Our Dental Journey - healing gum recession & tooth decay
When I say we have been through the dental ringer, I'm not lying. Let me start with a bit of our story to help put my tips today in perspective:
I started noticing more dental issues in myself and in one of my sons during all the years we were dairy-free, but it was mostly a filling here and there.
When we lived in mold for a season, our dental drama escalated quite rapidly. Out of nowhere, that sweet son of mine had one abscess that sent us to the ER, two teeth pulled, and 8-10 crowns put on. I won't tell you how much that cost or how many tears I shed over it. I was mortified as someone who cares well for my children and cares deeply about our health.
And out of the gate let me say - thank God for modern dental work with trusted practitioners for this kind of scenario.
I've had to move past the desire to fight for perfection in our bodies and accept help when needed. But it's HARD for this perfection-ista over here who wants to control all the health things.
Turns out, mold can do quite a number on dental health, but it led us down a road of dental healing I may not have found otherwise.
I on the other hand, also received reports from multiple holistic dentists that my gums were in bad shape. I had 9mm measurements (read: REALLY BAD). You want to be at about 1-3.
To say that I “froke out” (as one of my kids used to say), would be an understatement.
I got to work researching and deep diving and was determined to have a different outcome moving forward.
Even in the midst of all the hard work, yes, we've had to have maybe 1 more filling each as we have recovered from our time spent in a toxic environment, but I can also happily say that today my gum pockets are back to a healthy measurement (my hygienist was SHOCKED and thought the charts got mixed up somehow) and one of my son's recent x-rays showed that two of his cavities are literally healing.
If a biologist dentist asks, “what are you doing? Whatever it is, keep it up!", you know something is working.
So today I'm here to share all the links, details, practices, and products!
THE TOP THINGS THAT HELPED REVERSE OUR DENTAL ISSUES:
Vitamin K2 - if you're familiar with Weston A Price, this will come as no surprise. K2 is found most heavily in animal products and some vegetables and plays a huge role in dental health - the brand we use, here.
Oil pulling - this ancient practice is amazing at restoring dental enamel. My kids use this brand to help with taste. I personally use good ol' plain organic coconut oil scooped out of the jar. Swish for a minimum of two minutes, but honestly the longer the better (up to 20 mins). Spit in the trash!
Nanohydroxyappetite toothpaste (say that 5 times fast) - we love this brand.
If you want glycerin-free, we also love this brand.Briotech mouthwash - this was a great recommendation from a friend/practitioner at the Kale Diagnostics team (they were SO good at helping with a multi-faceted, holistic approach to my wellness & you can use the code HEALTHY250 to save working with them - just tell them I referred you please!). Anyway - this MOUTHWASH. Amazing. None of the junk found in standard mouthwash - helps to restore gums and works with your body.
Propolis - this is great for daily immune support already, but it's a powerhouse for your teeth, too! You can spray directly on spots that need remineralizing. We used the one without honey when using directly on the teeth.
Calcium remineralizing spray - I used this specifically for my kiddos, including one who could not tolerate the dairy found in MI Paste - we sprayed directly on the spot.
Ozonated coconut oil - this is great as an oil pull or directly on spots!
Dairy-inclusive diet and eating whole foods - no surprise here! I can't understate the importance of the foundations, even with the supplemental and topical add-ins! We eat the way I outline in my meal plans and cookbooks!
Whole food vitamin D supplement - I prefer to only use whole food supplements for vitamin D because it is a hormone. We love this cod liver and this fish roe!
Electric toothbrushes - every dentist I've ever seen says to switch! We love this for kids.
Liquid Remineralization - there's lots of good options out there, this is what I used for myself either with oil pulling or by itself!
If you can believe it, I don't even think this is comprehensive, but I do think these are the MOST powerful tools we used when cycling through a million different attempts at healing!
A few notes:
Most people may not need to do all of this. We went all in because I was just so sick and tired of the dental roller coaster.
Remineralization can only happen to a certain extent. Please work with a qualified, preferably holistic dentist, to talk through your needs - this should not serve as medical advice.
These links may earn me a slight commission with no increase cost to you. I only share links for things I really believe in - every product on here is something we reuse and reorder time and time again!
I believe our bodies can heal with the right tools. I LOVED this DM I got in regard to this convo:
Can you believe that?! All the tips she referenced are in this post, by the way!
I hope this info helps, friends. Happy nourishing and happy mouth healing!