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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.
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Angel said…
It's good to hear you are doing so well. Thanks for the update. :)
October 04, 2011
Lori Miller said…
Thanks, Angel.
October 04, 2011
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. ;)
October 19, 2011
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.
October 19, 2011
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