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Does your young child have dental cavities? Do dental issues run in your family? Did you know that most dental decay and orthodontic problems are caused by a lack of essential vitamins in the diet? And the good new is you can reverse and heal your child’s minor tooth decay naturally and reduce the need for braces later on in life. Let’s take a look how…
Let me begin by remembering that dental caries (or cavities) are not only caused by bacteria in the mouth. Our teeth, just like the rest of our bodies, have a natural cycle of break down and regeneration. And when our bodies are not adequately nourished, this cycle becomes imbalanced and the natural remineralization and regeneration of the enamel does not happen, leaving us at risk for decay.
And crooked teeth are not just something that runs in families. Dr. Weston Price showed in his studies of indigenous people that as folks moved away from their traditional diets to diets full of grains and processed foods, their facial structure changed, they developed crooked teeth, and showed less ability to fight off illness and disease.
And with most of the industrialized world now eating a diet of processed, heavily sweetened foods that are lacking in quality nutrients, these imbalances are becoming more common. Dental issues in small children are mainstream. Orthodontists are making bank on all of the crooked teeth that result from poor nutrition.
So, what to do?
All is not lost. There is still hope. Even if your young child has had several cavities or has severe dental issues, you can make a big difference by implementing just a few simple dietary and lifestyle changes to improve their dental health. By supporting your child with healthy nutrition, you can help prevent and even reverse tooth decay and ensure that she/he is getting the essential nutrients necessary for healthy teeth and bone structure.
**NOTE: Please note that I am in no way implying that these suggestions will reverse major dental decay in children. What I have seen in my personal experience is that implementing these strategies can help prevent further decay and can reverse the beginnings of minor decay that may be starting. I have been able to persoanlly revers a bit of decay that was beginning in my own teeth by following these principles.
How to Reverse Your Kid’s Tooth Decay Naturally
1. Serve REAL Food:
Feed your kids quality food. Eliminate processed and packaged food and fill you family’s plates with high quality, season whole foods. Eating a diet of nutrient-dense, fresh foods will ensure that your kids are getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need for proper bone and tooth formation.
2. Eat Fat-soluble Vitamins:
Making sure that your kids are getting adequate amounts of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) will help them to develop strong and healthy teeth and will help the remineralization process of the teeth. The best sources of these essential vitamins can be found in grass fed dairy, pastured eggs, seafood, organ meats and marrow from grass fed and pastured animals, and cod liver oil
. Quality matters when it comes to food. Read more here about the benefits of Vitamin D.
Best Food Sources of Fat Soluble Vitamins:
- Vitamin A: butter, egg yolks, organ meats, fish, shellfish and cod liver oil
- Vitamin D: lard, pasture-raised pork and bacon, wild salmon, egg yolks from pastured chickens, fish roe/caviar, sardines, oysters, beef liver, cod liver oil, and shiitaki mushrooms
- Vitamin E: butter, organ meats, nuts, seeds, and dark green leafy vegetables
- Vitamin K: liver, egg yolks, butter, dark leafy vegetables, and vegetables from the cabbage family
As you can see, the best sources of fat soluble vitamins are good quality meats and healthy fats. Our family takes cod liver oil every day to boost immunity and to ensure that we are getting our Vitamin A and D.
3. Reduce Phytic Acid:
Phytic acids are anti-nutrients found in grains, nuts, seeds and legumes (and some vegetables.) They interfere with our bodies’ abilities to absorb essential nutrients as well as pull essential minerals (like calcium, iron, zinc, and copper) from our bodies. They also inhibit enzymes that are necessary for digestion. People who consume large amounts of phytic acid have higher rates of tooth decay, mineral deficiencies and osteoporosis. (source)
HERE is a great explanation about phytic acids and what foods contain them.
How to cut back on phytic acid:
- Reduce the amount of grains in the diet (bread, pasta, rice, cereal, crackers, etc.)
- Soak your nuts and seeds (soaking in an acid medium, lactic acid fermentation, and sprouting will reduce the amount of phytic acid) To learn more, read THIS.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C blocks the effects of phytic acid (source) Food high in Vitamin C include oranges, papayas, red bell peppers, broccoli, kale, strawberries, kiwis, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.
4. Reduce Sweets – Even Natural Sugars:
Eating sweets, even natural sugars from fruits can lead to tooth decay by causing calcium to be leached from bones and teeth. And blood sugar swings , especially a lot of high blood sugars, can lead to dental decay and disease.
5. Use a Remineralization Toothpaste:
Commercial toothpastes (even the “natural” ones) are often loaded with unhealthy ingredients that do no promote healthy teeth. Do you see fluoride, sodium laurels sulfate, glycerin, propylene glycol, artificial colors or sweeteners (like xylitol) in your child’s toothpaste? No bueno!
