This is the first article in a series to explore the subject of how to stop tooth decay and reverse cavities in your mouth and the mouths of your loved ones.
Similar to other subjects we’ve written on, like our series on root canals and how to whiten your teeth without destroying your enamel, this subject is going to take several articles to sufficiently address such a critically important global epidemic.
While we have written about many of these components in past articles, we’re going to take a fresh look at the pieces to this puzzling topic and determine more closely how we can position our lives so that tooth remineralization becomes the norm.
With this first pass on the subject of how to stop tooth decay, let’s take a 30,000-foot view of the pieces and provide you with a map of the terrain we will cover in the coming articles.
The analogy of a tug-o-war game
On the surface of all of our teeth, there is a microscopic tug-o-war game going on every moment of every day. On one side are the components that contribute to liberating minerals from our teeth and causing cavities. This is the demineralization team.
On the other side are the components that rebuild and help replace lost minerals to our teeth. This, of course, is the remineralization team.
While this may seem overly simplistic, the tug-o-war is a fairly decent analogy of what’s really going on every day in our mouths.
Various factors either contribute to minerals being liberated from the mineral-rich structure of our teeth (thus, causing decay) or they contribute to minerals being re-integrated with the crystal matrix structure of our teeth (on a microscopic level).
Going beyond traditional dental models
The generally recognized model for tooth decay in dentistry is perhaps best explained in the Keyes’ triad. In the Keyes’ triad, the three factors/variables are: host and teeth, microflora, and substrate (diet).
This is the classic model that has formed our cultural understanding that the combination of thug bugs (microflora) in the mouth (host and teeth) and sugar (substrate) cause tooth decay.
What’s important to realize here is the model is just that, an attempt to explain and make sense of a multi-factorial complex. While the Keyes’ triad does provide us with a platform to begin this discussion, being of a holistic bent, we see many other variables that play critical roles in our ability to live a cavity-free life.
The primary shortcoming of the Keyes’ triad is that the model’s focus is too narrow – it’s limited strictly to what’s going on just ‘in the mouth’.
As you probably already know, we like to take a ‘two-pronged’ approach to navigating this path to optimal oral health. ‘What’s going on in the mouth’ is one important factor, but at least equally important is ‘what’s going on in the whole body’.
We will explore both aspects to hopefully provide a more effective model that takes into consideration both ‘local/in the mouth’ and ‘global/whole body’ solutions.
Begin with the end in mind…
Here’s how we have come to understand this fascinating interplay and many of the players involved.
The chemistry component: There is an exchange of chemistry going on over the surface of our teeth as well as under the surface. This tug-o-war game is very rooted in chemistry. Namely, minerals, primarily calcium and phosphorus, are either being liberated from our teeth (causing decay) or are being deposited into and onto our teeth.
How pH plays into the discussion: pH provides us the ability to measure and quantify the environment to determine which side is winning. That’s why in past articles we have encouraged strategies how to track one’s saliva pH.
The biological factor: However, the big players that control much of this chemistry exchange are biological organisms. And, rather than continuing the myth that ‘all plaque is bad’, let’s dispel this myth once and for all and finally realize that some plaques actually may help our teeth stay healthy, and let’s learn to balance our oral flora by becoming a ‘good conductor of the symphony in our mouths’.
The ‘secret sauce’ for a cavity-free mouth: This series of blog entries will also take a deep dive into the hugely important role saliva plays in remineralizing our teeth. As you’ll see, saliva literally is the game changer. So, knowing how to maximize your saliva will end up being at least one of our ‘take away gems’ by the end of this series.
How to make your teeth impervious to decay: In this broader discussion, we also need to revisit one of our favorite subjects, the fact that our teeth are alive and have a flow of fluid through them that either makes our teeth nearly impervious to tooth decay or massively speeds up the decay process. You can take a first pass at this info in our article titled, ‘What causes tooth decay (and how to stop it)’.
How diet giveth and taketh away: Any (holistic) discussion of how to live a cavity-free life must include a close look at the role that diet plays and how diet is a ‘double-edged sword’ when it comes to causing or preventing decay.
The fluoride factor: And, mostly just to get it out of the way, we will also explore the fluoride factor and take a look at the risks and benefits of regular fluoride use, as well as whether fluoride has a place in a holistic approach to a life free from decay.
Product ingredients to help the tug-o-war: We will also explore what ingredients should be in oral hygiene products to help you remineralize your teeth, and we’ll share with you how to make a remineralizing tooth powder that works.
In the end, you can expect to have a very clear, easy-to-apply game plan that synergizes all these factors to help you and your family on your path to a cavity-free home.
In the next article in this series, we will explore what our teeth are made of and how to easily stop two major causes of demineralization.
