One of the most popular articles on this site is how I healed my child’s cavity using the protocol recommended by Dr. Weston A. Price DDS, a dentist who penned the incredible book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration back in the 1930s.
Granted, the cavity I healed was an early cavity .. it was a hole in one of my child’s top front incisors and it filled in within weeks to be as smooth as the teeth next to it.
But what about a tooth with a really bad cavity? What if the cavity has actually eaten into the pulp of the tooth and your dentist recommends a root canal?
Guess what? You can save these teeth too.
The protocol for healing teeth even in such a state of complete degeneration is described in the book Cure Tooth Decay by Rami Nagel. This article on saving damaged teeth without a root canal provides a compelling testimonial of this approach.
I had the privilege of talking to Rami personally at the Wise Traditions Conference last year.
I have no doubt that our conversation helped to enable me to heal my child’s cavity some months later and write about it hopefully helping thousands of people in the process do the exact same thing.
Watch this video featuring Rami Nagel which describes the diet required to avoid and heal teeth at risk for a root canal. Even teeth that are in need of an immediate root canal can be helped.
If you have teeth in such a severe state of decay and think there is no hope, think again. Proper, traditionally based nutrition can work wonders even in these types of situations where the teeth need root canals. Make sure you listen through the whole video to be sure you understand Rami’s description of all aspects of the diet required to heal root canal teeth. It’s much more involved than taking a couple of supplements. There is no quick fix.
In addition, the diet required to heal the root canal teeth needs to be continued so that the problem does not re-emerge in the future.
Avoiding a Root Canal with Dietary Intervention Alone
Need A Biological Dentist Who Understands the Dangers of Root Canals?
I get many requests about who I recommend as a truly holistic, biological dentist. If you are looking for one, I recommend Dr. Carlo Litano of Natural-Smiles.com – (727) 300-0044. He sees young children as well as adults. Be sure to tell Dr. Litano that The Healthy Home Economist sent you and get 10% off your first visit!
Reference
More Information on Nutrition and Oral Health
Toddler’s Severe Tooth Decay Halted in 5 Days
Whiten Your Teeth Without Dangerous Chemicals
Resolving Periodontal Problems with Bone Broth
Coconut Oil Stops 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?
Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Totally Unnecessary
Baking soda and salt is one of the issues that I cannot decide if it is good for me or not. I read that some people love it but then some people say that it is too abrasive for the teeth.
I would suggest giving plain baking soda a try and see how it works for you. Abrasion has a lot to do with how hard you press the bristles of your toothbrush into your teeth and gums, but you do need a bit of it to scrape the tougher tartar and plaque. As I said, I am a huge fan and cannot imagine going back to paste, but that doesn’t mean you have to love it. Good luck!
Well it’s to late for some of my teeth (In the last year I found out that a ton of dental work from the past was making me very sick!) but I’ll be doing all I can to keep the rest of my teeth healthy. I’d like to share my experience, I had 4 root canals that I had collected over the past 15 years. At the recommendation of a good Dr. and great dentist I had them pulled this summer – they revealed infection and cysts on the roots!!! Amazingly enough I started feeling better within the next month and a stubborn skin rash of more than 6 months finally disappeared along with a foot rash I’d had on and off since college (almost 15 years!). None of my previous dentists even once mentioned any other options or any concerns that a root canal could be harmful! I wish I would have known more earlier on.
Elizabeth, you had the actual tooth pulled? Is there now 4 gaps in your mouth or did you get implants or something? I’ve had a ton of root canals, more than I can even remember so I’m interested in your results. Thanks
I was hoping for some feed back on experiences with the FCLO with Butter oil. I bought the chocolate cream flavor hoping that my children would take it.
Well, we received it and I did expect that it would smell bad and possibly taste very weird, but bad and weird would be very mild words to describe it. I honestly don’t think that anyone could stomach the stuff. I thought that maybe my reaction was just worse at the time for some reason, so I had my mom and sister (as well as three of my kids) taste it and they all thought it was awful, even though we have all taken other fish and cod liver oil that tasted very fishy and bad – this by far was the worst thing we have ever tried.
