Natural ways to regrow teeth--save thousands of dollars, avoid mercury/etc. and grief of dentist

Rami Nagel wrote a book about oral health, and of course, the Weston A. Price book would be best looked at, along with Doug Simon's videos.

But for little bits of practical help, I go back to Katie, at WellnessMama, I use her toothpaste and tooth powder, and have done the oil pulling, changed my diet... I think the bone broth and the oil pulling can be good for gums especially...she has a remedy section on her site, and has articles in there about oral health. I had already had much loss, but have been able to postpone (weasel out of) more dentistry since beginning her general protocol for healthy teeth, gums, and and mouth.

After reading here, will be looking into the horsetail idea...thanks for sharing : )  

Thank you, Xisca - I just looked at their website and it's a product to buy so no formula reveal! Dadgummit. Speaking of gums, Cris - would you share the "recipe" for your tooth powder? I've been mixing coconut oil, baking soda and peppermint EO. It's a little too much "salt" from the baking soda and it irritates my lips. Now I have a new problem...jeesh. But it sure does get my mouth clean!

My dentist was really helpful and she told me that I was grinding my teeth again during my sleep, due to tension at work.  I started reusing my mouthguard and that has made a world of difference with my teeth.  Part of the deal is fitting it very precisely to my teeth so it doesn't affect my ability to sleep.  Also daily flossing is key because I eat so many green leafies and vegies that some, like celery, get stuck in my teeth.  I no longer feel that pain with cold or sour foods. Yay!
John S
PDX OR

I had a crown fall off years ago and did not want to get it replaced. I have read that 90% or so of crowned teeth eventually die.
I did a lot of research and found a guy( can't remember his name) who talked about how teeth are meant to remineralize given the proper oral environment. Saliva has minerals in it. However, most toothpaste has glycerin as an ingredient and glycerin coats the teeth and keeps the remineralization from occurring in cavities. So they just get bigger and bigger.
I thought to myself, wouldn't it be ironic if the very thing all dentists recommend us to use every day was keeping the natural process of remineralization from happening as it is supposed to? So I made up my own tooth powder and swore off toothpaste there and then.

Over time, the exposed raw tooth stub, started to "grow' a tough leathery coating. And no decay ever happened, even though it had no enamel on it from being ground down to place the crown years before. I had it checked out by a dentist who confirmed that it was protected by the remineralization. This stub did not "grow" back the tooth structure, but it does not seem to need another crown.


My teeth have been way healthier with no new cavities since quitting toothpaste 10 years ago! I used baking soda and salt for awhile but now I use a mineral powder that is not so salty. You can find a clay based toothpaste- glycerin -free- in the health food stores these days.

My grandma didn't have cavities and she said they were really rare in her community when she was a girl.  (Of course, part of it may have been because they were dirt poor farmers in eastern Arizona and couldn't afford much sugar).  She said everyone there used salt or baking soda on a rag to brush their teeth.  One day when she was a girl, the school teacher brought in tooth brushes and tooth paste for everyone and explained their use.  At lunchtime all the kids ate the toothpaste (as a sweet) and went back to salt on a rag.  

I prefer baking soda.  I read a study years ago (probably in the 80'S) where they found it worked better than any toothpaste.

Years before I knew better, I had a badly cracked molar. A root canal, and a few years later, a crown , were the result. It's been over 10 years, but this "dead" tooth still hurts. The dentist has shown me the x-rays that show then roots are gone; he believes it's referred pain from another tooth (or that I'm making it up, I think)..
Any ideas on this? I have two other cracked molars and don't want the same for them...

For the other molars, I have even considered extraction. But losing molars reduces one's chewing ability, besides letting teeth shift around. Becoming a haggle-toothed old crone is something I would like to avoid for a few more decades, at least.

I recently noticed that my gums are receding. I don't know if this is from (1) not having the time/brain power to remember to brush in the morning due to having kids needing me constantly, (2) using a sonicare and not replacing the brush head every three months because they're stinkin' expensive, or (3) clenching my teeth because my kids broke the retainer for my bottom teeth, or (4) my teeth are shifting and exposing the tooth, because my kids broke my retainer, or (5) all of the above.

I don't want to go buying any fancy products, because no studies show they work, and I'm not spending money on some concoction that may or may not work...and might even end up damaging my teeth more. But, is there any way to regrow my gums with something I could make myself? I'm oil pulling again with coconut oil, to prevent further recession, but I would really like to reverse what is currently happening really, really quickly!

