Advice on what to do when you can't or don't want to see a dentist

Here is a list of suggestions how to tackle the repair of one's own teeth in case you prefer (or have to) try doing without dental emergency treatment and/or "proper" dental work, i.e. aim beyond just lessening or temporarily numbing the pain before rushing to the next available dentist. (For those just wishing to temporarily deal with a hole, simply skip to Temporary fixes.)

Apparently, both dietary and "energetic" measures and approaches have allowed people to fix cavities without a dentist and to get rid of caries without fillings. Following any of these suggestions is of course done at your own risk since I can and will only take responsibility for my own body and health, and comes with no guarantee, see Disclaimer.

Step 1: Get rid of the toothache, naturally

As the first step towards becoming dentally self-sufficient, various simple but effective procedures can be used to stop tooth pain, see Natural holistic & home dental remedies. Also read On causes of toothache to rule out the very rare possibility your toothache is an indicator of some non-dental potentially serious illness.

Step 2: Work at building up (hardening) the tooth softened by erosion (caries)

The next and most important step is effecting a long-term toothache cure by working to help one's teeth remineralize, i.e. to form a new hardened enamel, and thus restore them to functionality (for background explanations, see Demineralisation - remineralisation). Such remineralization or "glazing over" of teeth is likely most reliably achieved by a dietary change or adaptation⁵: according to the observations and in-depth studies effected by eminent dental health researcher and dentist Dr. Weston A. Price DDS as well as other dentists such as Dr. George W. Heard, for teeth to be healthy and/or maintain or regain a measure of health, they need to receive nutrition rich in minerals, trace elements, vitamins and various phytonutrients combined with the avoidance of all refined and other damaging foodstuffs, especially sugar and white flour. The health-giving elements are particularly found in raw organic edibles, i.e. fresh and unprocessed food, sunshine for vitamin D production (required for proper assimilation of calcium into the dental structure), etc. Make particularly sure to get enough tooth- and bone-friendly vitamin K2, A, D and C and the full mineral and trace element spectrum. Many more details on rebuilding or strengthening teeth via diet at Nutrition.

Should the teeth initially be too sensitive to chew or allow contact with food, juicing as well as blending food to a soft mush in a blender and drinking/ingesting it through a straw may help (while avoiding drinking or eating any substances that might irritate the tooth such as hot or cold food items). It is important, however, that teeth do get into contact with well-chewed natural food to allow them to directly extract minerals and whatever else they require to enable their natural regeneration via your saliva (more at Demineralisation - remineralisation).

Combined with brushing & cleaning and getting sunlight (or vitamin D supplements in wintertime, vitamin D being required for proper assimilation of calcium into the dental structure), a regimen rich in tooth-friendly minerals, trace elements and vitamins should allow the teeth to properly (or at the very least sufficiently) remineralize, i.e. newly form a hardened enamel or surface to allow the tooth to be (near-)normally used.

Also refer to Herbs and plants for strengthening teeth and gums, Miscellaneous tips for keeping or restoring healthy teeth and gums, Products for remineralizing teeth and enamel (most of these are applied from the outside to add minerals to teeth) and Herbal, plant-derived and similar products for teeth and gums (some of these are very inexpensive).

Step 3: Clean your teeth properly & detoxify your mouth

The importance of cleaning teeth can be seen from the fact that "renegade" dentist Dr. Nara centered his whole approach to permanently healing and protecting teeth from caries around religiously applied proper cleaning  measures. Dr. Nara reaped resounding successes with many of his patients, see his book How To Become Dentally Self-Sufficient.

To clean one's teeth, it's very important to use natural non-toxic cleaning agents or oral care products. For one powerful example among several showing what switching from conventional toothpaste to a more natural approach can do in terms of healing cavities (as well as serious gum disease/periodontitis), read this Dramatic tooth decay cure testimonial (salt water brushing, waterpik [oral irrigator] and dry brushing have healed cavities where fluoride toothpaste failed). More on keeping your teeth clean as well as DIYable oral detoxification at Dental Care and Oral Hygiene (I feel that oil pulling is a particularly potent way to pull toxins from your entire mouth).

