Placing metal directly
into the jaw bone poses a high risk of triggering a negative immune system reaction in the patient. 26
The body reacts poorly to any implanted metal. Studies at the Karlinska Institute in Sweden, show that
most humans become rapidly allergic to virtually any metal placed inside the human body including
mercury, titanium and gold. One not commonly considered problem with titanium implants is the
battery effect of combining titanium with other metals from dental restorations in your mouth. Zirconium is a non metal material that is used for implants in other modern parts of the world. It has
been recently approved for use in the United States. If you decide you want an implant, for the same
cost as having a titanium implant here, you can fly to another country such as New Zealand and get a
zirconium implant there. As with any dental procedure, you must weigh the benefits and the costs to determine if this is right
for you. Clearly we want to place our efforts into keeping our existing teeth because none of the
alternatives are fully satisfactory, and they are costly.Dental Abuse
With a few exceptions, modern dentistry is an inhumane system. Many dentists coerce patients into
treatments that they do not need. Part of this system of coercion is to first condemn patients as failures
in life because they did not prevent their tooth decay due to poor oral hygiene. These accusations can
weaken patients’ sense of self and get them to succumb to unneeded dental procedures. You know a
dentist has abused you if you feel sick or awful in their presence, or if they try to coerce you into
treatments that you feel unsure about. A majority of dentists are in business to make money. And the
business aspect has corrupted most dentists so surely and thoroughly, it causes them to behave in
irresponsible ways. Dental abuse is also physical abuse because dental treatments when not absolutely needed damage
and harm your physical body. Dental treatments that use toxic metals cause disease, pain, and
suffering. This is also a form of physical abuse, and it is unethical. Suggestions for Healing Dental Abuse
 
1
. Acknowledge the past trauma
 that has been inflicted on your teeth when you did not know any
better. Feel it as fully as you can. Feel how upset, disoriented, taken advantage of, unfairly
treated or numbed you feel. Let those feelings have a space or a voice. Feel the profound
suffering that dentistry is causing people. Look it squarely in the eye. 2
. Forgive. Once the problem is acknowledged then ask for healing and forgiveness. Is there any
way you can find that tiny spark in yourself that is capable of forgiving yourself for being a
victim, and forgiving the dentist for his extreme ignorance and arrogance? By the way,
forgiveness does not mean you do not hold the dentist or dentistry in general responsible for
their negligent behavior. 3
. Get educated. Once you are able to let go of some of the past attachments towards dentistry,
then it is time to learn about good dentistry that can repair toxic dentistry. Seek out dentists who
practice less toxic and minimally invasive dentistry. 4
. Educate your friends and family. Healing the abuse of dentistry means your community needs
to be educated about the severe problems with conventional dentistry. Part of your own healing
from dental abuse will come by educating your friends and family about the dangers and hazards
prevalent in dentistry. On the practical side, if you do not feel good at your dentist’s, then speak up. If you still feel confused
and unsure, leave the dental office immediately. Get a second opinion.Do I Have a Cavity? Understanding Tooth Decay
A cavity is an impairment in the tooth structure that creates sensitivity to the environmental forces in
the mouth such as saliva, foods, and chewing. A cavity is any structural weakness in a tooth that
causes the tooth to function improperly. Feeling pain, discomfort, finding white spots and sometimes
black spots on your tooth, having hot or cold sensitivity, and not wanting to chew on a tooth are the
results of tooth decay. For a majority of people the simplest way to know if you have a cavity is to go
to a good dentist for a check-up. For the minority of people, you can do it at home. Most people are
better off working with a dentist because dentists have the experience needed to clearly diagnose
cavities. This is where a dentist can be your ally. The guidelines below will give you a general idea of the type of tooth problems you are facing. These
suggestions are not guaranteed to accurately diagnose your problems, but they can aid you in
understanding your experience. If you need a more accurate diagnosis then please seek
professional dental help. Tooth Pain:
Temporary sensitivity to hot or cold foods, without recent dental work. Meaning:
 Tooth decay is active. The tooth enamel is weak and sensations travel more rapidly to the
nerve. This may also be the beginning signs of gum disease. Tooth Pain: 
Lasting sensitivity and more constant awareness of hot or cold foods, without recent
dental work. Meaning:
 The tooth pulp could be infected, the tooth may be cracked or chipped, or this is the
beginning of gum disease. Tooth Pain:
 Temporary sensitivity to hot or cold foods after a recent dental treatment. Meaning:
 Dental work can cause tooth pulp inflammation, which would be an intense but very brief
pain. The tooth pulp should heal within 2-4 weeks of a dental treatment. Tooth Pain:
 Lasting or prolonged sensitivity and constant awareness of hot or cold foods after a
recent dental treatment. Meaning:
 The cavity may have been too close to the tooth pulp so the dental treatment did not protect
the pulp sufficiently. This is a common and unfortunate problem from imprecise dental work or too
much drilling. Tooth Pain:
 Sharp pain from biting down on food. Possible Meanings
: Loose filling, tooth decay, cracked or fractured tooth, infected tooth. Tooth Pain:
 Constant and severe pain with pressure, swelling of the gum, and sensitivity to touch. Meaning: 
Tooth or gum abscess (tooth infection).Pain: 
The tooth hurts when you tap it with your finger from the side. Meaning: 
The periodontal ligament is degenerating or inflamed. Tooth Pain
: Dull ache, headaches, tooth experiences lingering hot-cold sensitivity that lasts much
longer than a few seconds. Meaning
: The tooth nerve is damaged or dying. There may be a hidden infection. Tooth decay
 that occurs on the top of teeth, or dental tartar. Meaning:
 Too much free calcium in your blood, the calcium is not being used efficiently. The form of
calcium may be unabsorbable. Tooth decay
 that is near or below the gum line, or red, tender or inflamed gums. Meaning
: Too much free phosphorous in your blood; your body is not using phosphorous efficiently. This could also be from excess biting forces causing stress on the roots of the tooth.Monitoring Tooth Decay and Tooth Remineralization
I encourage readers to monitor tooth decay with their dentist. While it is not necessary to work with a
dentist if you would rather not, I do find that bringing the awareness and skills of a trusted dentist into
the picture can greatly help you. When you monitor the progress of tooth decay carefully you can
