Your teeth don’t grow by accident. Your body uses the vitamins and minerals from your diet to form the teeth when you’re first conceived and as you grow up. In fact, these vitamins and minerals are essential for the ongoing health of your teeth.
One question we hear again and again is if there is any way to heal cavities naturally. Well, one potential solution is a remineralizing diet. While it cannot resolve teeth that have already decayed, it can help reverse some of the damage to the pulp and fill in cavities through remineralization.
Learn below what nutrients reduce cavities in children and adults. We recommend the best vitamins for healthy teeth and what foods to include in your remineralizing diet.
Can You Heal Cavities Naturally?
In short, yes. Once cavities occur, it’s often assumed that it’s a step towards inevitable dental work. That’s simply not the case. Under the correct oral circumstances, minerals and vitamins can work together to reform damaged teeth, filling the cavities naturally.
But first, let’s start by understanding why cavities occur.
Why Do Cavities Develop?
Cavities are a symptom of tooth decay. Inside our mouths, our diet mixes together with our saliva to create a specific environment. Ideally, it should have a neutral pH and little to no inflammation. However, if you eat lots of sugary foods or carbonated beverages, then these conditions change.
These repeated cycles of acid attacks cause the enamel to lose minerals. You might notice a white spot appearing in the teeth where minerals have been lost. At this point, the tooth decay isn’t so severe that it cannot be reversed. The tooth material is otherwise healthy and alive.
As the process continues, more and more minerals are lost. The enamel weakens until the cavity forms. The cavity is often a permanent crevice within the tooth that a dentist must repair with a filling. The smaller the cavity, however, the easier it is to fix with a remineralizing diet. But, if it’s too big, then dental work is the only solution.
How Cavities Heal Naturally
Healing cavities naturally requires removing the offending items that cause decay and increasing the consumption of vitamin and mineral-rich foods. Under the ideal circumstances, your teeth will begin to remineralize. Calcium and phosphorus, in particular, are passed to the teeth via the saliva. These minerals bond to the enamel, repairing any deficiencies.
Even if your teeth have undergone some permanent damage, a remineralizing diet is enough to restore the rest of the teeth back to normal. That being said, you will still need some dentistry work to remove the permanently damaged tissue and prevent further decay.
What Nutrients Reduce Cavities?
The Layers of the Teeth
Teeth are primarily made from calcium and phosphorus. Similar to bone, the enamel is a mineral known as hydroxyapatite – or crystalline calcium phosphate. This hard substance protects the teeth from damage and covers the underlying core.
Below the enamel is dentin. This substance exists between the enamel and the pulp chamber. It’s generally softer than enamel and contains lots of proteins which further protect the teeth and support the crown.
Finally, there is the dental pulp. It is the soft connective tissue containing blood vessels, and nerves are the very center of the tooth. This is the part that’s removed during a root canal and is the most important dental structure.
It might appear that calcium and phosphorus are crucial to reduce cavities. That’s partly true. However, numerous vitamins and minerals are needed for each of the tooth layers.
Key Vitamins for Healthy Teeth
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin that’s crucial to the creation of red blood cells. These cells carry oxygen to the tissues in your mouth. However, it serves another purpose – vitamin B-12 helps break down homocysteine, an amino acid known to damage tooth enamel.
People with a vitamin B-12 deficiency often experience mouth ulcers, bad breath, and damage to the connective tissues supporting the teeth. Vitamin B-12 is contained in eggs, dairy products, fortified cereals, and poultry.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is renowned for its benefits to the immune system. It helps keep your gums in top condition, reducing the risk of bleeding or infection. Vitamin C can also rebuild tooth enamel, making the teeth resistant to decay.
Symptoms such as gum disease and increased cavities are often noted with vitamin C deficiency. This is partly because vitamin C counteracts the effects of free radicals in the body. These damaging substances degrade DNA and harm cells, preventing adequate repairs.
Vitamin C is commonly found in citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is perhaps the most important vitamin for healthy teeth. It’s crucial for the production of hydroxyapatite. It’s best known for its role in bone creation. However, it serves a similar role for the teeth. Indeed, it helps with calcium absorption from your diet, ensuring there’s enough mineral material to fill in the cavities.
Alongside this effect, it can soothe inflammation, preventing the gum disease that contributes to cavities. Vitamin D is primarily obtained through exposure to sunlight. Around 15 minutes of exposure per day is enough – depending on your skin tone and sunlight levels. You can also acquire vitamin D from fatty fish, egg yolks, and fortified milk.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that is involved in the creation of skin and gum tissue. While it doesn’t directly reduce cavities, your gums are critical to preventing further tooth decay. If the gum recedes or becomes inflamed, it increases the damage to the surrounding teeth. Vitamin E prevents this from happening.
