Tooth remineralisation & demineralisation, saliva & pH
5 major prerequisites for dental health and stopping & reversing tooth decay
This page, together with Minerals and trace elements, is one of the most important pages of Healing Teeth Naturally since the processes of remineralisation and demineralisation are at the heart of both tooth decay and dental regeneration.
To simplify matters in this introduction, teeth are essentially made of calcium and phosphate. Quite unbeknownst to normal humans, there is a constant "traffic" going on in our mouth, with calcium and phosphate migrating in and out of our teeth on a daily basis in response to factors such as chewing hard substances, eating acidic food, and pH and mineral & trace element content of our saliva (as well as blood). Saliva (resp. blood) composition in turn depend on the quality and mineral content of the food we ingest, our emotional state, any medications we might take, and as far as saliva is concerned, the bacteria population "inhabiting" our mouth (and frequently teeth).
Dental health prerequisite number 1:
tooth-mineral-rich saliva
When a person's diet and body are healthy, i.e. adjusted to that person's individual needs, their saliva will be high in calcium and phosphate. So the daily wear and tear on teeth induced by chewing and eating acidic foods, i.e. the process of demineralisation, will be balanced and offset by constant remineralization via the saliva in the proper pH range and filled with the required minerals.
In other words, saliva quality is of crucial importance in the prevention of tooth cavities since it is this medium which bathes and carries nutrition to teeth (in addition to the interior "supply pipe" provided by the bloodstream to the pulp of the tooth interior1).
Dental health prerequisite number 2:
blood rich in tooth-friendly minerals, trace elements and vitamins
Since teeth can get both nourished and depleted both from inside (your bloodstream via the tooth's pulp chamber1) and outside (saliva and food passing through as well as food rests and bacterial waste products remaining in your mouth), it is important to nourish yourself in a manner that allows your blood to be rich in all elements your teeth require. More details at Dr. Shelton on the true causes of tooth decay, Nutrition and particularly Minerals.
Dental health prerequisite number 3:
proper saliva pH
Now the added "complication" is that saliva bathing your teeth also needs to be at neutral or near-neutral pH (around 7 on the pH scale ranging from 0 to 14), for teeth to remineralize properly (refer for instance to the studies done at the University of Newcastle [UK] which have shown the link between saliva pH and remineralization). Acidic saliva apparently demineralizes teeth (while when saliva becomes too alkaline, deposits called calculus [tartar] form on the teeth).
Since stress can create acids in the body, saliva too can be influenced by one's emotions. See Meditation for stress and caries reduction and Emotions and tooth decay.
And since food rests allowed to remain in the mouth and metabolized by bacteria can turn into "acid waste" products secreted by these bacteria, here is another reason why good oral hygiene can help save teeth by raising saliva pH to tooth-friendly levels.
Alkalizing if your body is overacidic
Many things serve to shift one's pH towards enhanced alkalinity, from an alkaline-focused diet, adding alkaline foods/natural supplements such as blackstrap molasses or baking soda, to meditation, prayer and joy (In fact, according to scientific research, meditation seems to be a powerful dental health and healing factor which among other beneficial changes, raises salivary pH). All these and more I've seen reported as having an alkalizing effect on the human system, while stress (and of course acidifying foods, see table) acidify the tissues.
Dental health prerequisite number 4:
proper salivary flow
To be and remain healthy, teeth need to be constantly bathed in saliva. When the mouth is dry, teeth may/will suffer, due to the resulting increase in cavity-causing bacteria.4 This also applies to dry mouth caused by taking certain medications and even by breathing through your mouth in your sleep. Radiation treatment (so-called radiotherapy) to the general area of the mouth can also seriously damage the functioning of the salivary glands. Dental x-rays may cause dry mouth as well, so may stress5.
While dentists apparently recommend chewing sugarless gum to prevent dry mouth, I have yet to see one such product that does not contain toxic Aspartame6 (not to mention other chemicals). The easiest way to ensure good salivary flow would seem to be hydrating yourself via high-quality water.7
Dental health prerequisite number 5:
proper mastication - exercise your teeth and gums by chewing well
Most natural, unprocessed (or little-processed) food (such as whole-grain products and fresh raw fruits and vegetables) typically requires thorough chewing due to its fibre content. The increased blood and lymphatic circulation in gum, teeth, and other oral tissues (see Tooth for an illustration of the blood vessels supplying teeth) brought about by thoroughly chewing one’s food should in itself both enhance dental cellular detoxification and nourishment. Additionally, the mechanical action of the fiber on teeth and gums acts similarly to a toothbrush by cleaning the tooth surfaces.