determine whether or not the dietary changes you have implemented are helping your teeth. If the
dietary changes are not helping, you need to make more changes or consider dental surgery. Examining your teeth frequently helps you stay aware of the reality of your dental health. The
programs in this book are not about just eating healthy food while remaining oblivious to the
effectiveness of the protocol. This is about being mindful of your dental health and paying attention to
any changes that might occur. Clear digital x-rays can show convincing documentation when tooth
dentin is remineralizing. Dentists check for tooth decay by examining x-rays and by using a tool called an explorer. With the
explorer, the dentist probes for soft or sticky spots in the teeth. He also will check around the neck of
the tooth for hidden root cavities. There are various methods for you to monitor your tooth
remineralization, and people have employed different strategies. One way to monitor your tooth decay
is to eat a small amount of certain foods, or drink hot or cold water, that typically cause tooth pain. Another is to press your teeth in various spots with your fingernail. If you want to be more precise,
you can purchase a dental explorer at the local drug store and use it carefully in the same way. If you
feel a soft spot or experience tooth pain while using the dental explorer, then you have tooth decay. Decayed spots are usually slightly sticky or feel like rotten wood. Some dentists offer a saliva test to
determine if tooth decay is active. Using these tests, you can check and monitor the progress of your
dietary changes, watching to see whether or not your tooth is getting harder. I also encourage you to do a visual inspection of your teeth. You can accomplish this by using an
efficient light and the bathroom mirror. A small dental mirror can also be useful for inspecting your
teeth from different angles. A visual inspection can help you determine if your teeth are healthy. Take
a digital photograph of your teeth if possible, and label them for comparison. You are to be responsible for monitoring your dental health. I support active participation in your
dental recovery program. I do not encourage excessive x-rays because of the dangers of radiation
exposure. Digital x-rays emit less radiation than conventional ones, but they still emit some. By
checking your progress, you will be able to determine whether or not the diet you are following is
working and you will be able to catch a problem before it becomes worse.Understanding Tooth Remineralization
Your body is always trying to heal and repair your teeth to find and maintain balance. I described this
previously as 
vis medicatrix naturae
. Your goal is to align yourself and your actions with this natural
function. Any tooth has the potential to remineralize. If healing teeth seems confusing, just think of
bones healing. Healing teeth is similar to healing bones. When your diet reaches a certain threshold of
minerals and fat-soluble vitamins, your soft teeth will turn hard and even glassy. Cracks can seal
together, and your tooth ligaments will strengthen. Inside the tooth your body will build new
secondary dentin to protect the inner tooth pulp. As with a bone, if there is a hole in your tooth, the
hole will not usually fill in. The areas all around the hole will get strong and extremely hard. The lost
tooth structure is not usually replaceable. Holes in your teeth usually cannot be completely filled in
and restored to their original condition, even with special nutrition. However, the holes can be
sealed, and the enamel will become hard and protect your tooth pulp from infection.How to Treat Your Decayed Tooth
I frequently am asked about what to do in specific instances of decayed teeth. My answer is very
simple. Do the best you can with nutrition. And then evaluate with your dentist if your tooth needs
further cosmetic or surgical treatments. It never hurts to improve your diet in any case. What to do about your tooth decay depends on how severe it is. The severity is determined by how
much pain you experience, if there is a large visible cavity in the tooth, and if the tooth has been
drilled or traumatized in the past. Understanding the past condition of the tooth will guide you to what
type of treatments your tooth needs under a diet that promotes tooth remineralization such as
described in this book. The advice here is meaningless for those who neglect to carefully ensure that
they have enough fat-soluble vitamins in their diet while avoiding many of the tooth-decay-promoting
foods. Dental problems in teeth that have been drilled by dentists usually need to be repaired in some way
by a good dentist. The model of drilling large holes guided by the “extension for prevention” premise
traumatizes teeth. The tooth with a moderate to large mercury filling has lost its structural strength
from the large hole drilled in it. Some older composite fillings may also exhibit this loss of structural
integrity if they are weakly bonded to the tooth. An analogy for these sorts of teeth is a house without
a roof. Without a sound roof, any kind of foul weather will be able to enter the house. The house will
be hard to clean, and likely will be damaged from the weather. Likewise, your tooth that has been
drilled is like a house without a roof. Your body has to work tremendously hard to clean, repair, and
maintain the damaged tooth because it has little protection from the environment of your mouth. If your
house did not have a roof, would it make sense to continue to try to clean it up after every rain or
snow? No. It would make sense to fix the roof to prevent the problem in the first place. Likewise, bad
dentistry needs to be fixed with good dentistry. Teeth that have mercury fillings, toxic crowns, or
conventional root canals are like houses without roofs. With teeth that have already been subject to the dentist’s drill, no matter what the condition of the
tooth, be it painful, temperature sensitive, cracked, or infected your treatment path will require the
work of the tooth handyman, the dentist. Great dentists can bond teeth, save inflamed nerves, and
restore the structural integrity of your tooth with carefully bonded ceramics or composites. Once the
tooth is safe and not being traumatized it can heal faster. The tricky part is that if you go to a dentist
with a large amount of tooth decay, then he usually will want to remove all of the decayed part of the
tooth, even part of the tooth that can remineralize. How long you wait to remineralize the tooth, how
much the dentist needs to drill, if at all, and if you should have a temporary or permanent filling
placed while the tooth heals is all entirely up to you to decide along with, one hopes, the supportive
advice from your dentist. Teeth that have never been drilled usually respond very well to dietary intervention. You should
notice significant improvement in tooth pain or sensitivity within a few days. Once the tooth has
hardened then you can decide with your dentist if the tooth needs extra structural support from a
filling. In this case you could do a no-drill filling if there was a large hole that needed to be sealed
up. I do not recommend leaving large holes untreated, although some people make this choice for
