Skip to main content

Cavity Healing Diet Six-Month Update

Back in mid-March, my last dentist told me I needed a bunch of fillings. I declined to get them, embarking on a cavity-healing diet instead. Today, I saw a new dentist--the one my best friend saw when she lived here in Colorado. Since he never gave her a filling, I assume he's not a drill-and-fill eager beaver.

The 16 x-rays he took (yes, sixteen) didn't show decay on the teeth the last dentist wanted to fill. He also said I had a good jaw and more than enough room for all my wisdom teeth--something he said he rarely sees. As he went about cleaning my teeth as if my mouth were the Sistene Chapel, he remarked that my teeth didn't seem sensitive to cold despite some roots showing. Yes, I've observed that too: my teeth are no longer sensitive to temperature or vinaigrette, as they once were. And my TMJ problems and nighttime tooth grinding unexpectedly disappeared since I started the cavity healing diet. So even though Dr. Michelangelo (not his real name) insisted that cavities don't heal, my teeth and gums feel remarkably better than they did. My teeth look a lot better than they did, too--they were a lot whiter even before the cleaning.

He did find two tiny cavities between my front teeth and the teeth next to them: they showed up as two tiny dark fuzzy spots between the teeth. I put off having them filled, wanting to see how they look in six months. Thanks to Dr. Michelangelo, I now know enough about reading x-rays to see the results for myself.

Since vitamin D is important to cavity healing, I've ordered another mail order test from ZRT Laboratories to check my level.

I've checked my dog's cavity lately, and I really can't tell if it's made any progress.

If you'd like to see photos of good teeth on primitive diets v. bad teeth on modern diets, see Nutrition and Physical Degradation by Weston Price, DDS. You can read it online here.

Comments

Angel said…
It's good to hear you are doing so well. Thanks for the update. :)
Lori Miller said…
Thanks, Angel.
Anonymous said…
I just experienced something that may be relevant for you as well ... (long story to follow)

I've had a quite restricted diet (candida + elimination after being diagnosed with hashimoto's for about 1,5 years ago) for about 6 months. That resulted in me going completely gluten free. I now follow a paleo-/Primal blueprint-inspired diet.

After first starting calcium supplements and second starting eating milk again I noticed
- some cramping in my feet (which I ignored even though I knew it was a sign of a slight magnesium deficiency)
- headaches
- aching jaw
- "stress"
- receding gums(!!!)
- a much weaker and more brown enamel

Then I started googeling – and realized at the main mineral for enamel is: magnesium. Our main source of magnesium is whole grains… and that stress and headaches and muscle soreness (the jaw-problem) all ties together with magnesium. In a diet such as mine it's quite difficult to reach enough magnesium unless eating a lot of nuts and seeds. So I started supplementing and al my symptoms (except for de gums – yet) are improving.

It turns out that the increased ratio of calcium in my diet may have increased the problem as calcium is an antagonist (?) for magnesium. Anyway – at least my teeth are getting less brown again!

And - excuse me for my clumsy English - I'm a Norwegian. ;)
Lori Miller said…
Glad you're doing better. I find I need to supplement Mg as well. It's an important mineral that doesn't get enough attention.

Your English isn't clumsy at all.

Popular posts from this blog

Dana Carpender's Podcast; Dr. Davis on YouTube; Labor Day Sales

Dana Carpender, who's written several recipe books and other works on low-carb, has a podcast and is still writing articles at carbsmart.com. She's a terrific writer and amateur researcher (otherwise known as reading , as Jimmy Dore jokes ). I use her book 500 Low-Carb Recipes all the time and I'm looking forward to hearing more from her. I've embedded her podcast on my blog (click on the three lines at the top right if you don't see it, or go to Spotify or other podcast source if you're getting this by email). Carbsmart.com doesn't seem to have a blog feed, so if you want to see the latest posts there, you can sign up for notifications at their site. Dr. Davis has been putting a lot more videos on YouTube, so I've added his channel to the lineup. Click on the three lines on my blog if you don't see it, or go to his channel here .  * * * * * Primal Kitchen is having a Labor Day sale-- 20% off everything. They sell high quality collagen powder, con...

Fermented bread and butter pickle recipe ft. L. Plantarum

After Dr. Davis said the other night that  L. plantarum  may reduce some of the effects of the herbicide glyphosate (which is everywhere), I'm re-running my recipe for fermented bread and butter pickles. Pickling cucumbers naturally have  L. plantarum  bacteria on them, and fermenting them with some brown sugar multiplies these bacteria. (Just don't use chlorinated water to wash them.) And if you're growing your own cucumbers, avoid spraying the fruits with  Bacillus thuringiensis , or Bt (leaves and vines are OK). It's unclear what effect a big dose of Bt would have on humans. Another benefit of DIY pickles: no emulsifiers like polysorbate 80, which is a common ingredient in pickles. If you have GI problems, it could be from emulsifiers. These sweet-and-sour pickles are the tastiest I've ever made. There's just a little added sugar (some of which the bacteria will consume) and turmeric that gives the pickles their bright color.  Special equipment Quar...

Collagen-filled Low Carb Burritos

Low-carb, grain-free Mexican food is hard to find, but it's easy to make your own at home. This recipe has an authentic ingredient: carne de lengua, or beef tongue. Don't be put off: beef tongue is tender, delicious, and full of collagen. Look for it directly from farmers in your area. To cook it, cut it in 1" to 1-1/2" slices and pressure cook for one hour. Enjoy the delicious broth as a bonus. Ingredients 1 slice cooked beef tongue, peeled and cut into small cubes 1 egg wrap (I use these  from Egglife) 1/4 cup cooked black or pinto beans Chili pepper Oregano Garlic (powdered or minced) Cumin Guacamole (with no emulsifiers) Salsa Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream or homemade cream cheese  with no emulsifiers  Put the egg wrap on a plate and put the beef and beans down the middle of it. Sprinkle with the herbs and spices. Wrap, turn over and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Spoon salsa over the burrito and sprinkle with cheese. Add guacamole and sour cream or homemade crea...

15% Off Starter Culture

Starter culture for the wonderful cream cheese I made is 15% off for the next two weeks (through June 18, 2025). The shop (BacillusBulgaricus.com) also offers rennet and starter for other cheeses, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sour cream, fermented vegetables, and more. They ship to 118 countries across six continents. The coupon code is LORI_sekd3tkb at bacillusbulgaricus.com .  Photo from Pexels .

Cardio: A Waste of Valuable Dance Time

"I'd rather hold a girl in my arms than a football." -Joe DeCicco, friend and dancing fanatic Have you heard that it takes a woman 77 hours of exercise to lose a kilogram of fat? (For us Americans, that's half a pound.) That's according to a study cited by Dr. John Briffa .(1) The women who huffed and puffed three hours a week for a year ended up 4.4 pounds lighter than the sedentary women. That doesn't surprise me: my own weight loss involved a lot less exercise than what I'd been doing. I did no cardio workouts, just strength training . I had more time and energy for dancing, which is a stress reliever, helps keep me in shape, and it's a ton of fun. It's not expensive to dance (as long as you stay away from the studios). I've found excellent lessons at clubs where the teachers really care about the students getting it. Here in Denver, there are dancing clubs that are run by nonprofit organizations, where the prices are reasonable and...