Dr. Weston Price (1870-1948) spent the bulk of his career researching the connection between dental health and diet. After traveling the world, Price concluded that primitive groups, whose diets were rich in nutrient-dense, unrefined foods, experienced fewer cavities.
He published his findings in 1939, in a book titled, “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.” His research has never been disputed.
His work continues to inspire many, including my friend Renee – a missionary, mom, and researcher. This is her story:
After coming home from Africa a year and a half ago, we dutifully began making rounds as a family to doctors and dentists.Missionaries always take any chance in their home country to catch up on needed work while in a familiar setting. Reese, who had just turned seven, went in for a dental check. Her teeth looked good and felt great, but surprisingly we were told she had eight cavities that needed filling! We were surprised and suspicious, to say the least. I did not have peace at all about the diagnosis and with support from my husband, I began the journey of researching teeth.
I began by praying a lot, not sure where to start but knowing that I needed to find out why and how cavities were invading her mouth. We moved shortly after the initial check up and began looking for another dentist.I didn’t want to ignore the cavities, but at the same time, I was felt I needed a dentist I could trust. I tried several but came away frustrated at the way they pushed antibiotics and root canals for a problem that wasn’t proven to be there. While I continued to pray for the right dentist to address Reese’s problem, the Lord began to bring things to me.
Books came to my attention that I hadn’t read before. I became fascinated and ecstatic after reading Weston Price and his ‘Nutrition and Physical Degeneration,’ and then ‘Cure Tooth Decay. Everything came together. I had researched and tried various diets such as raw, vegetarian, the Maker’s Diet, the pH Miracle and more. Again and again it came back to simple things: Stay away from refined foods and sugar, and put in plenty of good fats, raw foods, and soaked grains.
We finally found a good holistic dentist, but I was already coming up with a plan to reverse Reese’s tooth decay. I asked my husband to give me three months to work intensively with Reese. We did the best we could. We took away all forms of sugar even natural things like honey and fruit. We took out all refined foods and stuck to lots of vegetables and soaked grains. We ate tons of Kerrygold butter and raw cheese. I gave her a double dose of fermented cod liver oil every morning with her raw milk. We also began using clay toothpaste. She was such a good sport about the whole thing! Of course, there were days that weren’t perfect but on the whole we were very diligent.
We finally made an appointment for her at the dentist. They cleaned and x-rayed her teeth and found NO cavities. There is a tooth that had started to decay on the back side but got hard again. They were very encouraging, and I was completely amazed. I had hoped that at the least one or two would be completely gone, but to have every one healed, I just praised God and stood in awe.
To learn more about the connection between dental health and diet visit the Weston A. Price Foundation website. (You can even see a 1-minute film of Dr. Price!)
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This is so encouraging! I recently found out that I am in the early stages of gum disease and have two cavities. I have been reading the Cure Tooth Decay book and am hopeful that I can heal the cavities and reverse the gum disease through nutrition. I am breastfeeding right now and my dentist said that it would be fine to wait until I wean the baby to have any work done, so I am going to diligently work on healing between now and then. Cod Liver Oil, here I come!
Leah,
I can’t believe the difference the cod liver oil/butter oil has made for my gums and teeth. I also do oil pulling which helps a lot.
Oh man, I would love to find a dentist whose practice is in alignment with our health philosophy. You’re a lucky ducky! Swishing with coconut oil helped my sensitive teeth. No more pain.
I wish everyone knew about oil pulling. I’m glad it helped you too.
Hi! Unfortunately my daughter has already undergone major dental repair, she has 3 crowns, several fillings and one tooth removed. I felt terrible, she hardly eats any candy but used to eat a lot of sandwiches and your typical western diet, and she absolutely loves fruit. Even though she already had work done, I am changing our diet to follow Cure Tooth Decay protocol. But fruit is still something she constantly asks for. Do you have any snack ideas I could offer to her instead? I would very much appreciate it.
I will often ferment dried fruit for a few days and then combine into a trail mix. Or make a fruit leather with mostly cranberries since they’re so sour. We do a lot with sprouted almonds for snacks. Celery and almond butter are good. My kids really do like almond butter. You can combine almond butter with raw cacao and add a little xylitol or stevia for a nice muffin. I have some of these recipes on this site. Check Pinterest to for Real Food boards and you’ll get some more ideas. It’s never too late. My teeth have really improved on the no sugar plan. Lots of healthy fat helps with appetite too.
1st 3 children were immunized, 4th-born in living rm., and Never to a dr.! Oldest has probs. w/ lungs. 2nd has sensitivity prob. w/ headaches. 3rd has gluten intolerance, and other food allergies. We changed everything over time, starting @ 7 yrs. ago. Now wondering if mold is causing a prob.! Sometimes I just feel completely overwhelmed! 4th child has had perfect health until the last 6 mos. Sick A LOT! Treating w/ herbs, and ess. oils. Jesus, PLEASE come soon! We love You, and want to go home! Cris, and Andrea, I listen, and appreciate what you have to share. My husband and I are dealing with things the best we can. He works for the govt., both Fed., and state, and we don’t have a lot of $$$. Don’t know what we’d do if we had to walk away from it all, but God will provide–we don’t have to understand it.
I’m sorry to hear this Rhenee. Mold is a huge problem and so few make the connection. I’m happy to support you in any way I can. Feel free to email me directly at andrea@it-takes-time.com
Hell Andrea, I have been suffering for a long time which is periodontal disease, and cavity which one is the best toothpaste to put some calcium in the
teeth, and what is the best brand of coconut oil organic for using to do pulling method for the teeth in the morning.
Thank you Anna.
Hi Anna!
I like Nutiva, Wilderness Family Naturals and Tropical Traditions for coconut oil. I get the least refined possible. I make my own tooth powder and add vitamin K to my diet to help with calcium absorption. My tooth powder consists of 50/50 sea salt and baking soda with non GMO xylitol. I don’t add calcium to the powder, but try to keep up through diet (Natto is very high in vitamin K2)
Hello, Andrea,
I’m wondering if in your research you’ve come across a better, safer alternative for dental fillings? We’ve tried the coconut oil pulling for about six months and it doesn’t seem to have helped either of our kids heal their cavities. In fact, one child has even more cavities than before, and we cut out sugar completely for that whole time.
I have stage 4 breast cancer so I will have my fillings removed eventually and I’ve done the Clifford testing to find a compatible substance for myself, but the test manufacturer doesn’t recommend it for kids. Apparently a child’s chemical makeup can change a lot during puberty and so they (Clifford) can’t guarantee good, usable results. We are tempted to just use gold, but we already have significant debt from my medical treatments. Anyway, any insight you can offer would be fantastic.
Wow, Jenni I applaud your investigative spirit. I have no idea. You’ve spurred me to more research. If you learn anything please let me know! All the best to you as you conquer these hurdles.