Enamel Re-Mineralization

Natural Treatments for Promoting Enamel Growth

Most non biological dentists will tell you flat out that re-growing tooth enamel is not possible.
Those who are involved with natural health will not be surprised in the least that mother nature's bounty does not stop mysteriously at tooth enamel. Enamel like bone re-grows and repairs itself. Enamel is composed of minerals. Minerals can be readily absorbed by the body and used to strengthen the enamel. The human body is incredibly adaptable and resilient. It's simply bizarre to think that you cannot strengthen your tooth enamel.

So what is going on? How can you have two points of view so diametrically opposed to one another?

The fact is that your dentist is observationally or empirically correct. Dental patients are not suddenly growing enamel, reversing dental cavities, growing new teeth and jumping out of the dentist chair. In fact, quite the reverse. Our dental health is shocking bad. Over 59% of children aged 5-17 have tooth decay. 25% of those over 60 have lost all of their teeth. Even more worrisome - 75% of the US population has some form of periodontal or gum disease.

Once the enamel is penetrated by the bacteria in plaque, the teeth becomes open to infection. The bacteria can easily spread and grow beneath a filling. Once a tooth is filled, it often needs a deeper filling, then a crown, then a root canal and finally an implant. It all starts with the first cavity and gets progressively worse.

The enamel is naturally very tough and acts as a barrier to prevent the bacteria from ever forming in the first place. You only have to look in an natural history museum to see thousands of examples of human and animal teeth that are protected by the enamel from the bacteria for centuries. Once plaque lines the tooth and the bacteria starts to feed off deposits, the acid formed can quite quickly eat away at the enamel, especially where it is weak.

How can we prevent tooth enamel loss?
The question then becomes how can we naturally strengthen the enamel layer, and also, most importantly, what factors weaken the enamel,

First let's look at what weakens the enamel. There are four main factors that will quickly wreak havoc with tooth enamel

An acid environment promotoes enamel loss
Coke and most soda's contain not only lots of sugar but phosphoric acid, which is the same acid dentists use to etch the enamel prior to inserting a filling. There is no surer way to loose enamel quickly. Please visit this site from Columbia University New York, and look at the pictures of a tooth bathing in coke turning brown and sticky like chewed up candy, in a matter of a few weeks. Enamel can also be harmed by acid introduced from the mouth by acid reflux or vomiting. Bulimics commonly have severe enamel loss, and often need major cosmetic dental treatment to reverse years of enamel loss due to the acid stripping the enamel from the inside of the teeth.

Physical Force.
Teeth can chip or be subject to trauma leading to loss of enamel. Chewing does not effect enamel loss, but grinding the teeth can lead to severe enamel loss and poor dental health as the teeth become compromised. Some dental treatments - poking and prodding with sharp instruments, careless scraping, veneers which require shaving of the enamel can also weaken the enamel layer.

Commercial Toothpastes harmful for re-mineralisation
Most toothpaste contains fluoride and glycerin. Many non fluoride toothpastes use glycerin as a common filler. Dental fluorosis is the most vivid marker that we have that shows the toxic effects of fluoride. Teeth with dental fluorosis - caused by too much exposure to fluoride - become mottled and brittle and develop characteristic dark spots that are extremely difficult to treat. The external fluoride absorption adds extra calcium fluoride to the teeth, bones and joints, and may, ironically actually make the bone appear to be more dense when viewed on an X-Ray. However, despite the cosmetic density improvement the fluoride causes the teeth to become more brittle, and most importantly, decreases the uptake of vital minerals.

Many people with early stage skeletal fluorosis are frequently misdiagnosed as arthritis patients and treated with arthritis anti-inflammatory drugs with no success. Fluoride toxicity is well known. Just read the warning signs on the toothpaste tube. Why would something that could kill a small child if eaten by considered good for you?

Glycerin is an in-active ingredient in most toothpastes and is used as a filler. The glycerine is sticky and coats the tooth with a thin film which makes it more difficult for the tooth to re-enamel. Nearly all commercial toothpastes contain glycerin.

Dietary disorders
Celiac disease a disorder characterized by an auto-immune response to gluten, also commonly results in demineralization of the enamel. The digestive system is impaired and does not properly release vital minerals into the body for use by the teeth in building enamel. Although celiac is an extreme example, it can rapidly be seen how a poor diet can prevent absorption of the vital foods needed for remineralisation. Bulimics suffer in two ways. First the acid from the vomit corrodes the inside of the teeth, so much so, that the teeth can hurt. Second, the poor diet makes mineral loss acute. The combination can be very serious for dental health.

How to re-mineralize teeth enamel?
Now we now what causes enamel loss, let's look at how you can add enamel. If you don't cure the leeching of the enamel by the acids and take steps to allow for the re-mineralisation you won't be able to reverse the enamel loss. There are several steps you will need to take the reverse the enamel loss.

