What could be so wrong with minimally invasive dentistry? Sounds like a good idea right? Actually it’s anything but.
Minimally invasive dentistry involves detecting a cavity when it is very small and doing small treatments – removing small amounts of tooth structure and putting in small fillings.
Proponents of this type of dentistry (both conventional and holistic dentists) cite the benefits of having tiny parts of the tooth removed and tiny fillings placed as opposed to having large holes drilled and large fillings placed.
Minimally invasive dentistry gives people the false impression that they are choosing something healthy for their teeth by having small amounts of tooth structure removed, and that the dentist doing small treatments and fillings is providing a great holistic service to people.
Of course when you give someone those options – small filling or big filling – everyone is going to agree that a small filling is better. But what is so disturbing about minimally invasive dentistry is that it implies the only options are small or big fillings.
But there is a third option that people are not told. And that option is to have no filling. If you had a choice between small, big or no filling, now tell me what you prefer. Personally I prefer no filling, and I bet a lot of other people do too.
Catching tiny cavities and putting in tiny fillings is really not helping people. See, these tiny cavities are actually totally reversible. People don’t need tiny holes drilled in their teeth – they need to be told that they can remineralize their teeth and harden up the small soft spots.
Dental Textbooks Acknowledge Ability of Cavities to Heal
Don’t believe me because you’ve never been given this option before? Here is a quote is straight from my dental school textbook:
“It has been shown experimentally and clinically that incipient caries [small cavities] of enamel can remineralize.” – Sturdevant’s Art & Science of Operative Dentistry 4th Edition, 2002
A few reasons why remineralizing your tooth is a far superior choice over minimally invasive dentistry:
- Having a filling in your tooth, no matter what size means dedicating the rest of your life to needing it repaired and replaced (fillings don’t last forever).
- Fillings of all sizes are susceptible to recurrent decay, especially if the underlying cause of the cavity has not been addressed (and it is not with minimally invasive dentistry)
- After remineralizing your natural tooth you certainly won’t need to keep seeing your dentist every so many years to have it replaced! In fact, remineralized teeth are more resilient to cavities in the future.
“These discolored, remineralized, arrested caries [cavities] areas are in-tact and are more resistant to subsequent caries [cavity] attack than the adjacent unaffected enamel. They should not be restored unless they are esthetically objectionable.” – Sturdevant’s Art & Science of Operative Dentistry 4th Edition, 2002
(Another quote straight from my dental school textbook. Makes one wonder why it is not promoted in the modern conventional or holistic dental office…)
I was once talking to a dentist friend of mine about small cavities. She said, “Oh I don’t bother observing them. I just go ahead and fill them. What is the point of watching a cavity just get bigger and bigger?”
But why does she think there just two options, big or small cavity? What about the third option of remineralizing it or healing it?
A lady told me that she went to see a very well known holistic dentist who gave her tons of options for how to remove her daughter’s small cavity and tons of options for different materials to fill it with.
But no option to heal the cavity (which by the way the lady and daughter did do, thankfully).
Remineralization Does Not Occur Using Fluoride
I like to make sure I mention the term, ‘healing,’ because certainly there are some dentists and hygienists out there who promote remineralization of teeth but only through the use of fluoride.
Using fluoride does not heal our teeth. Healing our teeth involves naturally restoring the lost minerals from our teeth by addressing the underlying local and systemic cause(s) of the cavity in the first place. And as much as the toothpaste companies would love for people to think so, cavities are not caused by a lack of fluoride.
Naturally remineralizing or healing one’s teeth can be rather simple for some people and incredibly challenging for others. For some people it can be as simple as cutting out some garbage foods and drinks. It may mean adding in some real food or taking fermented cod liver oil. For others it involves a massive change in their lifestyle and dietary habits.
No matter what amount of work you put into naturally remineralizing and healing your teeth, I promise you that your teeth and the rest of your body will thank you.
It’s time to stop sticking band-aid treatments in our mouths. Regardless of whether they are small band-aids or not, fillings and other dental treatments cover up our ability to take control of our health and healing capabilities.
The power to live a healthy life does not lie in the hands of your dentist, hygienist or any other practitioner. You have the power.
More on How to Remineralize Teeth to Heal Cavities
The book Cure Tooth Decay outlines in detail the dietary protocol for remineralizing tooth enamel. According to the author Rami Nagel, the most important two dietary steps for remineralization include a daily dose of fermented cod liver oil (NOT regular cod liver oil) and regular consumption of raw, grassfed dairy.
If you go to a dentist and they recommend crowns and root canals, asking a minimally invasive dentist for his or her opinion just regarding those problem teeth, and letting them know you don’t want to do any drilling of any smaller cavities, can probably be a good idea. It may save you a lot of natural tooth structure and money, and if they don’t do a root canal on you, it could save your health.
I think this article title is misleading, it should say something like – minimally invasive dentistry is the future of dentistry, just make sure to be fully empowered and refuse all small fillings.
After all, minimally invasive dentistry is going in the right direction in trying to save as much tooth as possible, they are just missing the whole remineralization component at the moment but eventually that will be another means to be minimally invasive and they will catch on and train people to remineralize as part of their practice. There are already a few dentists out there who do this like this guy, who doesn’t drill small cavities and instead uses a resin infiltrant (I don’t know what that is but it sounds better than drilling)…https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140503122748-21525104-eliminate-tooth-decay-2014-update?trk=mp-reader-card
This sounds and is probably just as great as oil pulling, but oil pulling isn’t for those with silver fillings, so would this not be a good choice either? I’d like to try both, but I do have some old fillings.
Hi have been pulling oil for several years and I have silver fillings 30 years old. I have not had any problems with the oil pulling.
l stopped with the routine dentist ‘well checks’. If my teeth hurt I’ll see one.