Instead, try using a toothpaste that actually helps with the remineralization process of the teeth. It’s actually really easy to make. Really, it is! See recipe HERE and HERE. I haven’t been able to find a good quality one to buy. Would love to hear if anyone knows of one.
Pretty easy, huh?
Your child’s teeth and bone structure is developing, and with just a few dietary and lifestyle changes, you can make a big difference in your child’s dental health and development. Stick with meats, eggs, vegetables, and healthy fats. These foods are high in vitamins and minerals and are extremely nutrient-dense. Ditch the processed foods.
And remember: Optimal tooth and bone development needs 3 essential things:
- a mineral-rich diet
- fat-soluble vitamins
- a diet low in phytic acid
Want to learn more?
There is a great book called Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities
that explains in great detail the connection between what we eat and tooth/bone health and practical steps to heal and reverse decay. I highly recommend reading this book if you want to improve your child’s (or your own) dental health.
Click HERE to PIN THIS!
Have you had experience with healing tooth decay naturally? I would love to here about it. Please leave me a comment below.
photo credit: depositphotos.com / tan4ikk
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Great article! We use Christopher’s Tooth Powder and love it. It’s one of the only one’s that is mild enough for my kids. Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Herbal-Tooth-Gum-Powder-Ounces/dp/B000I4C074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392433870&sr=8-1&keywords=christopher%27s+tooth+powder
Thanks for the tip. Will definitely check it out! Thanks for reading!
Hi, I’m just curious if you can share the research that you used while creating this post?
Thanks!
Jill- Most of my knowledge on remineralization comes from the book that I mentioned—> http://amzn.to/1cTtBPE. It’s great if you want to learn more about healing tooth decay naturally. The Weston Price Foundation also has tons of information on fat soluble vitamins and bone/tooth development—-> http://www.westonaprice.org/ Hope that answers your question. 🙂
This might not work for kids, but oil pulling is absolutely great to combat tooth decay and a host of other teeth and gum problems. My dentist had recommended extracting one of my tooth, which was beginning to decay and was painful. A few weeks into oil pulling, the pain was gone. It’s been two years since, and I haven’t had the need to go back to the dentist for anything else either. My gums are pinker, my breath fresher and my teeth cleaner and stronger.
YES! Oil pulling is great for dental health. I love the way my mouth feels afterwards. The only reason I did not add it is because it is not so easy to get kids to do it. 🙂 Thanks for coming by.
What oil did you use to do the oil pulling
I use coconut oil.
We use Earthpaste for our toddler. I haven’t found anything else yet that I trust. I might be trying your toothpaste recipe soon though.
I have been adding CalMag powder and 20 drops of concentrated trace mineral drops to ur toothpaste as well to make it more remineralizing. 🙂
Hi, what kind of CalMag powder do you add to your kids toothpaste? & tge concentrated trace mineral drops as well? Thank you 🙂
This is the Cal/Mag that I add: http://amzn.to/2c1rx0f
This is the trace minerals: http://amzn.to/2bR8NDl
Hope that helps! 🙂
thank you! I have ordered the trace minerals and have gotten the only version of CalMag I could get here. fingers crossed! It’s been a big eye opener with my son getting his first cavity (at age 4.5), as I am strict on the sugars in our house and eat quite well, so I was very suprrised to see a cavity. :-/ Will be trying a few different things to see what works best. Thanks!
Hi, thanks for your insight. How do I give my 3 year old daughter fermented cod oil? Poor thing has a cavity that I’m hoping to reverse.
I just give it to my little one by the spoonful. But she has been taking it since she was a baby and is used to it. You can offer it with some orange juice. Or elderberry syrup. You can also read this—>http://holisticsquid.com/tricks-for-taking-fermented-cod-liver-oil/ 🙂
Where do you buy your fermented cod liver oil and what brand do you use?
Hi, Emily! I used to use Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil, but have since learned that it is not as good as I thought it was. I am now using an Extra Virgin Cod Liver oil that is a great quality and has a very mild taste. You can check it out here—> http://www.corganic.com/#a_aid=56bbc967d34fb 🙂
Hello! We’re vegan and I just noticed a small white spot on my 2 1/2 year olds tooth. We are more plant based than anything and she’s pretty good with everything in terms of vegetables. I’ve started adding the fatty acid supplements to her food. Should that help? Anything else I can do? I think I’ll change our toothpaste.
Eat Natto. It’s high in K2 which is great for dental health. I just read about it:)
Will this approach also work on a breastfed 1 year old? I went to a pediatric dentist and he said we need to put crowns on her two front teeth but the procedure sounds awful and they want to give her a sedative, they claim her two front teeth have cavities. I really want to avoid procedure if at all possible and take a more natural approach. I have never given her any type of medicine so I’m worried about numbing shot and sedative.