personal reasons. Tiny cavities, the kind most people have, do not really need any type of drilling orfilling once they remineralize. All that is there will usually be a tiny but very hard discolored or black
spot on the tooth. Sometimes even the discoloration of a cavity disappears completely on an excellent
diet. With your excellent diet your tooth will now be constantly trying to heal itself. If your dental
condition has been going on for years and years, it could take many weeks or even many months to
fully remineralize the damaged tooth. If your tooth is constantly getting aggravated such as from night
time tooth clenching, tooth grinding, a poor bite, or dental work that is falling apart then the healing
process is going to be very slow if it progresses at all. Meanwhile if your tooth is in a lot of pain, it
may be difficult or impossible to wait for weeks and months for your body to heal the tooth
nutritionally to the point where it stops hurting. The only way to know is to implement as much as you
can of the tooth infection program explained earlier in this chapter. If your painful, inflamed tooth
does not radically improve in 24-48 hours, then this tooth likely needs a dental treatment. Specific Examples of How to Treat Tooth Decay
Assuming you have changed your diet for the better, your teeth will be getting hard and strong. There
may still be holes and these will become covered over with hard new enamel, but will not usually fill
in. The general treatment theory on teeth is that less is more. You want to do the least traumatizing and
least invasive treatment as is reasonable for your tooth. The best holistically oriented dentists will be
able to support this process. What the least invasive treatment looks like exactly in your case you will
need to decide for yourself. When people ask me what they should do with their tooth condition, I
always simply ask them what they want to do. Beyond the structure of health I provide in this book, I
cannot tell you or advise you what to do with your teeth. I cannot replace your own wisdom and inner
knowing of what is right for you. Here I will try to give you some guidelines to help you make a good
decision. Soft leathery decay probably cannot be remineralized, but all of the other types of tooth decay can be
remineralized. Your dentist will advise a specific filling or treatment for your tooth based upon his
observation of how damaged the tooth is. If the decay is very hard, then the dentist should not need to
drill much or at all. All cavity treatments and outcomes will be enhanced when you make steps to
correct your bite and to relieve pressure on the central cranial nerve in your jaw, the trigeminal
nerve. This will be discussed in the next chapter. Healing teeth nutritionally is enhanced by topical
treatments including herbs, homeopathy, sea salt rinses, gum cleaning and oil pulling (see the gum
disease chapter). Side Cavities and Regular Cavities
. These respond well to nutritional adjustments. After the small
cavity has healed, you will need to decide if you want or need any additional drill-free dental
treatments to restore the structure or look of the particular tooth. Large cavity
. Make dietary changes and then get the cavity filled with a no-drill filling, or a filling
that requires only a small amount of drilling. This can only be done when the cavity is remineralized. Alternatively, the cavity can be scraped carefully without using a drill and then a temporary or
permanent filling can be placed while you improve your diet. Teeth can remineralize under the
fillings. Parts of the teeth that are drilled are a far larger obstacle to tooth remineralization than a
filling sitting in a tooth.Cavities under fillings. Sometimes these respond well to nutrition, and other times they do not. It
depends on how stressed the tooth is, and how severe the decay. First you need to determine if your
current filling is allowing food and saliva to enter deeply into the tooth. If so, you want to get the
filling cleaned, and then sealed with either a temporary or a permanent filling. If the filling on the
tooth is already sound, then the first thing to consider is if this is a misdiagnosis. If it is not a
misdiagnosis, many of these teeth will respond well to nutritional treatments. Make sure to avoid
biting on the tooth as best as you can for 1-14 days depending on your desires, and perhaps even wear
a night guard to relieve the nighttime stress on the tooth. Expect significant improvement in these deep
cavities in 1-2 weeks. If the filling is damaged, once the interior of the tooth heals, then consider
getting a new non-toxic filling to strengthen the structure of your tooth. Cracked or chipped teeth
. Cracking teeth is almost always a sign of a significant dietary sin or
health imbalance. Teeth are not supposed to crack, even in the elderly. Whole grains and high
intensity sweeteners top the list of dietary mistakes that cause cracking or chipping. Cracked teeth can
usually be bonded by a good dentist. You will need to reduce the biting stress on the tooth and give it
ample time to heal. To reduce biting stress a night guard, chewing on the opposite side, and
alternative body work treatments on your jaw or head will help. Just as a reminder, a cracked or
chipped tooth does not usually need a root canal. Teeth with temporary fillings
. You will want to find a permanent safe filling solution and not keep
temporary fillings in your mouth very long. Leaving big cavities without fillings. A few daring people want to have no filling materials in their
mouths even if their teeth have large holes. I do not recommend this option if you are doing it to save
money. A mouth full of cavities, or you do not know what to do about your cavities. What I always say to
people who feel unsure is to make your best effort to improve your diet. No matter what dental
treatment course you pursue, you will always be benefited by improving your diet. It does not hurt to
try. Sensitivity on sides of teeth with gum line ridges
. This is called abfraction and is due to biting
forces. An improved diet will strengthen the tooth against the loss or damage to the tooth caused by
biting forces. The complete healing of this condition may require additional treatments to adjust how
you bite. Still not Sure? Talk to Your Tooth
While this suggestion may sound ridiculous, I assure you that I have not gone off the deep end! I want
you to know that I am sharing this suggestion with you because many people truly have difficulty in
deciding how to take care of a painful tooth, and this process really can bring clarity. Even after considering all of this information, you still might feel clueless about what to do for your
painful tooth. You may wonder if there is any hope. Many times in these situations you have a variety
of choices. And it requires relaxing the judgmental mind to know which choice is best for you.Consider beginning an inner dialog with your tooth. This is very similar to talking with a child. Here
are some examples. “How are you, tooth?” “What will make you feel better?” “Do you want to visit a
dentist?” “Do you want a root canal?” “Do you want to try herbs?” “Do you want a special food?”