Please share this article with your loved ones who may benefit from hearing that there are steps we can take every day to help us live cavity-free lives.
Also, please comment below if you’d like to add any points to this discussion. If you’d like us to include any other aspects of this broad subject, please share your question below and we’ll see how we can weave your question into the discussion.
Feel free to check out the next entry in this series: How teeth decay – part 2 of ‘How to stop cavities and reverse tooth decay’
To gain a complete understanding how to stop tooth decay and reverse cavities, feel free to download our FREE eBook, How to Remineralize Your Teeth.
Helpful, Related Resources:
How to Remineralize Your Teeth [FREE eBook]
OraWellness articles on root canals [article series]
OraWellness articles on safe teeth whitening [article series]
Tracking your saliva pH – How to know you are heading in the right direction [article and free download]
Can some plaques actually help our teeth stay healthy? [article]
How to balance your oral flora and be a ‘good conductor’ for the symphony in your mouth [article]
Why teeth decay? (and how to stop it) [article]
Hi, what is the next article in this series? It can be hard to follow the specific series, as the next article is sometimes not linked from the current article.
Aloha Phil,
Thanks for sending in this question!
We’ve updated each blog entry in the ‘How to Stop Cavities and Reverse Tooth Decay’ series to include a link at the bottom that will guide the reader to the next entry. Here are all the links to the series:
How to Stop Cavities and Reverse Tooth Decay
How teeth decay – part 2 of How to Stop Cavities and Reverse Tooth Decay
The perfect storm for decay – the interplay between pH, sugar, saliva and plaque
How to Reverse Tooth Decay with Diet
Is Fluoride Safe To Use?
Putting together the pieces to reverse tooth decay and remineralize cavities
Thank you so much for sending your comment so we could update this for you!
What do you think about using the Green Pasture Fermented cod liver oil and butter oil blend to cure decay? I know there’s quite a bit of controversy over it on the internet, so I’d like to know if you would recommend it or not.
They are very good products we believe. While they help, I don’t think by themselves that they will heal decay.
Kids get more cavities than adults.
would realy like your take on remineralizing toothpastes, like MI paste, MI +, and the mysterious M-plus from Japan. I think they are all versions of hydroxyapatite and phosphoric acid….
Aloha Tom,
Thanks for stopping by to ask this excellent question!
Ironically, researching MI paste several years ago got us on the path of researching the various factors involved with remineralization.
MI paste is based on the combination of a calcium phosphate ion and a derivative of casein, a milk based protein. Essentially, the casein helps the calcium phosphate be available for bonding to the enamel matrix.
There are a couple products on the market currently using hydroxyapatite, but unfortunately, they all contain ingredients that are ‘less than ideal’ from our perspective. That’s true with MI paste as well. It’s tragic to take a good premise and degrade the ultimate formula by adding saccharin and other ingredients that really have no place going in the mouth (in our very opinionated opinions 🙂
Anyway, stay close here as we are about to announce a new product that, based on your questions, you will be very excited about!
Thanks again for stopping by to ask!
Thank you for this! I would love to hear more about “saving” one’s teeth as a pregnant/nursing mama. I have 4 children, and the last three have come without any breaks between nursing and pregnancy, so that means I have been providing nutrition to a little one for almost 6 straight years now. I eat a Weston Price-inspired diet, but I have been struggling with some tooth sensitivity for a while. I would love it if you could address this aspect of remineralization/healing. Thank you!
another relevant book is Vitamin K2 And The Calcium Paradox by Kate Rheaume-Bleue
really good in depth information about your bodies need for K2 along with A and D
Excellent book Owen. In fact, we interviewed Dr Kate. You can find her interview in the Expert Interview subsection of the Free Resources section on our site. FYI, the Free Resources section also gives you access to several resource guides and e-books all for free.
Thanks again for the excellent book recommendation!
Thanks so much for your time and effort in creating this series. I am really looking forward to reading each and every article. All the best from Alaska!
Thanks for the positive words of support Jenn! We look forward to hearing how you like and benefit from the info!
I second Deb’s comment. 🙂
Thanks so much Will and Susan for this series!. Will look forward to learning more!
I don’t know if you have this book in your library, if not get it. Dentinal Fluid Transport, by Ralph Steinman DDS and John Leonora PhD. Edited by Clyde Roggenkamp DDS. They show among other things that dental decay id a systemic disease. You can read their original research for 25+ years.
Aloha Daniel,
Thanks for stopping by to make sure! Yes, in fact the work of Dr Steinman is truly one of our favorite subjects within this niche! We dive into Dr Steinman’s work in our article ‘What causes tooth decay (and how to stop it)’. However, we will be revisiting the work of Steinman in this series again to focus specifically on what his/their findings were on the ability to remineralize existing tooth decay.