It can even be speculated that a major cause of tooth decay and jaw problems lies in the very lack of use we make of our teeth and jaw muscles when we mostly consume soft processed food2 - after all, lack of exercise in other parts of the body tends to lead to atrophy (wasting away), including our muscles, bones and brain (as in the phrase "use it or lose it"). In fact this is what Edgar Cayce hinted at when stating that modern "soft" foods (as opposed to what he termed "detergent" foods such as raw carrots, lettuce and the like), constitute a cause of teeth and gum disorders (this is easy to understand since as weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones, by analogy, teeth should benefit from chewing). And last but not least, chewing of course gets our saliva "going"...
Eminent Natural Hygiene proponent Dr. Herbert Shelton recounts a beautiful testimonial testifying to the dental healing value of properly exercising one's teeth:
"A mother brought her young child to me. She was distressed that his jawbones and mouth were developing poorly. The boy had a terrible bite (referring to the way the teeth fit), and there did not appear to be any room in the crowded mouth for the new teeth to erupt. After discussing the child's diet, I suggested that the mother give the child a raw carrot to chew on at his regular meal and as a replacement for his sweet snacks. Years later I saw the mother and child again. The child had beautiful straight teeth. The hard chewing that was required for the raw carrot allowed the teeth to straighten out as they performed the job for which they were originally intended."
Proper mastication thus seems not only an important factor in good digestion, i.e. one of the central pillars of a healthy body3, but also in the health and regeneration of your teeth.
Dental health prerequisite number 6 (this point is arguable!): teeth surfaces need to be clean and unimpacted by glycerin
For teeth to be able to integrate the minerals contained in saliva into their structural "latticework", i.e. for them to remineralize, via saliva Dr. Gerald Judd, author of 'Good Teeth Birth to Death', insists that teeth must be "clean" to allow this remineralization to occur. In his eyes, teeth must not only be brushed but also be free of any coating of sticky glycerin (see details at Dr. Gerald Judd's natural dental protocol). Oddly, glycerin is a common ingredient in many commercial toothpastes (and even found in health food store varieties).
To my knowledge Dr. Judd was the first to "officially" recommend using soap instead of toothpaste to effectively "squeaky" clean teeth and gums, as the first crucial step for allowing remineralization to occur from the nutrition provided by the saliva.
While Dr. Judd's insistence on glycerin- and otherwise clean teeth seems to make sense, some dental researchers such as Dr. Weston A. Price and Dr. George W. Heard have reported seeing perfectly healthy teeth which had never even been cleaned and were thickly covered with various impurities. Invariably, these teeth were found in people having lived on a natural mineral and trace element-rich diet from birth.
Using pH test strips
Some suggest using test strips to test one's saliva in the morning.
Also compare Products: "Remineralizers" for Teeth.
Footnotes
1 For an illustration of the pulp chamber, see Tooth.
2 compounding the effects of the lack of minerals and vitamins typically encountered in processed foods
3 For more on chewing, health and beauty, also compare Dr. F.X. Mayr’s research.
4 The Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 54, No. 4, 740-750 (1975) published a study titled "Effect of Radiation-Induced Xerostomia on Human Oral Microflora" (xerostomia = dry mouth) which showed that "[c]ariogenic microorganisms gained prominence at the expense of noncariogenic microorganisms in concert with the saliva shutdown." http://jdr.iadrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/54/4/740
5 Compare On the link between emotions, stress and caries (cavities) development.
6 Compare www.healingcancernaturally.com/causes-of-cancer.html#Aspartame.
7 It is interesting to note that according to the teachings of the ancient Chinese art and science of qigong, saliva (referred to as 'jade liquid') is filled with life force energy (chi). Compare this amazingly simple but powerful self-healing technique involving visualization, intention and - saliva!