“Do you want to be pulled?” You will be amazed at how your body can actually communicate what it
needs to you. People will receive some kind of response to these questions, as a feeling, an inner
knowing or voice, or as a desire to do something. If you get no response, do not worry. A response
will appear in some way when your mind is relaxed. Keep asking clearly. A treatment option can also
elicit a feeling of stress or tension (implying it is a bad choice), and a feeling of lightness and ease in
response to another treatment (implying this is a good choice). If this exercise is too abstract, place an
object near you to represent your hurting tooth. Then talk to the object as if it is your tooth. This can
be therapeutic and help you to discern what is best to do. For example, you could express some anger,
sadness, disappointment or frustration at your tooth, or at yourself, for hurting. If you can let yourself
have some fun here, then you might get an insight on how to proceed. Dental Mystery – Missing Adult Teeth
About 3% of the population exhibits a condition in which some of the primary or permanent teeth are
missing. This condition is called hypodontia, and is associated with genetic or environmental factors. Problems with primary and adult teeth not erupting have been shown in cases of rickets, syphilis, and
in laboratory animal experiments with a very high sugar diet. Congenital syphilis is linked to missing
teeth. Its symptoms on the skeletal system are very similar to that of scurvy and rickets. 27
 Scurvy in
children was treated with raw minced beef, fresh cow's milk, and orange juice. Perhaps missing teeth
is related to a lack of vitamin C or a lack of fat-soluble vitamin D in the diet during important times of
growth including in the womb. The exact cause of missing teeth still remains a mystery.The Vicious Cycle and Tooth Decay
One school of thought proposes that emotions are the primary cause of physical disease. Another
school of thought declares the opposite, citing that disease has little to do with emotions. Let us try to
clear up this mess so you can take care of your teeth in the healthiest way possible. Emotions and stress can absolutely affect your health. The way your emotions affect your health is
primarily through poor food choices when you feel bad, or unhappy, and good food choices when you
feel well. Emotions such as sadness, anger, and grief can also interfere with your body’s ability to
digest food. Emotions do affect your internal body chemistry which can alter your calcium and phosphorous
balance. Strong emotions can engage the fight or flight response within your glands (adrenal, pituitary,
thyroid and so on). The fight or flight response will cause poisonous substances to be secreted into
your blood stream readying you for attack or to run for your life. While many situations in our modern
lives feel like fight or flight events, the reality for most people is that 
we do not live in truly life or
death situations in our modern world. Many people behave as if they do, but this is an artificially
created reality that is in part exaggerated by the mass media. If you behave as if every news event,
traffic jam, or bad look from a stranger is the end of your life, then your body is going to use up
tremendous amounts of resources for nothing. I have noticed that some people who experience severe tooth decay are severely stressed. They are in
a hurry, always rushing, putting their needs off until the last minute. When someone comes to me and
they cannot slow down, take a breath, and just take a look at themselves for a moment, then I know
they most likely will fail in remineralizing tooth decay. This is what is known as the vicious cycle. Difficult events challenge us in life, and rather than getting easier, life sends us more difficult events. The cycle also works constructively for certain people in certain parts of their lives, such as the
person who always gets one good job or economic fortune after the next. Your job is to transform the negative cycle of dental health into a positive cycle. The way this
happens is by inviting in the positive feelings and experiences, while at the same time searching for
and acknowledging the negative experiences. Stress is primarily caused by unacknowledged feelings. In modern society, we face life situations that our bodies are physically and emotionally unequipped
for, such as eating a sandwich while driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time. As a result,
we experience this specific kind of uncomfortable tension we call stress. To help deal with stress,
one must slow down, breathe, and acknowledge the feelings present in this moment. The simple
question of, “What is here now?” helps bring one’s focus into the moment. One could also ask, “How
am I feeling now?” These are some tools that help enhance awareness. Yoga, meditation, tai chi, chi
gong, and many other forms of meditation, movement, or therapy, will help you reduce stress, clear
your mind, and make you a healthier person. Just relax and trust the healing process for your teeth. This means trusting you will be fine, whether
you get a dental treatment on the tooth or not. Feel, or imagine a positive feeling of support that you
can overcome tooth decay. If you have a negative doubting voice, just notice it and smile at it. Through dedicated yoga practice, I began noticing how my body was being negatively affected by thefood I ate. (I was eating foods on the “avoid” list before I knew any better, particularly “health food
bars” and tofu.) This encouraged me to improve my diet. I became keenly aware of the physical
consequences of poor food choices. Even today, I closely monitor my diet and stay disciplined so I
do not succumb to negative food habits from the past. I also encourage you to review the beginning of
chapter about healing children’s cavities for more pointers on dealing with feelings. The Hidden Need to Be Sick
You may find this section difficult to believe. I bring it up here because I want to challenge you to be
at your best to heal your teeth. As much as people want healthy teeth, very few people actually have a
100% whole-hearted desire or intention to be healthy. An experienced health practitioner opened my
book to this page and exclaimed how so many of her patients actually wanted to be sick. Most of us have a mixed bag of emotions in relation to our intention to be healthy. Just like the moon,
we have our own light side and our own dark side. Yet when we just focus on our light side, and
ignore the dark side, we are missing out on what makes life beautiful and balanced. The light part of
