Cure Tooth Decay
Make Your Teeth Strong with Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Dentist Melvin Page followed in the footsteps of Weston Price's findings, and then added the science of blood testing to his research. After 30 years and 40,000 blood tests, Dr. Page discovered the biochemical cause of tooth decay and gum disease: a disturbance in the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the blood.
The healthy blood sugar level is 85mg /100cc of blood. When there are blood sugar spikes, minerals like calcium are pulled from our bones. When the amounts of calcium or phosphorus in the blood deviate from these levels, or if they are not in the proportion of 2.5 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus, minerals are withdrawn from the tooth or other tissues, resulting in tooth decay or gum disease or both. Dr. Page wrote:
It takes a continued low level of phosphorus, over a period of several months, to deplete the dentin of its mineral structure.
How Teeth Remineralize
Dentin is the hard, bone-like middle layer of teeth. Enamel is the hard white surface covering your teeth. The root of the tooth is embedded in the jaw. The tooth pulp is in the middle of the tooth. The pulp contains blood vessels, nerves, and cellular elements including tooth building cells. Each tooth has a blood supply and a nerve that travels through the center of the tooth roots into the jaw bone via the mandibular nerve. The mandibular nerve is a branch of the trigeminal nerve (the largest cranial verve). This nerve connection is what makes toothaches so painful and debilitating. The Periodontal ligament lines the root of the tooth. It connects the tooth to the jaw through millions of taut fibers running in different directions. These fibers absorb the shock of chewing, and hold the tooth firmly in place. The cells in the periodontal ligament can degenerate and regenerate. A worn out periodontal ligament is a primary cause of tooth loss.
Each tooth contains about 3 miles of microscopic tubes called dentinal tubules. Dentinal tubules are 1.3 ~ 4.5 microns in size. This is close to one thousandth the size of a pinhead. Dentinal tubules are filled with a fluid that is estimated to be similar to the cerebral spinal fluid in the spinal cord and brain. The tooth enamel contains about 2% of this fluid. In addition to the tooth fluid, the tubules can contain parts of tooth growing cells, nerves and connective tissue.
Dentin and enamel are fed from tooth building cells called odontoblasts which transport or diffuse certain nutrients through the dental lymph. Odontoblasts contain microscopic structures that act as pumps. In effect, a healthy tooth cleans itself out. Microscopic droplets of nutrient-rich solution from our blood are pumped through the tiny tubules. In a healthy tooth, the fluid flow from within the pump moves outward in a pressurized system that protects our teeth from corrosive substances in our mouths.
Dentist Ralph Steinman discovered that our teeth's ability to remineralize is based upon the regulating action of the largest salivary glands, the parotid glands. Located near the inside of our jaw bone, the parotid glands regulate activity of the nutrient-rich dentinal fluid. The signal to the parotid glands comes from the regulating center of the brain, the hypothalamus.
When the tooth fluid flow is reversed due to a signal from the parotid glands (as a result of a poor diet or otherwise), food debris, saliva and other matter are pulled into the tooth through the dentinal tubules.
When this happens over time, the pulp becomes inflamed and tooth decay spreads to the enamel. Dr. Steinman identified the loss of certain key minerals in this process of tooth decay. These are magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese, all of which are active in cellular metabolism and necessary for the energy-production that allows the cleansing flow of the fluid through dentin tubules.
When the tooth fluid flow is reversed due to a signal from the parotid glands (as a result of a poor diet or otherwise), food debris, saliva and other matter are pulled into the tooth through the dentinal tubules.
When this happens over time, the pulp becomes inflamed and tooth decay spreads to the enamel. Dr. Steinman identified the loss of certain key minerals in this process of tooth decay. These are magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese, all of which are active in cellular metabolism and necessary for the energy-production that allows the cleansing flow of the fluid through dentin tubules.
Hormones and Tooth Decay
Another hallmark of the work of dentist Melvin Page was the connection between our hormones, glands and tooth decay. Dr. Page found that when our endocrine glands (hormone-secreting glands) were out of balance then people developed tooth decay or gum disease. His research showed us that tooth decay is triggered by a glandular mechanism.
The Pituitary Gland (Master Gland)
Dr. Page recognized the importance of the functions of the pituitary and its two discrete sections, based on the hormones each section produces. These sections are the anterior pituitary and posterior pituitary.
One of the roles of the posterior pituitary gland is to work in conjunction with the pancreas to control blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels, when chronically out of balance, can often cause tooth decay or gum disease. If the posterior pituitary cannot regulate the blood sugar properly, then this can create a biochemical imbalance that will cause phosphorous to be pulled from the bones. The primary cause of a posterior pituitary deficiency is white sugar.
The Thyroid Gland
The thyroid is regulated by the anterior pituitary gland. Often the relationship of the thyroid to the pituitary is not considered, leaving thyroid treatments ineffective. A malfunctioning thyroid also plays a role in producing tooth decay and gum disease because the thyroid plays a role in maintaining blood calcium levels. To repair thyroid function, the anterior pituitary gland usually needs attention. People on medications that affect their thyroid can have significant tooth decay problems.