Nicole Alderman wrote:I recently noticed that my gums are receding.

my dentist told me it has to do with The Number (you know, that one on your drivers' license, the year you were born. It seems to be the bad guy in a lot of things in my life lately.....). Some things may accelerate it but receding gums seem rather inevitable. When my gums bother me (bleeding) I go back to oil pulling, but The Number also affects my remembering to oil pull in the morning...... when I do remember, it makes a world of difference, but it didn`t make my gums stretch up to cover where they used to (and quite honestly i don`t expect that to happen.).

(re The Number. I`m 45, not 85, and the gums seemed to start retreating a good 3 or 5 years ago)

The two ways that I have been told that help combat, and in some cases reverse, receding gums, is to floss and brush them.

I brush the whole gum from where the roots of the teeth are to the top of the teeth. That in itself has cut in half the amount of tooth exposure due to receding gums. Honestly, massaging my gums and keeping plaque and food bits out from under the gumline, and avoiding other like instances that tend to cause inflammation are the things saving my gums and teeth.

I haven't yet tried oil pulling. Seems like something designed to absorb oil-soluble molecules in the mouth. I think I could find such a thing useful. Also, I love baking soda. I was wondering if a baking soda wash has measureable effect on the acidity of a person's mouth. As in, if an acidic mouth environment promotes more decay, does an alkaline environment defend against such?

I just need to get myself a giant bag of food-grade diatomaceous earth. It's really one of the only treatments that I haven't tried that I actually could, along with the use of aloe vera plant or comfrey.

-CK

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote:My update--I have the hole in my tooth still, but it's been steady state for a year plus now.  Once or twice at some point a small chip did come off other teeth (front teeth--the one with the hole is the rearmost molar) when I poked them with a toothpick too hard, which indicates I still have some remineralization to do.  At some point there had been an additional tiny chip that came out of the hole, which I knew only because the gum hurt more from stuff pressing on it when I chewed, signifying something had become more exposed.  But overall not much of a problem.

I do have to pick stuff out of it.

I'm satisfied that it makes sense to wait and see what regrowth treatments become available.  I'm not in a hurry.

I'm glad I didn't go for the root canal, or the crown.  It just gives me the willies.  And I'm so glad for all I've learned about healing small cavities, and just how mutable teeth really are.

I clearly have some stuff to rebalance about my gut biome, tummy aches and such, and this can affect mouth biome too.  Not sure what to do--I do eat plenty of yogurt, home-made kefir, and pretty frequent sauerkraut.  Maybe I should do daily inulin (chicory root seems viable, I like adding a little to yogurt, and since it's dried it is easier to store than sunchoke roots).  Inulin is a 'prebiotic" that supplies bacteria that feed on it, whereas the human enzymes themselves don't digest it.  I have no specific knowledge that this is connected to teeth in particular, it's just another line of thought that seems likely to have some connection.

It's possible that I could rebuild the tooth with the comfrey/calcium thing if I did it longer, I'm not ruling that out.  There may be other factors that I didn't address.  I may need still more silica than the horsetail regimens I did gave me.  

There are accounts of people regrowing a tooth from scratch on some of the comments on some of these youtube videos--the comfrey one I believe.  

I'm curious, your cavities are on the outside and you have gut issues?
Don't know if it's okay to mention this but have you considered celiac disease?  
Similar issues here and celiac contributes to cavities on the outside (front) of the teeth which isn't where they normally form and the gut issues.

I have noticed that my sensitive teeth feel stronger when I reduce grains/legumes, and drink more raw milk!

Also, would like to maintain some hope as there are animals that regenerate their "dead" tusks. Sometimes it doesn't make immediate sense, but it is still worth trying.

When I go to the dentist, They always seem to be grinding down my teeth. It hurts during and for awhile afterwards.  Then I do my horsetail with hummus and it starts to heal again, so after awhile it doesn't hurt anymore...... until I go visit the dentist again.  Hmmmm.
John S
PDX OR

John Suavecito wrote:When I go to the dentist, They always seem to be grinding down my teeth. It hurts during and for awhile afterwards.  Then I do my horsetail with hummus and it starts to heal again, so after awhile it doesn't hurt anymore...... until I go visit the dentist again.  Hmmmm.
John S
PDX OR

Horsetail with hummus? Elaborate, please? 😁😁😁

Two days after a root canal (my first) a few observations. My oral surgeon who performed the root canal showed me the infection. The issue was discovered at my dentist and apparently was due to a cracked molar that the dentist repaired 1 year ago. As the surgeon explained, once she got the root out she packed the tooth with antibiotic material and covered it temporarily and I am back in a week for the permanent cap. She pointed out that the area around the tooth will be replaced by growth of the jaw bone surrounding the tooth.