us wants to be healthy and the dark side wants to be unhealthy. The classic result of this inner conflict
is wishing our tooth decay to be fixed, without wanting to do any of the work to fix it. This is a key
belief that has given rise and power to modern dentistry. Dentistry helps us not face our dark side that
wants to be sick. Conventional dentistry allows us to be sick by telling us that we have nothing to do
with tooth decay, that it is all the action of the bacteria and what the bacteria eat. The result of the missing dark side of yourself that only pops up here and there when nobody is
looking, is that we might subconsciously equate being healthy with suffering. The suffering associated
with the effort needed to become healthy can manifest in many forms: complaining about exercise,
believing in disempowering information, or not wanting to pay extra for healthy foods or a better
dentist. These behaviors are a result of the interplay between your light side that wants to get healthy,
and your dark side that does not care or that does not want health. Putting more commitment and energy behind your goal of health requires positive feelings, beliefs and
good will. If you are not fully committed to this positive result, then there must be some hidden
negativity. This hidden dark side feels as though it has to suffer. It does not want the best. The dark
side can make it hard for you to take care of yourself. To help transform the dark side you cannot
simply ignore it and push it away. That would merely create more darkness. Just as there is nothing
wrong with the dark side of the moon, your own dark side is not bad; it is simply a part of life that
needs to be accepted. The way to cause a transformation is to bring light (awareness) to the darkness
(unconsciousness). To help heal this hidden internal dilemma, I suggest three things:
 
1
. Acknowledge and look for the unconscious wish to not live, or to not be healthy. 2
. Meditate upon, or pray for help, or discuss with friends your dark side. Look for ways to bring
the dark side into the light. 3
. Commit to excellence. Without force, see if you are willing to make the simple commitment that
“I want the best for myself,” or “I deserve the best in life.”
Making a new commitment to yourself or to life is the first step towards breaking the vicious cycle oftooth decay. Then you can start to see the hidden gold of your suffering, and that there are important
lessons, meaning and purpose in your life, if you are willing to embrace them.Busting the Myth that Food-Stuck-On-Teeth Causes Cavities
Dentists, it is time to give up this arcane concept that carbohydrates fermenting on teeth are eaten by
acid-producing bacteria that cause tooth decay. This theory is akin to saying that rain causes your roof
to leak. When the roof of your home is sealed and well cared for it will not leak whether it rains or
not. Likewise when your tooth enamel is strong and healthy your teeth will not be affected by the
changing conditions in your mouth. W.D. Miller, the originator of the bacterial theory of tooth decay,
said it himself in 1883, “What we might call the perfect tooth 
would resist indefinitely
 the same acid
to which a tooth of opposite character would succumb in a few weeks." Because bacteria are
everywhere, trying to eliminate bacteria from your mouth to prevent tooth decay would be like trying
to eliminate rain from the sky to prevent a leaky roof. Many of the cultures Dr. Weston Price studied relied upon a significant portion of their diet from
carbohydrates including milk and carbohydrate-rich grain products, yet suffered practically no tooth
decay. The healthy Gaelic people of the Outer Hebrides, who ate approximately 1000 calories of
properly prepared oats per day, had almost no tooth decay (0.7-1.3% of all teeth affected). The
isolated Swiss of the Loetschental Valley, who ate approximately 800 calories per day of properly
prepared rye bread, had little evidence of tooth decay (0.3%- 5.2% of all teeth affected). The 5.2%
figure comes from the Visperterminen region where both potatoes and wine were used; the other
isolated Swiss, with higher immunity to cavities, did not use wine and may not have used potatoes. The isolated Swiss, with near total immunity to tooth decay, did not even use toothbrushes, and had
typical deposits of food on their teeth all the time without any tooth decay. Indigenous people throughout the world did not typically brush or floss. Dr. Price comments on the
impossibility of keeping teeth clean by brushing and flossing:
Among the difficulties in applying this interpretation is the physical impossibility of keeping teeth
bacteriologically clean in the environment of the mouth. Another difficulty is the fact that 
many
primitive races have their teeth smeared with starchy foods almost constantly
 and make no effort
whatsoever to clean their teeth. In spite of this they have no tooth decay. 28
 (Emphasis added.) The theory that bacteria in our mouth produce acids, which then cause tooth decay, is a false
conclusion. Saliva has a basic pH and will neutralize acids in the mouth rather rapidly. The digestive
enzymes in our saliva rapidly dissolve carbohydrates in our mouths. For example, bread can turn into
liquid after being chewed several times. By the way, this section was not written to encourage people
to abandon cleaning their teeth and mouths. The practice of dental and oral hygiene has many social
benefits.Tooth Care
Healing Tooth Pain
When the nutritional program is successful, tooth pain will decrease and teeth will feel firmer in your
mouth. In some cases your teeth will need extra help as fast as possible. The following treatments are
not full remedies, but rather intermediate treatments that help stop tooth pain. Here are seven of the
most successful treatments for halting tooth pain. Each treatment can stand alone, or you can try
several of them together. Place clove oil or powdered cloves on the painful tooth. Swish organic sesame seed or coconut oil in your mouth for 5-10 minutes and then spit it out. This is called oil pulling and is also a good method for cleansing the body and improving oral
health. Place goldenseal powder on or near the painful tooth. Place oil of oregano on the tooth. Dissolve a moderate amount of natural salt in a small amount of water and swish it in your mouth
for at least one minute. Repeat several times throughout the day. Echinacea, also known as the "toothache plant," can be applied topically on the tooth and/or
taken internally using the tincture or powdered form. Supplementing with vitamin B 5 , pantothenic acid. Food sources rich in B 5 include: liver,
sunflower seeds, shiitake mushrooms and eggs. Dental Sealants