That’s genius….wait until you have an irreversible problem and then see the dentist….it’s not a “well check”…..it’s to monitor for problems, educate, rule out pathologies…..face palm
I agree with Heather that you should still have a checkup.
Hasn’t worked for me. I bought the book ‘Cure Tooth Decay’ and have done the dietary recommendations. I’ve done an overhaul of my diet, including liver, raw milk, lots of bone broth soups, and cod liver oil, gotten rid of almost all phytic acids, etc.
I feel great, but it certainly hasn’t fixed my teeth. In the last year, I’ve actually gotten 3 new cavities!
It’s been about 18 months of eating this way, with the last 6 months getting really strict on myself, and it didn’t even stop the decay, let alone heal it.
I seem to be susceptible to tooth issues- I used to eat lollies all the time and rarely brushed my teeth for a few years in my younger days. I’ve had to have a tooth pulled and over a dozen fillings over the course of time. And I’m only in my mid 20’s.
I’m very holistically minded, and am very healthy otherwise. I have never been on antibiotics (till early last year, for a tooth infection).
I have had 4 babies within 6 years, which puts pressure on tooth issues, but the issues started before that.
I’m gonna keep on with this way of eating(mostly) because I know it’s good health. And maybe I need to replenish minerals over the long term?
You can help reminerlize your teeth with eating lots of veggies. Even better, juiced veggies and fruits. Do them ahime, and don’t buy the ones in the shelf for they contain lots of sugar. The minerals and antioxidants will halt bacterial growth and metabolism, put your mouth’s pH in a more basic or alkaline state which bacteria hate. Try it.
You can try oil pulling. Put 1 tbsp coconut oil or sesame oil and swish in your mouth for 10-15 mins. OP will remove toxins from your teeth and gums and it may even help remineralize small cavities. It’ll certainly help slow or stop the growth of small cavities.
Drink 2 cups tea daily. Compounds in tea, green or black and not fruity, will inhibit bacterial growth. Daily tea drinking is not only good for you, it’s great at attacking oral bacteria.
Finally some of my own remedies. Rinsing with hydrogen peroxide for 5 mins twice daily is great at killing bacteria. Look for abtoothpaste with ACP, which is phosphate and can help remineralize more effectively than fluoride. Try daily ACT rinses. Rinse with baking soda for 1 min. Probably the best remedy as it is very alkaline or basic, and is toxic to acid loving bacteria. The pH of cavities is very very acidic. Finally, chew on 1 or 2 Tums daily and chew them slowly and even leave them in your mouth for a few minutes to raise the pH.
Hope this helps.
Dr Alfred
Dr Alfred,
You blew me out of the water, so to speak, when you said to take Tums!!
The only reasons tums has a cheap type of calcium in them. is because Tums Robs your bones of Calcium…
All anti-Acids robs your bones of calcium..
Surprisingly it is more of a Acid food, not a Alkaline food.
My 16 yo son has never had a cavity. It seemed to actually disappoint his dentist. Then one day the dentist said he found two tiny cavities behind my son’s front teeth. He had to drill and fill, he said. I was very skeptical because his health was good and eating habits were same as always – very good, organic, Weston price, with a few treats here or there. When I asked more questions, the dentist was evasive and vague. That was our last visit. We changed to a holistic DMD who said there were no cavities. Buyer beware.
Judy.
Just about the samething happened to me.
I went to a new Dentist to get my teeth clean, and he told me , I had two little cavities behind my two top teeth and the bottom.
I just had them filled by another dentist..
When I went to my friend who is a Dentist , he told me I did not have any Cavities there at all.
I never realized that some dentist are liars for the money.
My dentist friend said, the two front and bottom teeth are the easiest to fill!!
I’m thinking the dentist that your son was seeing, might of realized that since your son had such good teeth, you might not be coming back, unless he had a cavity to be checked!!!
What if your allergic to cod and dairy?
Liver and fish eggs are an alternative.
One dentist I went to said my natural tooth paste was no good because It has no flouride. I use earthpaste and alternate with baking soda and coconut oil toothpaste and do oil pulling and my mouth feels good. When I went to the 2nd dentist a month after I asked her about the cavities the other dentist said I had and she told me there wasn’t any and she knew about coconut oil pulling. so I attribute it all to using products that work in good harmony with your body and don’t have junk ingredients just the same with what you eat. You eat junk you get junk results.
It is recommended to eat plenty of raw grassfed dairy to help. What can someone replace that with if there is a dairy allergy?
you can eat sardenies , whole food alge calcium supplement
James, when the dentist tells you you are brushing too hard, he means you are brushing too hard against your gums and loosing gum tissue. I have that problem too. Is there any holistic treatment to restore gum tissue?
In all reality you can’t brush too hard. Issues with receding gums, if surrounding gum health is good, is attributed to clenching or grinding of the teeth, especially at night. Inquire about a nightguard or occlusal guard to help retain the bone around the teeth. When we clench/grind at night we are placing micro-pressure on the bone. With this pressure the bone moves away (just like in orthodontist but with orthodontics there are resting periods where the bone can remodel). In a healthy state the gum tissue is 2 – 3 mm from the bone so this is why the tissues appear to recede in the absence of gum disease.
I hate going to the dentist, when they first scrape my teeth with those metal tools, then tell me I’m brushing too hard, where is the irony in that? They scrape so hard to get plaque off it hurts my front teeth, and I don’t get no numbing agent. Then they try to convince me to buy a $200.00 toothbrush! I even clean the plaque off with softer tools bought from the store, they try to find a new place to scrape. The one cleaning my teeth tells me I need to clean better, then the manager comes in and tells me I take care of my teeth very well. lol