I’ve been fortunate as far as teeth, normal care all through my youth with a small number of fillings (I’ll leave off the issues with the almalgam used then. As an adult I ignored my teeth for twenty years, just daily brushing and slightly less than daily flossing. When I finally went to the dentist with a fair amount of trepidation, one filling was needed. In my late fifties had the wisdom teeth out, then no problems until a few fillings 5 years ago and the most recent issues.

One area I have become familiar with recently is the association of the glands and endocrine system as an early warning system. My glands in my neck had been acting up for weeks prior to my dental appointment with regular throbbing and a sensation akin to pain. I didn’t do anything as I was scheduled for an appointment and sure enough X-rays showed the infection. So coming out the other side I can better understand and remember that sensation in the glands that accompanied my tooth ache as an early warning system.

Not a fan of antibiotics, even though they saved my life twice (ok, a bit of a reluctant fan), but my new extended understanding of signals my body is putting out I went ahead and started the “just in case” run of prescribed antibiotics last night based on signals from my endocrine system that I now understand is the system fighting the infection. Probiotics here I come!

As I said in an earlier post in this thread, the species is equisetum hyemale.  You dry it, and chop it up. I like to eat it in hummus because the horsetail is very dry and fibrous.  The hummus is yummy, smooth and creamy.  I don't mind eating it in the hummus. I don't know if I could get it down otherwise. Full details at chanchka.com
John S
PDX OR

According to Dr. Steve Lin https://www.drstevenlin.com/vitamin-k2-remineralize-teeth/ without Vit K2 your teeth's regenerative processes will not be fully realized.

My opinion: I think it works, but really slowly. I took Vit K2 for many months, and my front tooth seemed to have healed a bit a couple months ago. It had had a split not visible to others but known to me--the two sides were a bit loose and would move independently of one another. After many months of taking the K2, I noticed that the two sides no longer moved independently of one another, and they were one again. However, I started chewing ice (I know--"bad") and a piece got loose and ran up to the front and was right in the way when that front tooth came down on it when I heard a "snap". Well, now it's no longer one. Annoying. I hope Comfrey does a better job.

Angelika Maier wrote:I don't know about xylitol, I would be careful with these things!

This poster never explained herself, so not sure exactly what she meant to say by "I would be careful."

But xylitol is great stuff!  I cook with it all the time, and it is indeed an ingredient in the DIY tooth powder I use to brush.

For anyone who doesn't know, xylitol is a type of sugar alcohol used by some as a substitute for table sugar (i.e. sucrose).  Other sugar alcohols you might run into as sweeteners include mannitol, sorbitol, or erythritol.

Although xylitol does exist in nature - it is found in some fruits - the commercially available stuff is synthesized through a chemical process using lignocellulose (i.e. woody plant matter) as feed stock.  Always look for xylitol made from 100% birch wood, and preferably made in the USA (at least for American customers).  The other common feed stock is corn cobs.  The problem is that this almost certainly implies GMO, since most corn these days is.  Particularly if the xylitol is sourced from abroad (read: China).

Xylitol tastes as close to real sugar as any substitute I've ever eaten, with no odd aftertaste.  I'd say it is about 90% as sweet as sucrose, pound for pound.  But it only contains about 60% of the calories.  Even better, it has only a tiny fraction of the glycemic index that sugar does.  We're talking single digits!  So, in xylitol you have a sweetener that could pass for real sugar in a blind taste test, yet can be eaten by a diabetic.

And the reason xylitol pops up in this thread: whereas sugar feeds unhealthy bacteria that rot your teeth, xylitol actually discourages those bacteria.  This is why you see it added to chewing gums, in which it has been used for many decades.  It is a "sugar" that is truly good for your dental health!

In the kitchen, be warned that xylitol doesn't dissolve nearly as readily as does sugar, though it is still great for baking.  Also, eating large amounts at once is known to cause GI upsets (gas, diarrhea, etc.), because a significant amount that doesn't absorb through the intestines instead ferments inside the gut.  This is common to all sugar alcohols.  Not at all dangerous, but potentially unpleasant.  I've never eaten enough to experience this myself, so I'm guessing it requires really large doses.  Be cautious; your mileage may vary.