Is this a common reaction? I’m wondering if the batch we got is not good for some reason? I was really hoping that we could take this because we have Celiac and really need to replace vitamin stores.
Some folks really hate it and others (no joke) love it. The most popular flavors in my experience coordinating large group orders for folks in my area are the liquid FCLO cinnamon flavor and the butter pecan flavored butter oil.
So just choke it down and get the better flavors next time. 🙁
Sarah K.: The first time I ordered the FCLO/Butter Oil combo, I too went with the Chocolate Cream. Wow. That stuff is ridiculously awful. I didn’t exactly expect it to be delicious, but this was out of hand. Based on some tips I found online, I put the bottle in the fridge (it becomes more solid this way), scooped out the dose with a small spoon and used my finger to slide it in the back of my mouth, WAY past my tongue. Then I took a “shot” of apple cider vinegar to wash it down like a pill. Swish with a little ACV to get rid of any other traces of the oil. Wash your hands really well, as the smell lingers. I used the same procedure with my (reluctant) husband, except after swallowing, I’d throw a small piece of dark mint chocolate in his mouth. The FCLO is expensive and after discovering WAPF and NT, not taking it was just not an option. We finished that bottle a few weeks ago and this time around I ordered the Cinnamon Tingle. I cannot express what a dramatic improvement this flavor is! I still use the spoon/pill method, but I can just chase it down with whatever drink I have handy…no need for the ACV. The remaining cinnamon taste is actually pleasant and not the least bit fishy. Tough out the Chocolate Cream and get the Cinnamon Tingle next time. I promise it’s better. I even increased my dose a little to get through the first bottle more quickly…not the most economical practice, but that stuff is ROUGH. Hope that helps!
Our first bottle was the chocolate too, which has been by far the worst we’ve tried. I agree that Cinnamon Tingle FCLO/BO blend the best. My kids were also fine with the emulsified CLO (peppermint flavor), but that doesn’t have the butter oil in it. I put our CLO on the end of a butter knife and my kids take it off and then I give them a quick sip of something (raw milk or water, depending on the child), and they are fine. My youngest 19 months (just opens up for it and takes it straight). I know Kate at Modern Alternative Mama says her kids LOVE the chocolate and ask for it, calling it their “special chocolate.” Impressive! 🙂 Good luck!!!
Sarah and Caren, thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it.
I’m hesitant to take anymore of it because I feel like I am taking something that is bad for me when I tried it. I could be wrong, but I really think it might be bad. I noticed when I received it that it was very warm, so I put it in the fridge and let it get cold before I tried it. Could it possibly have gotten too hot during shipping and gone bad?
Caren, If I had to try to describe the flavor I would say it tastes like a dirty diaper smells. Would you say that it tasted like that to you? It just doesn”t seem like something that is good for you should taste that extremely bad.
Thank you both again for your thoughts and advice! I”m sorry for all the questions.
I’ve never had the chocolate FCLO butter blend, but my 3 daughters (6, 5 & 3) happily take the cinnamon tingle. My 11 month old daughter has the unflavored blend which I tried once… I immediately thanked God for the cinnamon tingle as that plain stuff is B-A-D! Cinnamon all the way here, too! 🙂
I’m a wus and bought the stuff in capsules. Yea, I’m a renegade! lol
Sarah, call Green Pastures and tell them your concerns, see what they say.
I have awful teeth, my whole family does. My son unfortunately has some issues with his teeth as well. His front two teeth grew in brownish and have gotten worse. I found “cure tooth decay” a few months ago and have been giving him CLO and butter oil as well as raw milk, cheese and yogurt. I buy the emulsified as I KNOW he wouldn’t tolerate the fishy taste and no matter how good something is for you, it won’t do any good if it isn’t taken so I tried all three flavors. My son doesn’t like mint so that didn’t work, he wasn’t thrilled with the licorice but he tolerates the ginger. I buy it in bulk. If you buy 6+ you get them cheaper I think it’s $34 so that’s what I do. I also buy the butter oil from NutraProIntl http://nutraprointl.com/2010/01/27/grass-fed-butter-oil-2/. Not sure how it compares to GP as neither has any real numbers or info so you can’t really compare but it’s a ton cheaper. I get the bigger bottle, buy them 2 at a time to save on shipping. I have noticed that my teeth are less sensitive. In my son, it’s hard to say. It looks like it’s getting a bit better or staying the same, I don’t think it’s gotten worse. I also brush his teeth with Montmorillonite Clay (Terramin) and give him some spirulina in a smoothie with raw milk and or yogurt.