Many dental sealants contain hormone-altering chemicals, including bisphenol A. 29
 There are two
purported less-toxic approaches; one is a resin sealant made by Ultradent, and the other is a glass
ionomer sealant. The problem with resin sealants is that they do not allow minerals or fluids to pass
through the surface of the tooth, thus inhibiting the dentin fluid flow. Glass ionomer sealants do allow
the fluid to flow through the sealant. Due to the curing time needed to set the sealant, they are difficult
to place properly and ideally should be done one tooth per visit. If a tooth already has a cavity, then
putting a sealant on top of the tooth cavity will not help. This means that each tooth has to be carefully
tested with a device such as a Diagnodent™ to search for small hidden pockets of tooth decay. Sealants do not block out decay completely but merely slow the process down, assuming they are
placed properly. My conclusion is that sealants will benefit people in special situations as long as
they avoid ones with hormone altering chemicals. In general, unless you feel really inspired to get a
sealant, it seems unnecessary. Teeth Cleaning at the Dentist
One of the most common questions people ask me is if they need to get their teeth cleaned at the
dentist. As to many of the questions people ask me, my response is that it is your choice. There is
nothing you ever 
have to
 do. The question to start asking yourself is, “Is this in the best interests of
my health?” The purpose of a teeth cleaning done by the dentist or hygienist is to remove the plaqueand deposits on and around the tooth. My personal experience is that having my teeth scaled with the
metal probe is extremely uncomfortable. A better question is whether tooth cleaning improves dental health, or if positive aspects of tooth
cleaning outweigh the negative. In my personal experience, after having my teeth cleaned with an
ultrasonic cleaner, my body felt lighter. Since I am now using an oral irrigator and the blotting
technique, along with continued improvements in my digestive health I hope to not need any cleanings
in the future. I personally avoid the metal probe teeth scraping and cleaning. Any type of cleaning,
scaling or ultrasonic, has the potential to hyperstimulate the nerves in your teeth and jaw. 30
There is clear evidence that tooth brushing may cause slight wear to teeth in some cases even without
toothpaste. The abrasiveness of toothpaste in combination with tooth brushing can definitely cause
damage to the tooth enamel. 31
 So the concept that enamel is as hard as diamonds and nothing can
damage it is false. If small amounts of grit in toothpaste can damage tooth enamel, then it would seem
absolutely clear that tooth cleaning using force and sharp metal probes will definitely in some cases
scratch tooth enamel. At this time I am unable to locate specific evidence in the dental literature to
prove that tooth cleaning with a metal probe is either safe or dangerous. Teeth Whitening At the Dentist’s and At Home
Healthy indigenous people had naturally white teeth, even without brushing. One reader after reading
my book went off of sugar for one year. By the end of that year time period, the reader’s teeth went
from yellowish to bright white. Not everyone gets very white teeth from following the advice in this
book. Teeth are discolored for two key reasons. One reason is foods eaten can stain the teeth, for
example, herbs, black tea or coffee. Another type of tooth discoloring is yellow teeth. I believe this is
a form of tooth jaundice. This basically means that your body is a bit toxic, and your liver is not
functioning optimally. As your liver gets healthier with a healthier diet, exercise, and therapeutic
treatments like herbs, your teeth may gradually get whiter. There are a variety of teeth whitening treatments available at your dentist. Some of them are relatively
safe, while others remove healthy tooth structure. Based on the principle of choosing the least
invasive treatment to your teeth as possible, you should avoid any tooth whitening material that
contains any type of acidic or etching compound, and avoid all types of porcelain laminates. Avoid
any whitening procedure that involves any drilling or removal of healthy enamel. Request your
dentist, before submitting to any tooth whitening procedures, use no acid or etching materials. Natural Tooth Whitening
Dab a small amount of organic peppermint essential oil on your finger (much less than a drop), rub
your finger on your toothbrush, and then brush normally. Some people might find that organic tea tree
oil provides wonderful benefits. Another suggestion is charcoal. Keep in mind some of these methods
are slightly abrasive to teeth. Dental Tip for Whiter TeethTo naturally remove stains and whiten teeth polish your teeth using a wet cotton swab dipped in
baking soda. With a bit of pressure, rub the tooth enamel only, avoiding the gums. Brushing, Flossing and Toothpaste
When the tooth surface is weak, then keeping the oral environment clean definitely is a good idea. My
personal experience has been that a clean oral environment is helpful in reducing the impact of tooth
decay. Cleaning your teeth helps prevent cavities when the dentinal fluid is flowing in the wrong
direction. In this situation of demineralization, substances from within your mouth can enter into the
tooth. Cleaning teeth will change the environment of your mouth and it can help slow down the
problem, but it does not stop the original cause of tooth decay. If cleaning teeth did stop cavities, then
why does 90% of our population get cavities? Toxic Toothpaste
Many brands of toothpaste contain the following warning. “WARNING: Keep out of the reach of
children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek
professional assistance or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.” If something is that
dangerous where more than a tiny amount is considered poison, then I do not want to be putting it in
my body every day. Toothpaste is regulated as a cosmetic product, and not as a food. I suppose the rationale behind this is
that toothpaste is not swallowed and that it does not get absorbed into your body. As a result the
standards of safety for toothpaste are much lower than our already very low safety standards for food
additives. Since toothpaste is not a food, almost anything goes as far as ingredients are concerned. Toothpastes usually contain ingredients like hydrated silica, sorbitol, sodium saccharin, titanium
dioxide, glycerin, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, and sodium fluoride. Hydrated silica
