Jackie Ritz

Six months ago I walked into a routine cleaning at the dentist and walked out with a hefty quote for dental work to be done on SIX cavities they found in my teeth. It seems pregnancy does this to a lot of women. 

I started reading and researching natural ways to heal your teeth. I read the book, Cure Tooth Decay: Remineralize Cavities & Repair Your Teeth Naturally With Good Food  and my mind was blown. I can remineralize my teeth without having thousands of dollars of dental work done? I can heal my cavities with proper diet? I’m in! This post is about a holistic protocol I used to remineralize my teeth. However, to fully understand how to heal your cavities, we must take a look at what is the root cause of tooth decay.

Root of Tooth Decay = Lack of Nutrition

A prominent dentist, Dr. Weston A. Price,  and author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, set out in 1915 to discover the cure for tooth decay. He studied groups of people from different parts of the world. His field studies took place in many indigenous areas (where modern toothbrushes and floss are nonexistent) and the discoveries he found in these countries are astounding. His conclusion:

“All groups having a liberal supply of minerals particularly phosphorus, and a liberal supply of fat-soluble activators, had 100 per cent immunity to dental caries.”

Dr. Price determined that tooth decay was a result of a lack of nutrients in the modern diet and modern diet does not even meet the MINIMUM standards for proper nutrient intake (1).

The Two Major Suspects of Tooth Decay: 

1. Lack of Adequate Fat-Soluble Vitamins in the Diet– Fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K are found in fat and let’s face it, with the low-fat lifestyles that most of us believe in, we are deprived in these vitamins. Dr. Price discovered that all the indigenous groups he studied had the highest immunity to tooth decay. Why? Because they, liberally, ate foods that are high in fat. Their diets consisted of organs and meat from land animals, fish, and shellfish…all containing generous amounts of fat-soluble vitamins.

2. Lack of Activator X in the Diet – Dr. Price discovered that Activator X, a hormone similar to vitamin D, is the missing nutrient in modern diets. Activator X is found in the grassfed dairy of animals that are grazing on rapidly growing green grass (grass grown from May through September). Butter that has a deep yellow or orange color, has more Activator X in it is produced from grassfed milk that is from cows that are grazing on rapidly growing grass.

Other Notable Suspects: 

1. Lack of Proper Minerals in the Diet – Calcium and Phosporus are vital in tooth remineralization and their levels in the blood need to be balanced (2).
2. Hormones are Out of Balance – When our endocrine glands are out of balance, we are more susceptible to tooth decay. Common influencers of hormone issues are prescription drugs, birth control pills, and other toxic/or stress factors.
3. Too Much Phytic Acid from Grains in the Diet – Prior to the cultivation of grains, corn, and rice, human fossil records show that tooth decay was virtually unheard of (1). Phytic acid is significantly shown in grains, nuts, corn, rice, beans, legumes and seeds.

The Missing Link in Our Diet:

The absence of fat-soluble vitamins is THE PRIMARY cause of tooth decay. You need Activator X and liberal amounts of vitamin A and D to properly reverse tooth decay. The simplest and most effective way to add fat-soluble vitamins to your diet is by adding in extra-virgin cod liver oil and extra-virgin butter oil (1).

Extra-Virgin Cod Liver Oil (EVCLO) – Extra-virgin cod liver oil  real Norwegian cod liver oil that is fresh, raw & handcrafted from wild livers using a very rare ancient extraction technique which uses nature to separate the oil from its liver. EVCLO has a pale/golden color and a very mild, fishy taste (unlike fermented cod liver oil.

Extra-Virgin Cod Liver Oil is fresh and a rich source of vitamins A, D and Omega fats. Cod liver oil tops the food chain with the highest levels of Vitamin D AND Vitamin A. Following closely behind for Vitamin A is liver; and for Vitamin D is high vitamin butter oil.

