired. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this!
okay, so, i have 2 kids. my 4 yo had 2 cavities. i’m sure butter oil/CLO will work for him.
my 2 year old has amelogenesis imperfecta. there are only 3 teeth in his mouth that do not have cavities. the dentist wants to pull 2 of his teeth and give him root canals/stainless caps on 11.
any advice? i REALLY don’t want to have ANY of that done.
we already eat as TF as we can. we live in a VERY small town in the middle of the desert so it’s tough to get quality foods. we order as much as we can online but we aren’t rich, ya know?
Going on the GRAIN FREE GAPS diet was the key for us. We needed this diet to halt the decay. We ate NT for years and it just wasn’t enough for our family.
Shari
Hi Shari – yes, for sure grain free is the ticket for some with decay issues. Sometimes extreme measures are warranted but it is good to know that the decay can be arrested even with simple changes like what I did with my son.
Hi laura b,
I was reading through this post as it was sent to me as a joke that is circulating through the dental community. When I came upon your question, I could’nt help but notice that Sarah, the so called health professional, has not responded. That is because amelogenesis imperfecta is a serious medical/dental condition that requires professional treatment. As a board certified and nationally recognized doctor of dental surgery ( i.e. a dentist), I can not sit by and let this go. You need to go back to your dentist and take heed to his/her recommendations or visit another licensed dentist for a second opinion. Doing nothing will ONLY cause unnecessary harm to your child.
Good luck.
Hi adam,
She’s not a “so called health professional” but a “healthy home economist”. Please read my comment to you above. My dentist is a also a board certified and nationally recognized doctor of dental surgery and treats and supports patients through the WAPF diet before doing invasive dental work. You need to read Dr. Weston Prices’s work before you ignorantly speak out against it.
Well said, Emily.
Hi Adam,
I am a dentist too, a maxillofacial prosthodontist, with many years of studying under my belt (studying including way more than 1 book by one dentist that everybody here keeps quoting), and I feel compelled to tell you to stop wasting your precious time on trying to educate people that obviously aren’t looking to be educated, just to defend a point made by someone with no credentials or studies to back their claims. I wonder what will happen when one of these people (and inevitably it is going to happen), wakes up with an abcess, and excruciating pain, and am just amused at the thought of them popping all these butter pills in the hope of making their tooth decay disappear their tooth magically “regenerate” :))) That’s just hilarious 🙂
Well, it’s been over a year now and my son is still fine. No hole, no cavity, no abcess and best of all, no money paid to a closed minded dentist who doesn’t even bother to read the dentistry bible like Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Dr. Weston A. PRice DDS. Complete and utter arrogance.
I am with you, Sarah. I am tired of the arrogance displayed by almost any “health professional” that I have visited. Doctors and dentists who are unwilling to continue learning (as if they have learned everything there is to know )are the uneducated ones. I am sick of being treated like a second class citizen when I choose another means of treatment or lifestyle than my Doctor has advised. It is the medical profession’s own fault if they lose the support of the majority of the thinking public. I have stood in my doctor’s office and after reading an article from his own medical book that was suppose to change my mind, pointed to the facts and dangers , and he never let it go. I have not been back. No one is swearing at me and getting my business!
Just because some dentist can blind themselves does not mean I have to.
The reason car insurance for bad drivers is high is obvious insurance people play the odds like bookies. Bad drivers are high risk. Medical malpractice insurance is extremely high for doctors. Wonder why? Is it true over 90,000 fellow American human beings die from doctors malpractice? In 1975 i was told i needed bypass surgery for my heart problem. I decide not to go to a human doctor. I went to the one who created the doctors and the universe: Jesus Christ. I am still here and doing great thank God Almighty. Go to the doctor you live closest to. Doctor Jesus never lost a patient
Pulling teeth on a 2yr old! That sounds sick and archaic and who knows how many toxic chemicals those caps carry,gold is better.This adam guy must be really hard up for patients or is really threatened by the effectiveness of the power of nature.Which one do you think it is ;)….Act quickly dear and God give you wisdom:)
Hi,
In my opinion, I would never let a dentist root canal my childs teeth , This was suggested for my own children at one point ! Don’t do It ! Find a better dentist , preferably a HOLISTIC dentist and read the Book.. “ROOT CANAL COVER UP”