Hi, Amber! It’s hard to say if this approach will work for your child or not. What I would recommend is to get another opinion. I would search out a more holistic dentist and see if he/she has a more conservative approach to dealing with your daughter’s teeth. Even if you do have to do some work on her teeth, these suggestions will definitely help her to have better, stronger teeth. Good luck, mama! 🙂
If her teeth already have cavities, I’d definitely recommend going through with the procedure. “Natural remedies” are great, but putting your child’s future dental health and possibly even their life at risk is not. If there was a “natural remedy” that would make cavities go away, I can assure you we would have heard of it by now and it would be widely used.
The things outlined in this post are definitely all great things you can do to help your teeth be healthier, but I don’t think the author was trying to imply that you can reverse severe tooth decay (ie. cavities) by doing these things.
I have a two year old with a hole in her front tooth that just seemed to appear over night. I am going to start instituting your list of recommendations immediately but I have a question that I can’t seem to find the answer to anywhere. I understand the concept of re-mineralizing soft spots in teeth as I have done that on my own teeth several times now, but I have never had an actual hole.
If we follow these rules with my two year old the hole will stop growing, but will it somehow fill it self in? or will we need to get it filled by a dentist anyway? I would rather not have her submitted to anesthesia if I can avoid it.
HI, Erin! To be honest, I do not believe that following these step will fill in a hole in a tooth. My recommendation is to seek the advise of a holistic dentist who can give you his/her best opinion on how to proceed in the best and safest way for your little one. I would definitely implement these suggestions listed above in order to prevent any further damage to her teeth. I hope that’s helpful.
How important is filling the tooth that has a cavity? My 7 year old has a cavity and if I can reverse it, does it have to be filled? Or just wait till it falls out?
Hi, there! I am not a dentist and cannot really tell you the answer to that question. I do know that mild decay can be reversed. An actual big cavity would need to be assessed by a dentist, preferably a holistic one. I would suggest talking with your dentist to assess the severity of the cavity and see if she/he would be willing to monitor the cavity while you make some changes to improve your child’s dental health. Hope that helps.
Uncle Harry’s toothpaste seems to measure up to the standards. We really like it. Is there a cheaper way to get the vitamins that are in the Cod Liver Oil? I thought the green pastures oil was expensive but the extra virgin oil looks like it’s double to cost. We have five children and are interested in any way to cut down costs on supplements…
Hello, my girl is 3 yr old and dentist told me that her all teeth is affected and full of cavity… Doctor will put the cap on the side teeth and drill or remove the first four upper teeth. This process will take 4 hours. Therefore, she will give anesthesia for thiswe don’t want to give anesthesia .. please help me with your fruitful comment which can help to reverse her bad teeth .
Hi, Summi! Sounds like your daughter has some extensive tooth decay going on. My guess is that it is too late for natural remedies at this point. I would recommend getting a second opinion from a more wholistic dentist. They may have some advice for you to take care of your little one’s teeth in a good way. We switched to a wholistic dentist a few years back and have been very happy. Good luck!
Thanks for your reply.
From today I have started using oil pulling method for her and has clean her teeth from egg shell paste. I hope this will help to protect her permanent teeth.
And I have taken the second opinion as well from the dentist . Dentist will never recommend for natural remedies.
Hello, My son is 3 years old . I brush his teeth twice a day. Today I noticed a very small hole ( like cavity) inbetween his front upper teeth. What it could be, Should I take him to dentist?
Yes, I would recommend taking your son to the dentist if you suspect tooth decay.
What about using Young Living Thieves toothpaste or their kid’s version, Kidscents Slique Toothpaste?
Thieves Aromabright toothpaste: Includes Thieves (Clove, Cinnamon bark,
Eucalyptus, Lemon, and Rosemary), Ocotea,
Peppermint, and Spearmint essential oils.
Calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate.
Kidscents Slique toothpaste: Includes Slique Essence (Grapefruit, Tangerine,
Lemon, Spearmint, and Ocotea with Stevia
Extract) and Thieves (Clove, Cinnamon bark,
Eucalyptus, Lemon, and Rosemary) essential
oil blends. Calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate.
This is what we use.
Both of those are great!
After using the bentonite clay paste is it possible to stain or stick to the decayed area of the teeth? I have a picture of what I’m talking about but I can’t tell if it’s from the paste or more decay. It seems after I started with the paste which is green in color the teeth have now a dirtier stain or greenish build up over the decayed area ??
Hi, Alyssa. I would recommend seeing a dentist that you trust to assess what is going on. They can give you a more educated answer. Hope that helps. 🙂