Extra-Virgin Butter Oil (EVBO) – Extra-virgin butter oil is is one of the most stable, flavorful nutritional oils produced today – although it has an old world traditional feel and taste. It comes from grassfed cows that are grazing on rich pasture grass. It takes 26 days of grazing on rich pastures for the milk to test out at its peak and only then is the milk considered ‘high vitamin’ for use in Extra-Virgin Butter Oil. 

Unlike many brands of Ghee and clarified butter that use high heat to extract the oil from the milk solids, destroying the lower fatty acid chains, EVBO is processed minimally to preserve all of the nutrients, freshness, aroma and color. Many lactose-intolerant people find no difficulty digesting EVBO.

EVBO is a natural source of vitamin A, E, K2 (MK-4), Butyric Acid, Wultzen Factor and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). It is extremely potent it its levels of Activator X and Vitamin K2. Foods that are also high in Activator X are the innards of crab and lobster, skate liver oil, bone marrow, and animal glands. Yea…those foods aren’t on my menu, so I choose to supplement with extra-virgin butter oil. Butter is one of the top 10 foods with the highest amounts of K2. There are no solid sources that know the ratio of butter to extra-virgin butter oil when it comes to figuring out the K2 content, but most believe that it’s a 1:8 -1:10 ratio. This would make high vitamin butter oil top the list with Natto, goose liver paste, and hard cheeses like Gouda (3).

Since that day at the dentist when I was told I had 6 cavities, I have been diligent in pursuing the complete healing of my cavities. I cancelled my appointment to have my teeth all drilled and filled, and I began my journey into curing tooth decay with proper nutrition. And my journey has been successful!

Why Did I Have Cavities?

1. My diet was missing the fat-soluble vitamins found in extra-virgin cod liver oil and extra-virgin butter oil. I have since started taking this powerful duo, as well as the rest of my family for added nutrition.
2. I had been dairy-free for over a year and did not focus on my intake of calcium and phosphorus. Since discovering my tooth decay, I have since added back raw milk from grassfed cows and goats into my diet as well as many homemade cheeses.
3. I, most likely, had been consuming high amounts of phytic acid in nuts and seeds. Since learning of my cavities, I have minimized my intake of nuts and seeds, and have become diligent about properly soaking them to help neutralize phytic acid. 

 What Have I Been Doing to Heal My Tooth Decay? 

• I take extra-virgin cod liver oil daily.  I take 1 teaspoon a day. The kids prefer their’s with a dash of raw honey mixed in.
• I take 1 teaspoon of high-vitamin butter oil daily.
  
• I take Skate Liver oil daily.
  
• I drink 3-4 cups a day of raw goats (or cow) milk per day.
• I drink 1 cup a day of homemade bone stock and use collagen (tasteless and odorless) to cook with and add to beverages.
• I eat liver once a week. If this grosses you out, you can take desiccated liver tablets.
• I use liberal amounts of grassfed butter and ghee in my foods and recipes. As mentioned in the post, this is NOT a substitute for extra-virgin butter oil. 
• I oil pull with coconut oil. Not sure what oil pulling is? CLICK here to learn more.  
  
• I avoid any toothpaste with glycerin, as it counteracts remineralization. I make my own toothpaste using bentonite clay or I buy this one. 
• I, normally, don’t eat any many grains or foods high in phytic acid. I make sure my nut butters come from a trustworthy source and are soaked. If you are not willing to give up your grains, look into supplementing with Vitamin C to help neutralize phytic acid.

Where to get the best fermented cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil: 

Perfect Supplements carries the most trusted brands of extra-virgin cod liver oil and extra-virgin  butter oil on the market. They are a One Stop Shop for products and resources for optimal oral health and more! They, also, carry skate liver oil, grassfed beef gelatin, ghee, desiccated liver capsules, and the coconut oil I use in my remineralization protocol. Cure Tooth Decay was the book that changed my life and showed me I could take healing my cavities into my own hands!

Sources:

• (1) Nagel, Ramiel. Cure Tooth Decay
• (2) Page, M. Abrams, L. Your Body is the Your Best Doctor.
•  (3) https://www.westonaprice.org/fat-soluble-activators/x-factor-is-vitamin-k2#interactions