 is made from quartz and sand and it is an abrasive in toothpaste. As I already
mentioned, the sand in toothpaste can cause tooth wear with too much brushing. Sorbitol and saccharin
 are both sweeteners and are used in toothpaste. They are on the list of
substances we want to avoid. Titanium dioxide
 is a pigment used for providing brightness and whiteness. It is used as a strain
remover and a whitener. Titanium dioxide is potentially carcinogenic in humans. 32
 If the titanium
dioxide in toothpaste contained nano-sized particles then it can be toxic to cells in your body and
absorb through contact. 33
Glycerin
 is added to toothpaste to give it its “pasty” consistency and helps prevent the toothpaste
from drying out. Supposedly, glycerin requires 27 rinses to remove from the teeth. This glycerin film
could create a barrier on the teeth that would prevent teeth from getting harder and stronger. Usually,
small amounts of toothpaste get swallowed or absorbed directly into your bloodstream through your
gums through a process called diffusion.Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
 is used as a foaming agent and a degreaser. It is used also for washing cars
and cleaning garage floors. It is absorbed by the body and can damage or affect cells. It has been
correlated with canker sores. Natural Tooth Cleaners
 
1
. Sea salt. Just dab a small amount on your tooth brush. 2
. Homemade tooth powder (a recipe is provided in the next book pages). (It is also available
premade at the Holistic Dental Store: 
www.holisticdentalstore.com
 You'll find it under the menu
item "Tooth and Gum Powder)
3
. Toothsoap. A liquid soap made with coconut, olive and palm oils. It makes tooth brushing fun. You can purchase it at 
the 
Holistic Dental Store
. 4
. Any type of natural cleaning agent that uses herbs or liquids that has no chemicals or ingredients
on the label you cannot pronounce or grow in a garden. Natural Mouth Wash
Herbal mouthwash can be a great aid in keeping the terrain of your mouth healthy. An excellent herbal
mouthwash concentrate is available at 
holisticdentalstore.com
Tooth Brushing
As we learned from Dr. Phillips in the gum disease chapter, tooth brushing can be fine for teeth if the
bristles are soft and if there is not too much abrasion, but it can rapidly wear away your gums and
even cause gum disease. This is because brushing pushes the plaque into the gingival sulcus where the
gums meet the teeth. For tooth brushing to be healthy, you need to use blotting or at least an oral
irrigator after brushing to remove the plaque at the gum line. Soft tooth brushes with rounded ends help avoid eroding tooth enamel. Electric brushes which have
an electromagnetic component to them do a superior job of cleaning but they may lead to some minor
EMF exposure. There is also risk with electric toothbrushes of damaging the gums because of the high
speed of the vibrations. If you use one, be careful. Tooth and Gum Healing
While tooth liquid products clean the teeth, products made with herbs can heal the teeth and gums in a
different way. Herbs can build, pull out toxins, and nourish. Herbal tooth powder can be found at
some health food stores—make sure they do not have any toxic additives. Good herbal tooth and gum
mixtures are 
Tooth and Gum Restore Formula
 by Dr. Richard Schulze (this can be used with an oral
irrigator) and 
Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Tooth & Gum Powder
. I encourage you to try a few different
tooth-cleaning products and locate one that feels good to you. You can also make your own
toothpowder at home. Peppermint Tooth Powder Recipe
 2 tablespoons baking soda (pure sodium bicarbonate only)
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
5-10 drops of organic peppermint essential oil (available in natural food stores or online)
Baking Soda and Gums
Baking soda alkalizes the mouth. When the mouth is too acidic then tooth decay can be present. When
the mouth is too alkaline, then this might contribute to gum disease. I have had mixed reports on
baking soda and gums. Some reports say baking soda irritates the gums. Others have healed tooth
abscesses with baking soda. Herbal Tooth and Gum Powder Recipe
The following recipe makes a fabulous tooth powder. I purchase herbs at the local herb shop and
grind them in a coffee grinder. The recipe is from the late master herbalist Dr. John Christopher. 3 parts oak bark
6 parts comfrey root
3 parts horsetail grass
1 part lobelia
1 part cloves
3 parts peppermint
People need to be aware of the herbs they use, and use them wisely. (With prolonged and exclusive
use, this tooth powder may cause some slight tooth discoloration that can be cleaned off.) I alternate
using this herbal formula with the baking soda formula. The tooth and gum powder can also be placed
on gums for gum healing. You can purchase a high quality version of this formula at the Holistic
Dental Store (
holisticdentalstore.com
)
Flossing
Flossing is literally a double-edged sword. Since many of us do not have perfectly aligned teeth, food
can get caught in between teeth. The disadvantage to flossing is that it is very easy to cut your gums. Injuring your gums daily does not seem like a practice that will promote healthy teeth and gums. The
advantage to flossing is that you are able to clean out debris from between your teeth that would
otherwise linger and putrefy in your mouth. If you floss your teeth, be very careful not to slash your gums. Using dental tape, which is a wide and
thick version of dental floss, is the recommended flossing technique of tooth hygiene specialist dentist
Robert. O. Nara. There is evidence from Dr. Phillips that flossing with string is not a part of good
dental health. Using the blotting method to poke out food with an ultrasoft tooth brush, or using a
water flosser (oral irrigator) seems to be much better suggestions. If you choose to floss with a string,
then use dental tape.The Fluoride Deception
Fluoride does not heal tooth cavities
. There are different forms of fluoride, and the one put in
drinking water is usually hydrofluosilicic acid. In 1986-1987, a study involving 39,207 children aged
5-17 showed no statistical difference in tooth decay from using non-fluoridated or fluoridated
water. 34
 Several large scale studies worldwide show the same results. 35
 According to data published
in the July 2009 
Journal of the American Dental Association
 children’s cavity rates are similar
whether the water is fluoridated or not. 36
Fluoride is dangerous
. Most of the fluoride used in water supplies is toxic waste from the fertilizer
industry. 37
 The Environmental Protection Agency's Employee Union (consisting of approximately
