Photo Courtesy: Giulia Marotta
They’ve been telling us for years the untruth that we can’t rebuild the enamel on our teeth. All this while, whitening toothpastes and products are shoved at us, containing agents known to eat away at that precious enamel. And we have fluoride too, which studies have shown causes the brittling of teeth and bones, and yet we still add it to our toothpastes, and even our water.
Our teeth are getting softer, more sensitive, and expensive dental visits a luxury, till we cry out “Isn’t there a better way?” Of course there is.
Foods that destroy tooth enamel
First, you’ve got to watch your diet. Acids, such as citric and phosphoric acids, eat away the enamel. They are present in certain foods, in lemon and other fruit-based drinks, and especially in carbonated sodas. There have been studies that dropped a metal screw into a glass of the popular ‘Classic’ soda, and the acids stripped the metal right off the screw. Imagine what it is doing to your only set of teeth. One recommendation is to sip these through a straw so that they have less contact with teeth.
Strengthening tooth enamel
Adding other foods that are good for strengthening tooth enamel are easy to accomplish, like celery and carrots which produce saliva that kills bacteria, and cleans between the teeth. Cheese preserves and rebuilds tooth enamel. Sesame seeds can slough off the plaque on teeth and can help rebuild enamel too. Some antibacterials that will help keep the mouth healthy include green tea, onions and shiitake mushrooms. Don’t forget important Vitamin C, essential for overall mouth health. Oh, and drink lots of water.
Herbs that can help rebuild enamel
There are many herbs that can help rebuild enamel as well. Horsetail, specifically Equisetum arvense, is often used for osteoporosis to improve bone density. But it can also help in cases of enamel loss and brittle nails too. It contains calcium, magnesium, potassium and silica, a mineral essential in the development and strengthening of healthy bones and teeth.
Silica helps calcium and other minerals to be absorbed by bones better, as well as speed bone healing and improve joint elasticity. It can be taken as a supplement, or mixed into toothpaste.
There has been some praise for alfalfa, a mineral rich herb that can also help calcium and other bone essential minerals absorb more easily. And it has been shown to strengthen and rebuild tooth enamel, though it seems to work better when the bowel is clean. Used as a paste or taken internally, it can also aid the jaw bones and teeth in repairing themselves. White oak bark can be used similarly as well.
A home remedy called ‘oil pulling’
There’s a newer home remedy called oil pulling, and among its benefits are strengthening tooth enamel and erosion prevention. It involves a teaspoon of sunflower or sesame oil that gets swirled around the mouth every morning, and then spit out after a few minutes. Careful not to swallow!
Most important, however, is to find out the facts and truth about your teeth.
YAMUNA says
Sir
I have critical teeth pain when i have sweet or hot. doctor said that my enermel has completely lost. at this stage how i to protect my teeth. weather can i rebuilt enermel or any other means.
kind suggession please
Rowie says
Fishoil, magnesium, sunlight, real butter, coconut oil.
I am sorry but vegetarians have many dental problems due to lack of proper fat soluble vitamins.
Brad says
Kale. No sugars. Veg diet. One month, new enamel. Guaranteed.
Brad says
I’d like to add. Use baking soda to brush teeth. No regular toothpaste, they have glycerin. And do some oil pulling. Teeth enamel returns to a nice strong white. It’s great.
Strange As Angels says
That’s completely and totally false, Brad. Sorry. I use toothsoap, do oil pulling, stay away from sugars, eat tons of kale and other veggies, take fermented cod liver oil, vitamin K-2 and have been doing so for over a year and my enamel hasn’t restored. I’ve been a vegetarian for over 20 years and I only started taking fermented cod liver oil because it supposedly restores tooth enamel.
I should add that the enamel on my teeth started eroding as a direct result of a 30 day juice fast and subsequent vegan/almost raw diet. I noticed my two front teeth had a strange discoloration in the front and looked almost grey in color. I did research and learned that this is common among juice fasts because there’s so much acid in the juices. Also, vegan diets are terrible for your teeth and bones because your body is deprived of bone vitamins like Calcium and B12. I am back on vegetarian diet (aside from FCLO).
So your claim, Brad, is a load of dung.
summer says
Cod liver oil restored a third of enamel on one tooth after about 3 weeks…. no dung here.
Holly says
Just wondering what you mean by restored a third of your enamel….how did you test this ….
Dawn says
Hi did you gargle with it like in a “pulling” or drink it?
Thank you sincerely
Kaz says
I have greying to being a new vegan (6 months) but I don’t do juices or other acidic foods. High fat diet, with soy, nuts, leafy greens etc… individuality makes it a real case of trial an error. What works for some wont work for others. I’ve never been able to eat dairy and I am also coeliac, I produce little to no salivary amylase so I stay away from anything to carby and definitely no sugar (haven’t bought sugar for over 20years)
Jason says
Are you getting the requisite amount of vitamin B12 in your diet for your age Kaz considering it is only in meat, fish or dairy products?
Deshaun says
I must add that Brad is not incorrect in this manner although i would add the cod liver oil and oil pulling as well. The main addition is faith because if you truly believe it will work it will.
Anna says
Once we get into the realm of ‘faith’, we start getting looney. It’s akin to blame the victim. While a positive attitude makes life generally better, there is also no evidence based research that a positive mental attitude assists healing. So yeah – I’ll stick to the ‘dung’ word because it’s more polite than some words I could write.
Thomas says
Great post! Have nice day ! 🙂
S says
WHICH NON-SOAP FACE WASH DO YOU USE.