Yes, supplementing can help but we need to be careful.  The people who take the most calcium have the most broken bones.

What works then? I have heard from detail oriented MD's that it isn't just one thing.  You need a real balance of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, yes vitamin k2.  The only food  to find lots of vitamin k2 according to many sources is natto, fermented soybeans.  Ok so it is slimy and tasteless.  I make a burrito, in which I place amla powder, an Indian superfood, which is sour, powdery and astringent,  on top of the slimy natto in a piece of nori, so they cancel each other out. Then I add walnuts, craisins, and plain yogurt , and add chopped leafy greens.  Then I add drops of mustard, soy/worcestershire sauce, chile, like they do in Japan,  and wrap it up in the Nori burrito. Pretty good tasting and shockingly healthy.  I haven't figured out any other way to get natto down. It's famous in Japan for being super healthy and disgusting.  I get out in the sun a lot while gardening and recreating (vitamin D).  I've had my garden soil tested for phosphorus and it's ok. I eat tons of leafy greens, which also have calcium. Plantain and dandelion especially.  If I hear about something that is astonishingly healthy, it's like a red cape for a bull and I have to find a way in  which I can eat it.  Sometimes it takes many, many tries, but I always find a way.

John S
PDX OR

John Polk wrote:Well, comfrey is also known as 'knit bone'.
I guess it is valuable any where there is a calcium problem.

Comfrey (gen Symphytum) may make great mulch, but I would never use it internally. See https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/8/12/356/htm

I will not allow xylitol into my home, because it is lethal for dogs. We have 2 dogs for whom I'd give my eye teeth - and incisors, molars... Is proven through many tests over many years to be good for human teeth. But, lethal to dogs its a deal breaker, in our house.

Thanks Carla,
That's great information that I have never heard of.  I will have to be careful with my delightful creature.
John S
PDX OR

Leslie Russell wrote:Does anyone know a natural remedy for receding gums?

Earlier this year, I came across the suggestion of applying bovine colostrum powder as a paste to the gums. It prompted me do a little further searching to discover why one might consider colostrum for healing in this way.  Apparently it is nutrient dense and contains a large spectrum of growth factors that can support regeneration. Not surprising since the first milk is known to strengthen/establish the immune system of the newborn. Bovine colostrum is listed as a superfood in Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions cookbook and "was highly prized in traditional societies."

Here is a product that I am trying.
https://rawrevelations.com/colostrum-powder-5oz/

I am not super diligent with using it as a paste, but I do kinda think it could be helping. My recent dental checkup showed some improvement in pocket measurements from last year. However, I think many other factors are playing a role here too, like consistent flossing, oil pulling, mindfulness with diet and switching to a homemade tooth powder.

I also use an herbal mouthwash, which I make from calendula flowers, chamomile flowers and plantain leaves. I brew them together as a strong tea (long infusion) and swish a small amount after flossing/brushing. I'll make about a pint of this tea at a time and keep it in the fridge or make a larger batch and freeze the extra in ice cube trays for later use. Somewhere in all my herbal readings I learned that calendula and chamomile where both supportive to gum health by firming up the tissue (gentle astringent qualities). They probably provide some good antibacterial qualities too. I like to include plantain for it's ability to draw out and release toxins from tissues. Again, I'm not super diligent with swishing this mouthwash all the time, but I like the taste and it does make my gums feel good. I'm sure one could add a little mint too, if they preferred.

I absolutely love the idea of people swishing with colostrum for dental health.  Except of course it would be a waste to spit it out.  When my sheep lamb I save some colostrum in case of future emergency lamb needs. Its fun to get a friend or 2 to try drinking a sip.  Icelandic sheep colostrum here in coastal Alaska is about the consistency of toothpaste.  The nutrient profile must be incredible.  

So the permaculture solution would be to get your hands on some local colostrum, most of us with livestock have access to it once a year.  The energy required to dehydrate into a powder, label package and market seems unnecessary.  I would also avoid mystery farm sources as most animals are treated with industrial chemicals like dewormers, antibiotics, topical insecticides, fed grains covered in glyphosphates etc (all should be assumed present unless one can trust otherwise).

Overall I think colostrum is truly the most viable "permaculture" option mentioned here as it can be achieved in a hyper-local closed loop system.