Step 4: Learn about energy healing approaches and apply them

EFT and Donna Eden's Energy Medicine approach¹ are two modalities which have been successfully used to address and heal both toothache and cavities. According to Donna Eden, acupressure has been used to eliminate both toothache and even heal the tooth. Energy Medicine features charts showing the entire treatment for cavities and toothache as well as a chart showing which tooth is energetically linked to which organ via energy meridians.²

Step 5: Calm your emotions, use your mind constructively - and Visualize!

See Psychology for how stress relief, emotions and mental factors can contribute to dental healing and regeneration (or the opposite), and for some particularly empowering inspiration, read this brilliant tooth healing real-life testimonial achieved by simply visualising the tooth being healthy and healed!

Addendum: What to do with "holes" or When I personally do see a dentist

I generally avoid dentists since I don’t wish to carry any fillings, crowns, inlays or  partials full of foreign materials, hazardous metals and/or toxic chemicals in my mouth with their possible or proven health hazards such as amalgam mercury and other harmful metals leaching into the body, radioactive contamination etc.³ I’ve also read that the simple act of drilling into a tooth constitutes trauma to the tooth thus affected, comparable to an operation performed on another part of the physical body. So for about ten years now I have self-treated any occurring tooth problems (they are few and far between today and only follow on the heels of dietary mistakes in the form of refined sugar and white flour).

If like myself you should choose (or perhaps have) to go the whole hog and leave cavities (including deeper holes) unfilled, you are likely to get food particles  frequently stuck in the latter (a minor inconvenience in my view). That point is also where I did allow one exception in my “dentist-free zone” policy: I had a tooth with a very deep cavity where the filling had fallen out. Normally, I leave such teeth alone, allowing them to form a new hardened enamel layer via proper diet and cleaning. In that particular case, the cavity was so deep and “convoluted” that it was impossible to keep clean, with food rests continually getting trapped in the inside passage and starting to rot and cause pain. So I had this one cavity sealed by a plastic filling⁴.

The other option (which I only recently learned about) is of course the above-referenced visualisation technique which has allowed at least some people to refill their own tooth cavities by simple visualisation (see this very impressive tooth healing testimonial)!

Temporary fixes (tooth fillings you can place yourself)

Those who for any reason wish or need to have their tooth holes filled but can't immediately get (or afford) a dentist appointment may find products such as Dentemp O.S. Temporary Tooth Filling useful which are designed to provide a temporary dental "restoration" (for instance after the previous one has fallen out) and which will stay in place for a while, allowing you to chew food and brush your teeth. Easy to apply and patch up (or renew) in case the filling starts to chip, this type of filling apparently can tide you over for several weeks (and maybe longer). You should find a temporary tooth filling product at drugstores/pharmacies and similar outlets, and of course online, see Temparin Filling Material for Fillings & Crowns, DenTek Temparin Lost Filling & Loose Cap Repair, Dentemp Temporary Cavity Filling Mix, Dentek Dental First Aid Kit, Refilit Maximum Strength Filling Material, Cherry Flavor, Recapit Maximum Strength (specialised Cap & Crown Cement).

In this context, I've also seen a note that "[v]egetarian-source calcium powder, packed around an infected tooth, and even packing inside the decayed areas of teeth (after they are properly cleaned) has sometimes assisted in teeth naturally healing themselves or at least retarded the decay." Similarly, you can make slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) powdered bark into a paste with water using mortar and pestle and fill a cavity with it. Apparently, slippery elm bark among other things provides tooth-friendly calcium phosphate.

Footnotes

1 As laid out in her (highly recommended) book of the same name, Energy Medicine.

2 Also compare "Energetic" toothache remedies.

3 For numerous reasons resp. details, see the Conventional Dentistry section, particularly On dental fillings or "restorations".

4 Compare however Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt's notes on plastic fillings.

5 (setting aside for the moment any psychological, emotional, mental or spiritual healing approaches for which there certainly is a place and time as well, even in the field of dental healing and regeneration)

Sponsored Links

Explore more articles on dental self-healing