Cure Tooth Decay

[liamona]

Stephan wrote another post about Dr. Mellanby's experiment with healing cavities with nutrition. This time he provides a picture showing the re-calcification of decayed teeth:

"These are sections (slices) of teeth that have been treated with a chemical that darkens decayed areas. They represent four different teeth at different stages of decay reversal."

[Mossereath]

I've been really curious about reading this book. Perhaps using myself as a human guinea pig.

[RainDrop]

I saw a report on some morning show about a year ago that someone at ucla had discovered that licorice root inhibited the growth of the bacteria that causes cavities. He was going to be making lollipops out of the licorice root powder.
I don't know if it can reverse damage and heal cavities, but it should help to prevent them.

[andrew112]

Originally Posted by liamona

Yes; it works synergestically with vitamins A & D. It places calcium where it needs to be, like in your teeth and bones, and away from where it shouldn't be, like your body's soft tissues. Dairy from grain-fed cows has virtually no K2, which may be one of the reasons why so many people have trouble with it.

K2 in fermented veggies isn't exactly the same as what's in animal foods (which were grass-fed), but for the most part your body treats it the same way.

This is one of the best articles on K2:

"On the Trail of the Elusive X-Factor: Vitamin K2 Revealed"

I am getting all those vitamins in my diet already, so I guess I will never have cavities. I also have not had a single cavity since I changed my diet, which was over 8 months ago, and I have the type of teeth that are very prone to cavities naturally, meaning if I were eating a poor diet, I would have had to get root canals and would have had a lot more cavities and problems with my teeth and gums by now. the only cavities that I have are old cavities that had been filled back when I was still eating an unhealthy diet.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by andrew112

I am getting all those vitamins in my diet already, so I guess I will never have cavities. I also have not had a single cavity since I changed my diet, which was over 8 months ago, and I have the type of teeth that are very prone to cavities naturally, meaning if I were eating a poor diet, I would have had to get root canals and would have had a lot more cavities and problems with my teeth and gums by now.

That's so great! What's your source for vitamin K2? Do you consume liver or cod liver oil to get vitamins A & D? It's pretty hard to get a lot of D from diet, unless you eat a lot of non-farm-raised seafood.

From Seafood to Sunshine--A New Understanding of Vitamin D Safety

[andrew112]

Originally Posted by liamona

That's so great! What's your source for vitamin K2? Do you consume liver or cod liver oil to get vitamins A & D? It's pretty hard to get a lot of D from diet, unless you eat a lot of non-farm-raised seafood.

From Seafood to Sunshine--A New Understanding of Vitamin D Safety

I get vitamin k2 from a supplement that I take and I also eat a lot of vegetables which are very high in vitamin k as well as vitamin a. I am also getting vitamin d from the same supplement but I also try to get vitamin d from the sun. I would rather just get all my vitamin d from the sun and not have to rely on a supplement.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by andrew112

I get vitamin k2 from a supplement that I take and I also eat a lot of vegetables which are very high in vitamin k as well as vitamin a.

It's so great that they've finally come out with supplemental K2, isn't it? Especially since vegetables contain vitamin K1, aka phytonadione, not K2 (although you can get some K2 from fermented veggies).

I am also getting vitamin d from the same supplement but I also try to get vitamin d from the sun. I would rather just get all my vitamin d from the sun and not have to rely on a supplement.

It would be nice, but it's shocking how many active people living in sunny places have extremely low vitamin D levels. It makes me wonder how much pollution and other factors interfere with us getting it from the sun in modern times.

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by andrew112

I get vitamin k2 from a supplement that I take and I also eat a lot of vegetables which are very high in vitamin k as well as vitamin a.

Vegetables don't have vitamin A; some have beta-carotine, which is not the same thing. It has to be inefficiently converted into vitamin A.

Vegetables have Vitamin K1, but you need Vitamin K2 to reduce arterial calcification, promote dental health, cranial development, and prevent osteoporosis. They are not the same thing, and humans do not convert K1 into K2 like other animals.

If you are vegan I would suggest natto or a supplement for vitamin K2. Natto doesn't contain the same isofactor of K2 as found in other sources like pastured butter or eggs, but at least in some situations it has been proven to behave similarly. If you have Korean food, I suggest chungukjung over daengjung, since it is typically fermented for much longer. Or if you have Thai food, have thua-nao. The important thing is that the soybeans are fermented for a very very long time--it is not the soybeans that contain vitamin K2, but the bacteria who ferment the beans. If you were a man I might just go with a supplement in order to avoid the phytoestrogens in soy.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by Scipio

Vegetables don't have vitamin A; some have beta-carotine, which is not the same thing. It has to be inefficiently converted into vitamin A.

Oh yeah. I somehow missed that in the original post.

Vegetables have Vitamin K1, but you need Vitamin K2 to reduce arterial calcification, promote dental health, cranial development, and prevent osteoporosis. They are not the same thing, and humans do not convert K1 into K2 like other animals.

No they're not, but I've noticed that information about the differences between K1 and K2 isn't widely disseminated yet.

If you were a man I might just go with a supplement in order to avoid the phytoestrogens in soy.

Even if you're a woman you may have to be careful. I don't know what the deal is, but soy creates hormonal havoc for me.

[mrsolmstead]

Hey everyone i came across this thread while searching desperately for somethign to help my childrens teeth. i have a 3yo and a 1 yo with serious decay. we try to stay away from white flour/sugar and eat lots of fruits and veggies but it doesnt seem to help. can anyone give me some specifics on things to stay away from and things to force feed tham? lol

[James81]

Originally Posted by RainDrop

I saw a report on some morning show about a year ago that someone at ucla had discovered that licorice root inhibited the growth of the bacteria that causes cavities. He was going to be making lollipops out of the licorice root powder.
I don't know if it can reverse damage and heal cavities, but it should help to prevent them.

Man, that licorice root is like the cure all for everything. lol

I've heard that licorice root helps heal heartburn too.

[Boreas]

Eating right goes a long way. I had a dentist tell me I needed 4 fillings and a crown. I went to another one that said I needed 3 fillings. In the end, I had 2 fillings done.

3 years later and I am still fine. Don't believe dentists. Get second opinions or one you can trust.

I have heard about teeth re-calcifying, and with toothpaste these days most dentists are going cosmetic to make ends meet.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Scipio

Vegetables don't have vitamin A; some have beta-carotine, which is not the same thing. It has to be inefficiently converted into vitamin A.

Wait? How inefficiently?
I think it is all semantics (or naming) anyway. This is from the Office of Dietary Supplements.

Originally Posted by ODS

Vitamin A that is found in colorful fruits and vegetables is called provitamin A carotenoid.

Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin A and Carotenoids

And I would still argue that the amount of vitamin A in vegetables is so much higher than in meats it compensates for most of the "coversion innefficiency" and is a great source in regard to vitamin A foods.

Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin A