Natural Remedies to Prevent Dental Cavities

Your teeth are much more than the pearly whites that meet the eye.

Your teeth have a natural ability to remineralize which happens when calcium and phosphate ions help repair and rebuild your enamel.

When foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result.

Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel causing a small hole to form, resulting in tooth decay or cavity which gets progressively worse if it’s not stopped or reversed.

These bacteria that cause cavities don’t like foods like healthy foods like broccoli or kale because the cellulose in them is too difficult for the bacteria to digest. Instead, they love simple carbohydrates and sugar.

Cavities, the most common infectious bacterial disease are highly influenced by a number of factors including nutritional deficiencies, poor diet, stress and bacterial overgrowth.

Dental cavities are largely dictated by our lifestyle habits today.

Before birth, the developing tooth structure is dependent on nutrients being consumed from the mother.

During infancy, the milk from nursing mothers is either rich in nutrients required for the teeth development from her diet or lacking vitamins and minerals needed for teeth development.

As we age, our desire to sip tea, coffee and wine can lead to tooth erosion and our hurried lifestyles impact our attention to receive adequate nutrients throughout the day.

The good news is that, every time you brush your teeth, you are stopping bacteria from creating a hole in your teeth.

The bad news is that, even if you are brushing and if you are not changing your diet habits, the cavity causing bacteria can become more powerful, thus preventing you fully eliminating them.

This is why tooth brushing are only part of the solution for reversing cavities naturally.

You must have a good diet comprised of lots of non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats in order to fully prevent cavity formation or to heal cavities naturally by supporting the remineralization of teeth.

Dentist in Delhi are stressing on the importance of dietary habits and their contribution to dental health.

However, several home remedies can strengthen tooth enamel at the pre-cavity stage. This is when decay has made holes in the teeth but has not yet reached the dentin.

This process is known as remineralizing, and it prevents a cavity from forming.

Cavity occurs in a small window of time when our teeth are not provided with the necessary tools to prevent it.

Not all cavities cause pain, so it is essential to get it checked as soon as possible so that it can be treated at an incipient stage.

If a cavity has already struck or once the dentin decays and a cavity starts to form, professional treatment is necessary.

You can limit the damage by following simple steps and paying a little extra attention to your pearly whites.

Heal and reverse your existing cavities naturally using the following steps and prevent further tooth decay.

Change your diet

A change in diet can actually reverse tooth decay.

Majority of issues causing cavity production and tooth decay pinpoint back to diet. Our diet affects our teeth since birth. Studies suggest that a change in diet can actually reverse tooth decay.

Easy adjustments can be made to your diet immediately like:

• Consuming more calcium rich foods (i.e. kale, broccoli and dairy).It’s the main building component of your bones and teeth which can help strengthen your bones and teeth.
• Eat dairy products every day (milk, yogurt, sour cream, and cheese).
• Drink unsweetened beverages. Avoid drinking sodas, juices, and fizzy drinks as the sugars cause excessive plaque and tartar build up which may result in cavities.
• Changing your eating habits and switching to a healthy diet always helps boost your health, no matter what your goal is.
• You can try simple water. Water has a lot of good effects on your body including increased hydration and a higher flow of saliva.

Add Vitamins and Supplements to Your Diet

Vitamins are essential for establishing the good health of your teeth.

Micro nutrients are essential to bone health and keep inflammation under control to prevent or reverse cavities.

Certain vitamins help produce saliva which helps to prevent bacteria from staying on your teeth and certain vitamins make your teeth a lot stronger.

To promote salivation, you need to consume a lot of foods rich in fiber such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The best ones are apples, bananas, brussels sprouts, and peas.

Increase Your Vitamin D Intake

Vitamin D is essential in our diet to improve tooth resistance to bacteria.

The vitamin may have a mineralizing effect, which helps to strengthen tooth enamel and help to reduce the incidence of dental cavities significantly.

A well-balanced diet high in vitamin D such as cod-liver oil, milk, eggs and butter significantly showed that the diet was effective at reversing tooth decay and haulting the progress of cavities.

Probiotics Improve Oral Health

Foods with probiotics can heal cavities and reduce further damage to your teeth by suppressing the growth of harmful bacteria.

Consuming probiotics helps to offset the acidic pH which supports these harmful bacteria.

These foods stimulate the production of healthy bacteria in the mouth needed to prevent plaque buildup and dental decay

Limit Phytates in Your Diet

In today’s fast paced world, typical diets such as breads, cereal, and pre-prepared foods contain a compound phytate, or phytic acid.

Phytic acid may damage tooth enamel, and a study showed that cutting it out of the diet can prevent tooth decay and cavities.

Phytic acid is referred to as an anti-nutrient because of its ability to bind with and block the absorption of critical minerals like calcium, zinc and magnesium.

As a result phytates contribute to nutrient deficiency, digestive complications and is associated with tooth decay.

A diet high in phytates leads to risk of dental caries development because it interferes with the body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients for healthy teeth maintenance such as vitamin D and calcium.