Interesting blog Sarah. I have to say that I gave up on commercial toothpaste about 2 years ago and now I could never be tempted back.
When I was a kid I was completely cavity free, which somewhat flies in the face of the Traditional Wisdom, since my diet was awful and I became seriously overweight in my teens. ANYWAY, I had my first cavity at about 17, but it, and the successive cavities dentists have “found” were really only surface divots I didn’t even know were there. But dentists kept telling me they were a problem and I had to have them filled. So my first advice to parents would be: if your child is not in pain, don’t buy the dentist’s story!
In my early 20s I started having dermatitis reactions to toothpastes, and finally two years ago I stopped using toothpaste in favor of a homemade powder which has both saved me loads of money, and improved the condition of my teeth. The recipe:
Herbal Tooth Powder
2 Tablespoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried powdered ginger
3 drops peppermint essential oil
Every time I go for a cleaning, the hygienist is impressed, even though I’m not a flosser. I think diet is the main ingredient for healthy teeth, but rubbing chemicals and sugar alcohols is counter-intuitive.
Awesome! That’s just about the same recipe as what I’ve been making. Definitely wish I had known about it sooner. I love it and will never go back either. I haven’t ever tried putting powdered ginger in mine. Is there medicinal purposes for this, or what is your reasoning behind adding that? Just curious. May have to try that. Thanks
Melissa,
I got this recipe from Natural Health Magazine’s 1001 Natural Remedies by Laurel Vukovic. It is the best home remedy book I’ve read, for ease and common sense. This is what the book says about adding ginger and peppermint:
Baking soda whitens your teeth and freshens your breath. Sea salt tightens the gums. Peppermint oil and ginger fight bacteria and provide flavor. Mix the ingredients and store in an airtight container. Use half a teaspoon of the powder each time you brush.
I am a complete zealot about the powder, really…and the book!
Awesome! Thanks so much! I’ll have to look for that book!
please please do not wait until your child is in pain. If it hurts, there is likely nerve damage and a traditional dentist will recommend a root canal (or an extraction). Dentists love to “find” problems. If one suggests a filling, please find an alternative or holistic dentist in your area and request a second opinion. At many places you can get a free second opinion for your child (we often offer free second opinions ourselves).
Those divots are typically not a big deal and Yates often caused by grinding (or just chewing). Always get a second opinion. But if you wait until your child is in pain, you run the risk of him or her losing that tooth. Second opinions are so much easier.
That is awesome!! Last time I went to the dentist about 7 months ago I left with a $7,000 bill estimate for cavities needing filled & 3 root canals. I left in tears needless to say and haven’t been back. I went in because I had a large swollen abscess on one of my teeth as well as swollen face which obviously was told it needed an immediate root canal. Well haven’t had any of the work done & pretty much refuse to. I just recently within this past year changed our diet to being more traditional. Soaking, sprouting, fermenting, sourdough, kombucha & kefir, organic, and local meats, eggs & raw milk & fclo. Have liver stocked up in my freezer but unfortunately can’t seem to get it down. Sarah, I’ve tried your chicken pate but still have trouble eating it. Do you know of any other ideas or great recipes. I love a lot of your other recipes it’s just this whole liver different taste thing I have a hard time not gagging. 🙂
Anyways I did a round of antibiotics to help the abscess to go down & it came back a couple other times till I did some google searching and switched to brushing my teeth with baking soda & unrefined sea salt. I was using spry with glycerin before. The baking soda mixture has really been my saving grace. Since switching to brushing my teeth with that the abscess has not returned & my teeth and gums are not anywhere near as sensitive as they were and no pain either! I also add a hint of peppermint oil & tea tree oil to it to give it a fresh minty taste.