Sex Glands
Excess testosterone can be linked to inflamed gums and excess levels of phosphorus int the blood stream. Excess estrogen can also cause inflamed gums.
Balancing Your Glands
The reason for highlighting the role of glands is because prescription drugs, birth control pills, and other toxic or stress factors can significantly influence one or several of our glands leaving us susceptible to tooth decay. Conversely, supporting the health of our glands can support a faster tooth recovery. The regulation and balancing of these important glads will support healthy parotid gland function and thus promote tooth remineralization. If you feel that your glands are out of balance, or you are taking prescription drugs that influence your glands, then you will need to seek additional treatments beyond diet. In particular, herbal therapies, glandular supplementation therapies, and traditional medicines like Ayurveda, Tibetan or Chinese medicine including acupuncture call all help strengthen an d balance your glands if you can locate an excellent practitioner.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a vital building block for the production of hormones. To have proper hormone function, we need cholesterol. Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the cells of all mammals. There is no evidence that too much animal fat and cholesterol in the diet promote atherosclerosis or heart attacks. Many of us are wrongly afraid of eating delicious foods that contain this necessary substance. Do not believe the television, the newspaper, or the doctor who tells you that cholesterol is bad. Part of this fear-inducing story is the claim that eating too much animal fat raises serum cholesterol and thus increase the chance of heart disease. Your body produces 3~4 times more cholesterol than you eat. When examined more closely, you will see that cholesterol levels do not bear any relation to the prevalence of heart disease. For more information and a plethora of evidence, I recommend visiting The Cholesterol Myths, by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD.
The Miracle of Vitamin D
Phosphorus, calcium and our hormones all have something in common. They need vitamin D. fat-soluble vitamin D is considered a hormone rather than a vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamin D is essential to balance the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood to stop tooth decay.
Professor and physician Edward Mellanby of England is the famous researcher who discovered vitamin D. He and his wife Mary Mellanby did extensive research on tooth decay which included decades of feeding experiments on animals and humans. He wrote: By far the most important factor producing well calcified bones and teeth is vitamin D.
We need fat-soluble vitamins A and D for our cells to produce osteocalcin --- the protein responsible for deposition of calcium and phosphorus into our bones. Dr. Price found that modern people suffered from tooth decay because modern diets are severely lacking in fat-soluble vitamins. To cure cavities many people simply need to add these vitamins back into their diets.
Vital Fat-Soluble Vitamin A
Water-soluble nutrients called carotenes are not true vitamin A. Carotenes are found in foods like carrots, squash, and green vegetables. Fat-soluble vitamin A is retinol and is only found in animal fats. When we are healthy our bodies can make the difficult conversion of carotenes into retinol. Depending on the fat-soluble vitamin A status in your body you may need to consume 10-20 times more carotenes to create the same amount of true vitamin A.
Vitamin A is a family of fat-soluble compounds that plays an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division, proper prenatal development and cell differentiation. Vitamin A is important for healthy bones and tougher with vitamin D stimulates and regulates bone growth factors, which stimulate bones and teeth to grow and repair.
Large doses of vitamin A can be toxic. However any negative effects of vitamin A seem to be blocked when sufficient vitamin D is in the diet. Therefore if you eat a lot of liver from land animals, make sure you are getting plenty of sunlight or vitamin D to prevent vitamin A toxicity. In examining this list, you will see that liver is the most concentrated source of fat-soluble vitamin A. The magic of liver in relation to healing tooth cavities in part is its high vitamin A content:
Food Vitamin A (I.U.)
Turkey Liver 3.5 oz 75,000
Duck Liver 3.5 oz 40,000
Beef Liver 3.5 oz 35,000
Chicken Liver 3.5 oz 13,328
Eel 3.5 oz 3,477
Hard Goat Cheese 3.5 oz 1,745
Soft Goat Cheese 3.5 oz 1,464
Duck Egg 1 egg 472
King Salmon 3.5 oz 453
Butter 1 tbl 350
Vitamins A and D from Foods
If you have tooth decay, you are presumably deficient in vitamins A and D. To make up for a deficiency more of these vitamins will be repaired at the beginning of your dietary change. It is difficult to know without thorough testing and scientific understanding the exact amount of vitamins A and D your body needs. That's why you will have to adjust your dosages of fat-soluble rich foods based upon how you feel.
Using Dr. Price's program as a guide, we want at least 2,500 IU of vitamin D per day, and at least 6,000 IU of vitamin A. You can obtain these fat-soluble vitamins either from food, from cod liver oil, or from both. First we will look at our food options. We are greatly underestimating our needs for these vitamins, so much higher dosages than recommended here might be in order if it fills right to you.
Cod Liver Oil Heals Cavities
When vitamins A and D are taken together they are not toxic. The most potent and easy way to consume the fat-soluble vitamins A and D together is cod liver oil. 1 tsp of good cod liver oil has the vitamin A equivalent to 5.5 QT of milk, or 1LB of butter, or 9 eggs.