Throw away your fluoride based toothpaste.
Make your own paste by mixing salt and baking soda 50/50 in a container. Then just put a teaspoon in a mixture in a small glass or cup and add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide. Just brush on. You can buy commercial toothpastes from Eco-dent - which is a toothpowder which is sold at health foods stores and Whole Foods in the US, but not in their London stores. If you have never used a toothpowder before, put a small pea sized amount on your palm and pick it up using a wet toothbrush. After that, its just like using a paste. Also good is a paste high in calcium and anti-bacterial agents to promote enamel growth and reduce dental bacteria from http://www.coralcalcium.com. You can also buy tooth soap - just google it, and you will find many suppliers on-line. Or just use a natural olive oil based soap made naturally with no fragrances from a whole food supplier or soap-maker. Don't use a bar soap like Dove or other mass produced soap using petro-chemicals. Not only does it taste awful, you don't want to be rinsing you mouth with petro-chemcial byproducts. The toothsoap sounds awful, but you can used to it very quickly.

What is the best Diet to increase tooth re-mineralization?
Not only do you have to avoid specific foods, you also have to considerably increase other foods to promote tooth health. Probably the worst offenders are the soda and candy. You will need to eliminate from your diet. If you really have to drink soda, try drinking it all quickly, and rinse your mouth with water afterwards. Sipping and taking regular small slugs is the worst. Next on the list of worst offenders are all those sticky, strarchy processed foods - cookies, muffins, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup - basically almost anything that comes in a packet that you love to snack on. The starch is difficult to break down, and causes more acid to be produced in the mouth. They also stick on the teeth. Eliminate all the bad Hydrogenated Oils and margarines, alcohol, tobacco, pasteurized milk, soft drinks and artificial sweeteners of every kind

Foods to add to your diet that will encourage enamel growth?.
We are trying to promote bone growth and re-mineralise the teeth. The first step is make sure that your have adequate supplies of Vitamin D. The crucial effect of vitamin D on bone is to provide the proper balance of calcium and phosphorus to support mineralization, which is exactly what we are trying to achieve. Bioactive vitamin D or calcitriol is a steroid hormone that has long been known for its important role in regulating body levels of calcium and phosphorus, and in mineralization of bone.

The fact is most people are very deficient in Vitamin D. Especially in the winter, where it is almost impossible to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D from sunshine, vitamin D levels are woefully deficient. Research carried out by a team of scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine analyzed vitamin D levels in 13,331 individuals. An unhealthy deficiency of vitamin D is considered to be a blood level of 17.8 nanograms per millileter or lower, while the optimal blood level is suggested to be 30 nanograms per milliliter or higher. In the summer, most people slap on the suncreen and don't get the necessary sun. Kids now spend so much time in the car or inside, that they rarely get the sun exposure they need. Approximately 41 percent of U.S. men and 53 percent of U.S. women have levels lower than 28 nanograms per milliliter.

Good dietary sources of Vitamin D are fish oil , krill oil and egg yolks, and you can always use a supplement. It is recommended that you have a lab test your Vitamin D levels and optimize accordingly. Particularly good is the krill.

Home Made Stocks encourage enamel growth
Make your own stocks from chicken, marrow, fish bones etc. the traditional way and freeze the contents so that you can have a daily broth full of calcium and gelatin that can be easily absorbed by the body for bone growth. Marrow bone, and fish stock using the heads of the fish are particularly good. The commerical stocks just won't cut it and are full of salt and other chemicals to prolong the life of the product. You can make this process easier by making a lot of stock in one go and freezing it for use in soups and sauces throughout the week.

Traditional Fermented Foods
Eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kombucha, natto, pickled vegetables, and other foods that contain high levels of natural probiotics.

Kefir or Raw Milk for bone growth
Drink raw unpasteurized milk - not the pasteurized variety - or Kefir.

Vitamin K2 essential for bone growth and mineral absorbtion
Eat at foods high in Vitamin K2 such as marrow, natto, high vitamin butter, egg yolks, hard cheese, chicken liver and salami cured naturally.

Finally, make sure you Vitamin C levels are high to promote strong gum health.

The steps to strengthen your teeth are not that easy. This is why the dentists are empirically correct. Very few people do this. Many people who just can't give up their refined food sugar addictions are going to find it hard. Even if you cannot follow all of the diet, eliminating the worst offenders and adding the good oils will make a big difference. Your teeth will be less sensitive in a relatively short amount of time. Vegetarians will find the diet particularly challenging, especially if they are unwilling to take krill oil or fish oil supplement. Natto is an excellent source of K2, but is an acquired taste. Many people will be unwilling or unable for legal reasons to purchase raw milk.

Key to the diet is ensuring adequate Vitamin D levels and taking the krill or fish oil. Just taking this step alone will result in better dental health. You don't have to do ALL of the things mentioned.