Melissa, for the liver, try mixing a little with ground meat to make chili or meatloaf or some other beef recipe. Chili is good because the spices and tomato sauce cover the liver taste.
$7,000! When dentists have a large and vested financial interest in a particular way of thinking (i.e., cavities don’t heal and that root canals are beneficial) this does indeed sway what they recommend to their patients no matter how they protest to the contrary.
This explains why the vast majority of dentists refuse to acknowledge the cavities can heal with proper nutrition and why the American Dental Association blackballed Dr. Price when he wrote his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration as well as his 1000 page book on why Root Canals are dangerous and harm health. His only son died of a root canal that he himself put in which is what propelled him to examine root canals in the first place.
This is so true. Money is far too important to those professions we trust to heal us, and profit is what far too many treatment decisions are based on., not the health of the “patient”.
Your comment is so true. It’s frustrating as a holistic dentist to see dental schools still teaching dentists that a root canal is good (please, avoid root canals at all costs. Close to 50% of the people who visit our practice and were diagnosed as needing a root canal do not even have decay in the first place).
We have been seeing some great results using ozone therapy in our practice with all kinds of decay (as well as some gum problems). If you’re not already familiar with it, check out some info online. We have a podcast about it (http://naturaldentistry.us/2578/ozone-therapy-a-holistic-approach-to-your-health/) and a couple of articles, but please, if you haven’t already, check out ozone therapy.
To your health!
Dr. Marvin
The Center for Natural Dentistry
YOU ROCK Dr. Marvin! THANK YOU for commenting! I just love to hear from folks that are actually in the dental profession bucking the system. I hope you get tons of phone calls from my readers who live in your area.
I swallow small bits of raw liver that has been frozen for at least 14 days as suggested in this post: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2011/10/the-real-food-fountain-of-youth/ sounds gross but you truly can not taste it at all! i absolutely hate liver but eat it this was for the health benefits!
Linda & Anna thanks so much for the advice on ways to eat liver. I will definitely have to try both of them. I’d love to start incorporating that in our diet. I had thought about capping them in gel caps at one time but it seemed like an awful lot of work for a little tiny bit 🙂
Sarah, I didn’t know that about Dr. Prices son. How sad. Well I can’t imagine anything in the world that would make you research and find what went wrong anymore than that.
Yes, such pain he must have experienced causing his son’s death indirectly. Nothing would open the mind more to other possibilities would it?
Thank YOU for your website. It’s always good to find people who agree that there is and should be a different way of doing things. You have a great site. If you ever need information or want to do an interview, please let me know.
We have hundreds of articles on our site. We are all about education — whether people become a patient or not. You have a right to the knowledge and information and we always welcome questions and comments. Everyone should have the chance to make informed decisions about their health.
I’ve ben hearing about how dangerous root canals are but where can I find details on how, why, the dangers etc?
Oh my. I love liver and so happy I do. I put lime or lemon juice on the beef liver and let it sit then saute it in a little butter. It’s the rest of the dish that makes it for me. Tons of sauteed onion, bacon and a bit of rice. Chicken livers have a stronger taste. Try baking them wrapped around a piece of chestnut then a half slice bacon around both. Now. I’ve never eaten heart but would love to try it. Anyone got a good recipe for heart?Don’t give me any with tomato sauce or cooked tomatoes. Unless the tomato is cooked long enough to turn a brown color, I don’t like them cooked. My chili cooks till you can’t tell a tomato was ever put in it! Thanks
I love heart cooked in a crockpot, long and slow. Sprinkle all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in the crockpot and cover with sliced onions and a few peeled garlic cloves. Pour about a cup of beef broth around it all. Cook all day on low. Delicious! You can throw in a few diced potatoes & carrots, etc, if you want.
I’ve been swallowing frozen raw liver for several months now. I just had my yearly blood work done and was surprised to see that my iron levels DOUBLED.
You can also suck on cinnamon sticks to kill infections in the mouth.