The main reason phytic acid has become an issue today is because we have stopped ancient food preparation techniques, such as sprouting or sourdough fermentation, which kills off the phytic acid.

Green Tea

One major culprit of creating pH imbalance in the mouth involves the daily routine of sipping on coffee.

You may be more worried about coffee staining your teeth than you are that coffee creates pH imbalance.

Green tea is a great caffeine alternative and does not typically require added flavoring or sweeteners.

It contains a polyphenol known as catechins which acts as a powerful antioxidant. It also provides anti-inflammatory responses in warding off harmful bacteria and improves oral health.

Avoid Sugary Foods and Drinks

Consumption of sugar is among the leading causes of cavities.

It is the worst culprit of them all for anyone who desires healthy, decay-free teeth; sugar should be avoided like the plague.

Sugar it’s highly acidic and can literally decalcify or demineralize the structural content of teeth that create dental decay.

Sugar mixes with bacteria in the mouth and forms an acid, which wears down tooth enamel.

It feeds oral bacteria that prevent a healthy flow of dental fluids.

This means staying away from candy, soda and baked goods with sugar and using raw honey and maple syrup, as too much sugar can contribute to cavity formation.

Consume Raw Dairy and Nutrient-Rich Foods

Raw dairy is a great way to get cavity-free teeth.

Raw dairy is filled with the vitamins and minerals that contribute to a healthy dental fluid flow and help maintain strong teeth and promote oral wellness.

It’s a good idea to consume raw dairy products at least weekly as it is loaded with calcium, vitamin K2, vitamin D3, magnesium, phosphorus and fat-soluble vitamins.

If you want to beat tooth decay, you need to increase your fat-soluble vitamin intake and mineral intake.

Rich in animal foods like bone broth, meat, fish and eggs

• Fruit, one piece daily early in day
• Raw and cooked vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables
• Raw dairy like kefir, cheese and grass-fed butter
• Foods high in healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado, olives, and fish or fermented cod liver oil
• Get plenty of vitamin D supplements and sunshine
• Fermented grains only and in moderation, such as true sourdough bread.
• Seeds, beans and nuts only that have been sprouted
• Finally, NO processed foods, fast food or packaged foods

Oil Pooling

Oil pooling originated in an ancient system of Ayurveda.

It involves swishing a tablespoon of sesame or coconut oil in the mouth for 20 minutes, then spitting it out.

This simple oral detoxification procedure has been praised to cure everything from gingivitis to headaches to systemic diseases like diabetes.

If you can’t do 20 minutes, three to five minutes is still good.

Simply and gently swish the oil in your mouth and through your teeth without swallowing any of it.

• The best time to do (like most other detoxification procedures) is to do it as a first thing in the morning right after you get out of bed.
• Immediately afterward, rinse your mouth out with warm water. Use salt water for added antimicrobial properties.
• Finally, brush your teeth as normal.

Sugar-Free Gums

Results of a study indicate that chewing sugar-free gum after meals reduced levels of bacteria that damage enamel.

Chewing sugarless gum can actually help you prevent tooth decay. Most sugarless gums contain a component called xylitol, which is a natural sweetener.

Xylitol does not lead to the growth of bacteria in your mouth. Also, when you chew, your mouth fills with saliva that can naturally wash off food remains.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera tooth gel may help to fight off bacteria that cause cavities. It may help to remineralize enamel at the pre-cavity stage.

According to a study, the antibacterial effect of this gel kills harmful bacteria in the mouth which are responsible for cavity formation.

Eat Licorice Root

Licorice root has antibacterial properties, which may help to treat cavities.

Follow a Basic Dental Care Routine

Sometimes we don’t realize that our dental care isn’t right or requires changes.

If you want to protect your teeth from early decay, include the following steps in your dental care routine in the morning and before going to bed.

• Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste for 2 minutes at least twice a day is a way to remineralize tooth enamel and prevent cavities. Brushing the teeth with fluoride toothpaste significantly hardens enamel; giving teeth the protection they need to fight off decay.
• Try to brush all the surfaces of your teeth, reaching out to the farthest corners.
• Floss your teeth. Sometimes even brushing doesn’t work as well as flossing. Use floss to pull out any remaining food from underneath your gums, and try to get to the germs that are stuck there.
• Change your toothbrush regularly after 4 weeks. If you are brushing your teeth properly, your brush would warrant a change in 3-4 weeks.

In reputed dental clinics in India, dentists make it a point to teach the correct brushing technique to the patient as they are unawares.

Visit Your Dentist for Regular Cleanings

It’s always better to prevent a problem than to treat it. No matter how well you brush or floss your teeth, there will always be areas that are hard to reach.

A dentist will be able to clean near the gum line on the back and front of your teeth to remove any plaque and tartar.

Regular cleaning is a very important step in the fight against cavities. Make sure that you book an appointment at least once or twice a year.

Dentists in India are following a systematic protocol of 6 monthly reminders for patients to come for regular cleanings and checkups.

Counseling on home regime methods for preventing dental problems is gaining importance in Dental clinics in Delhi.

Posted by- Dr Shriya