The Best Cod Liver Oil
Green PastureTM produces the highest quality, most nutrient-dense cod liver oil called Blue IceTM fermented cod liver oil. It contains all of the cod live's vitamin D intact because they use a fermentation process rather than a distillation process. The cod liver oil is never heated and it is carefully filtered to keep in all of the natural vitamins. As a result of the fermentation there can be a moderate giving aftertaste. Green pastureTM does not heat their product, and the lactic acid fermentation along with the nutrients in the cod liver naturally preserve the oil so there is nothing synthetic in it. I personally use Green Paster's fermented cod liver oil and so does my family inkling my 2 1/2 - year old daughter. The high quality of fat-soluble vitamins in the fermented oil gives your body the vitamins in the forms it needs them. If you plan on consuming cod liver oil regularly, Green PastureTM is the safest way to go.
Cod Liver Oil Dosage for adult = 0.5 ~ 1.5 tsp / day
The amount of cod liver oil you should take depends on your deficiency of fat soluble vitamins A and D, your weight, your level of sun exposure and your overall health. I suggest starting with this dosage, and then either increase or decrease your dose depending on what feels best for you. Don't be afraid to skip taking cod liver oil on some days, and to take more on there days. 5 Green Pasture's cod liver oil capsules equals about 0.5 teaspoon.
Weston Price's Activator X
Skeletons of indigenous people show perfect bone growth and immunity to tooth decay. Weston Price theorized, "There must be some food substance that is not adequately provided in modern nutrition..." Dr. Price witnessed the native of the Loetschental Valley thanking the Father for the life-giving qualities of butter and cheese wen the cows eat the grass near the now line. Dr. Price determined the missing nutrient is a hormone similar to vitamin D which he called Activator X.
Activator X is found in its highest concentration in grass-fed dairy, when the animals graze on rapidly growing green grass, and is also present in fish eggs, and the organs and fat of some land animals when they graze on rapidly growing plants. Activator X likely comes from plant steroids during a period of new growth which are then converted by the animal's body into the tooth-remineralizing force called Activator X.
In my experience having grass-fed butter in your diet is essential in order to remineralize tooth decay. The content of Activator X in butter can be seen by its pigment. The period of rapid growth for grass occurs anywhere from May through September, depending on the particular climate. The more yellow and orange the summer butter, the more vitamin rich it likely is. Grass-fed butter is not always rich in Activator X, but only rich when there is rapid new growth.
Dr. Price found that Activator X - rich butter could heal rickets and that it brought blood serum calcium and phosphorus ratios towards normal. In practical experiments as well as with lab animals, Dr. Price found that combining cod liver oil with yellow summer butter created a synergistic effect.
Fat Soluble Activator X Food
- Raw Butter / Ghee (rapidly growing grass-fed)
- Raw Cream (rapidly growing grass-fed)
- Fish Eggs
More Fat-Soluble Vitamin Sources: Bone Marrow, Brain, Kidneys, and Glands
This section is for advanced tooth decay food healing, and is also very useful for international readers. Adding any one of these foods into your diet, even on occasion, will strengthen your body's resilience against cavities. Dr. Price wrote about how Canadian Indians achieved excellent health, teeth and bones:
The Indian knows where these special life-giving substances are to be found and he, like the wild carnivorous animal, is wise in food selection. He accordingly selects the liver, brain, kidneys, and glands. Part of every day's food for the Indians includes eating some of these special tissues. The parents provide these for the children and teach them sepia special values.
Liver is the most valuable gland for its nutrients and also the most easily obtained. Live may accumulate toxins, so it is it ally important to acquire liver from the highest quality grass-fed or wild caught animals. If you are further concerned bout toxins, you can soak it in warm water or in milk for a few minutes to a few hours and then discard the liquid.
Bone marrow is an important secret to reversing tooth decay. Bone marrow adds a valuable factor that helps remineralize tooth dentin. Within the bone marrow are many impotent bone-building cells that help rejuvenate the body and promote bone growth. Bone marrow can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be eaten plain, on toast, or in soups.
Organs and Glands Sources:
www.eatwild.com - This resource can help you to locate local and online grass=fed and free-range animal foods in your area.
www.uswellnessmeats.com - A high quality mail order supplier of all types of grass-fed foods: chicken, pork, beef, lamb, bison, butter, cheese and seafood.
Organs from the Water
Oysters and clams are exceptional foods. They are usually eaten whole, raw and alive and they include all primitive organs (fat-soluble vitamins) and are very high in trace minerals. If you can, do not neglect the organs from wild fish, such as the livers. The meat, eyes, and brains, from fish heads contain high amounts of vitamins.
Extremely Effective Fermented Skate Liver Oil
The skate is a cousin of the shark and ratfish, and it looks like a small sting ray. Traditionally in the South Sea, native would risk their lives to hunt for sharks, for the oil of the shark liver. To extract the oil they would store the shark liver in the shark's stomach and let it ferment hanging in the warm air for months. Today sharks are an abused species but luckily, many unique nutrients found in shark liver oil such as chondroitin, squalene, and alkoxyglycerols are found in the skate. Skete liver is also high in fat-soluble vitamins A and D.
Skate liver oil can be used in replacement of cod liver oil, or with cod liver oil. I recommend its use along with cod liver oil.