Vitamin E is found in foods such as nuts, seeds, and olive oil. Like vitamin C, it fights free radicals, but it also supports the body’s production of estrogen – a crucial hormone for strong bones and teeth.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is another fat-soluble vitamin. It’s primarily involved in blood clotting and wound healing. However, it has a secondary function, preventing issues behind your bottom teeth and upper molars. When deficient, people notice an increase in tooth decay and gum disease as the teeth cannot properly remineralize.
Vitamin K is easy to consume. It’s found in leafy green vegetables such as cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. But you can also find it in beef liver and chicken breast.
Minerals and Other Nutrients for Healthy Teeth
Calcium
It’s hard to underestimate the role of calcium in preventing cavities. Enamel is 96% made up of mineralized calcium phosphate, meaning that calcium deficiency has severe implications for tooth decay.
Calcium is contained in foods like milk, cheese, leafy greens, yogurt, and almonds. You absorb calcium from your diet and control its levels with the help of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH). People may experience tooth loss if PTH directs calcium to nerve and muscle function instead.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus works hand in hand with calcium to form hydroxyapatite. It’s the second most abundant mineral in the body after calcium. When it forms tooth enamel, it’s extremely hard and protective. The more phosphorus that’s available, the faster the remineralization occurs. However, it can cause problems elsewhere in the body.
You’ll want to eat more dairy products, meat, fish, nuts, and legumes to increase your phosphorus consumption.
Potassium
Potassium is often ignored when considering cavities. That’s a mistake. Potassium might not be as important as either calcium or phosphorus; however, it works alongside magnesium to prevent your blood from becoming too acidic. As your blood’s pH falls, becoming more acidic, it can leach calcium from your bones and teeth. Your bones might not notice any substantial change, but even a small decrease in teeth mineralization can have outsized effects in the future.
Creating a Remineralizing Diet
Now we know what nutrients reduce cavities. It’s time to develop a remineralizing dietary plan that’s rich in food for better teeth. We recommend the following guidance:
Foods to Avoid for Better Teeth
The most obvious foods to avoid are those rich in sugar. Sugar is well-known as a cause of tooth decay. Even foods rich in natural sugars and starches, like potatoes, can be dangerous. In fact, potatoes are worse than many sugary foods as they tend to get stuck in the teeth, causing prolonged damage. But that doesn’t mean that sugary drinks, fruit juices, sweets, and other treats are a good idea. All of these kinds of foods cause damage.
However, while you can have some sugar in moderation, phytic acid is one ingredient you want to minimize as much as possible. Phytic acid is a phosphorus-containing molecule that increases the risk of tooth decay and mineral deficiencies. It’s contained in foods like nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes. It’s simply not possible to eliminate it completely, but you should try to reduce your consumption.
Foods That Remineralize Teeth
In the section above, we’ve mentioned plenty of food items that contain essential vitamins and minerals. Generally speaking, eating lots of dairy products and fatty fish will cover many of your bases. Calcium, for example, is high in both dairy and mackerel. Meanwhile, fatty fish like mackerel contain lots of vitamin D.
Overall, it’s about eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in whole foods like whole grains, lean meats, and fruits and vegetables. Just make sure you eat a variety of foods from the list above.
Consider Taking Supplements
If in doubt, supplement. Taking supplements is a simple (and cost-effective) way to ensure you’re getting all the minerals and vitamins needed for healthy teeth. You might not want to take all the required vitamins and minerals, however.
Vitamin D is sensible if you have a darker complexion or during the winter when deficiency levels are high. You might also take supplementary calcium and phosphorus. The rest is usually covered with a simple multivitamin or from dietary sources.
Use a Sonic Toothbrush
Okay, it’s technically not part of a remineralizing diet. But even with the best dietary changes, without the right brushing regimen, cavities will continue to develop.
The Oclean X Pro Sonic Toothbrush is the perfect option for most people. Highly affordable and easy to use, this toothbrush contains a Maglev motor, which helps it achieve 84,000 movements per minute. These sonic vibrations lift any plaque or bacteria from your teeth, leaving them sparkling clean.
There are three modes and 32 intensities to give you the best cleaning possible, whether that’s whitening and polishing, sensitive gum care, or exclusive cleaning. In fact, the toothbrush tracks your cleaning, letting you know if you’ve missed a spot.
People who routinely use a sonic electric toothbrush often experience less tooth decay than their counterparts. It’s the best defense against cavities, giving your body a chance to remineralize without any plaque or bacteria getting in the way.