Oil of oregano, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda should all help.
xTry adding a little port wine to chicken livers sauteed with onions. It tastes delicious! (The alcohol cooks off.)
I brush my teeth with xylitol. Bacteria cannot survive on surfaces covered with xylitol. Xylitol actually helps build up tooth enamel.
I use coconut oil to help whiten my teeth. Coconut oil is a great nail whitener, especially after I’ve been in the garden.
I will try the other toothpaste powder recipes.
Where do you buy xylitol and how do you use coconut oil?
Melissa, have you tried liver and onions? Maybe it’s not your forte either. Like Linda said below, meatloaf is a great idea. Add some garlic for an added taste if you like it. I grew up on liver so I like it. Heart, that’s another thing. I remember eating cow tongue as a kid and couldn’t handle the taste buds on mine. I haven’t eaten it since.
I love learning that our bodies can heal without medicines and surgeries. I have to admit I’m not having a lot of confidence in my dentist. Listening to him in the video, he’s not even going to a dentist anymore. I’ve been thinking that I don’t want to do the x-rays anymore. I would like my son not to have them either, but he’s not on a real food diet.
It is so empowering to know the choice is in our hands, not the dentists.
Very, very interesting… I’ll have to see if I can get ahold of this book.
I downloaded the Kindle version from Amazon. You can read Kindle books on your computer or smartphone.
FYI: My local library got it for me from another library. I could keep it for 3 weeks.
Teeth Needing Root Canals Can Heal with Diet Alone – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/Esg9kiDh
Hi Sarah,
Why do some people, like your son, still can get a cavity even when they are eating a traditional diet? I’ve always wondered this because even Weston A. Price still found some cavites in most traditional societies.
A cavity can occur after an infection or illness when the body needs the nutrients for some other more important purpose. After the infection clears, the cavity heals on its own if diet remains nutrient dense.
Also, sometimes there are genetic factors. Each tooth corresponds to an organ system in the body. If a particular organ is having difficulty, sometimes the corresponding tooth can have issues – either temporarily or permanently depending on whether the issue is resolved. I’m sure there are other reasons, but know that when these problems crop up that the teeth can heal if action is taken.
I’ve never heard this before. Is there a chart that shows which teeth correspond to specific body parts.
Yes, there is a chart. Holistic dentists usually have one. There may be one online too if you google.
I had never heard of this either but just did a quick search and wanted to share this site that has a pdf chart:
I found this http://naturaldentistry.us/holistic-dentistry/meridian-tooth-chart-from-encinitas-dentist/.
Thanks for the reference to our site, Bree. There is also one for the iPhone and iPad on the app store. Just search for “Tooth Chart”.
Thanks Bree for sharing. Looked at the chart and this totally explains why my thyroid just happened to start to have problems after my root canal. The teeth that correspond with my son’s liver have cavities (he had liver cancer last fall).
I seen the tooth chart at my biological dentist last winter. It only encouraged me to get my fillings replaced. It really showed how much they were effecting my body as a whole.
We now know how the decay mechanism works.
When we eat a healthy diet LOW or absent in processed sugar there is a flow of fluid from the pulp of the tooth to the exterior of the tooth. This liquid washes all food and acids off the tooth surface and NATURALLY protects the tooth from decay caused by most EVERYTHING. A diet of processed sugar REVERSES the flow. Now decay causing substances ENTER the tooth.
Just one more reason to completely avoid processed sugar.
http://healthyprotocols.com/2_tooth.htm
Hi Erica,
It is true, that everything in the body is connected, every part, every energy, meridian, etc.
However, it primarily all starts with our emotions and subconscious mind.
Why do some people get diabetes, while others get pancreatic problems, etc.
I had a problem with my 2 teeth, and I saved them both! When I analyzed what happened, I realized that it started with emotional issue.
You mention the teeth can be filled with “natural” filling materials. Can you point me in the director a list of these materials? I got some jacked up molars!
I would recommend a consultation with a biological dentist. There are a number of types of composites available, and a good dentist will test you to see which one is least reactive for you. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/natural-biological-dentist/