1500 scientists, lawyers, engineers and other professional employees) is opposed to water
fluoridation. The EPA Union states:
Scientific literature documents the increasingly out-of-control exposures to fluoride, the lack of
benefit to dental health from ingestion of fluoride and the hazards to human health from such
ingestion. 38
Fluoride is an enzyme and hormone inhibitor, affecting the nervous system as well as digestion. Fluoride is the major cause of brittle bones and teeth, and is responsible for causing mottled enamel,
producing white, light gray or brown spots on the teeth. Fluoride actually alters the natural biological
creation of tooth enamel and creates false, more brittle tooth enamel (which now contains
fluorapatite). This false enamel is no better at preventing tooth decay than regular tooth enamel in the
long term. A stronger barrier to bacteria is not what keeps tooth decay at bay, but rather a balanced
internal body chemistry from good food habits. Fluoride may cause brain and kidney damage, a decrease in I.Q., and may cross the placental barrier
in pregnant women. Water fluoridation has also been linked to cancer. In 1977 Dr. Dean Burk, former
chief chemist of the US National Cancer Institute, and Dr. John Yiamouyiannis, president of the Safe
Water Foundation proved that water fluoridation increased the risk of cancer. Their studies
concluded that:
One-tenth of the 350,000 cancer deaths per year in the U.S. are linked with artificial public water
fluoridation. 39
The U.S. Congress called for animal studies to confirm these results and the studies were released in
1990. The studies showed clear evidence that fluoride does cause cancer. 40
A majority of Europe does not use water fluoridation and neither should we. Countries that rejected
fluoridation on the grounds that its use is unethical and that it imposes unnecessary health risks
include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Iceland,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Yugoslavia. Nature has given us the map for perfect tooth enamel, impervious to tooth decay. We can maintain a
high immunity to tooth decay without fluoride, provided we obey Nature's laws, eat a proper diet richin calcium, phosphorus, and the fat-soluble vitamins, and avoid overly processed nutrient-devoid
foods. Synthetically derived fluoride cannot replace or reproduce the total harmony of Nature's
design. I do not recommend that you drink fluoridated water or use fluoridated toothpaste. Do not submit to
dental treatments that contain fluoride. Because of fluoride’s damaging effects on the glandular
system, it is possible to get weak enamel from fluoride, so check with your local water board to find
out if your water supply is fluoridated. If it is, then you need to purchase a special fluoride filter or
have fluoride free water delivered to you. Placing fluoride in toothpaste and into our water supply is a crime. It is unethical because fluoride
has never been proven safe and effective. In fact, the opposite has been proven to be true. I urge you
to support efforts to eradicate fluoride use in the United States. Please visit the Fluoride Action
Network, 
fluoridealert.org
, and The Fluoride Education Project, 
poisonfluoride.com/pfpc
. Tooth Decay is Not an Infectious Disease
I have shown how it is now scientifically proven that bacteria are not the main cause of cavities by
the life’s work of dentist Ralph Steinman in explaining the dentinal fluid transport mechanism. When
dentist Percy Howe tried to inoculate bacteria into guinea pigs to cause tooth decay or gum disease,
he could not. He could only cause cavities with a change in diet. The bacterial theory of cavities is
justified through the assertion that tooth decay is an infectious disease. This infectious disease theory
is false for several reasons:
 
1
. Antibiotics that kill bacteria do not stop tooth decay. 2
. People do not develop antibodies to tooth decay. 3
. Antibacterial mouth rinses do not effectively prevent cavities. 4
. Once you are infected with tooth decay you do not develop immunity to it unless your diet is
dramatically improved. Bacteria exist symbiotically in our mouths at all times and evolve and change as our health does. Hence, no antibacterial remedy will ever cure tooth decay.Moving Beyond Painful Dentistry
The truth remains that a significant majority of dental treatments are unnecessary when diet is changed
and teeth remineralize as they are biologically designed to do. The big question that remains
unanswered is why haven’t we been told the truth about our teeth from modern dentistry? Weston
Price's research with indigenous diets was published many decades ago in the 
Journal of the
American Dental Association
, so his treatment successes and research findings were widely
available. In this chapter we have looked at the high price we have paid for modern dentistry. Modern dentistry
is an unequivocal failure. Treatments from conventional dentists are highly toxic and usually disease-
promoting such as fluoride, mercury fillings, leaky root canals and metal tooth fillings. Holistic and
biological dentists offer more natural, less toxic alternatives to modern dentistry. This is a huge
improvement, but few of them offer the real cure, which is found through diet and the balancing of
body chemistry. I am not trying to destroy the dental profession. The dental profession is destructive, and is destroying
itself. What I ask of the dental profession is for it to change and evolve. The future of dentistry lies in
disease prevention through proper nutrition and body chemistry balancing, along with minimally
invasive methods to correct dental arch problems and bite problems. Imagine being able to find a
cavity before it happens, and then remineralize it with nutritional intervention? We have the ability
and the technology to do this today; we simply lack the desire, care, willingness, and legal framework
to provide this level of treatment to the public. This would be real dentistry: finding and preventing
cavities completely organically before tooth enamel was lost, and before tooth infections occurred. Dentists could still earn very decent livings by analyzing blood chemistry, examining teeth, offering
nutritional consulting, and repairing bite imbalances non-surgically. As long as a dentist’s income is
tied to performing invasive treatments, where more severe treatments mean greater profit, the current
state of modern dentistry will remain a rotten profession. Making dentistry work for all of us means changing the rules of the profession. The dentist of the
future will not be focused on performing complex tooth surgery. This will be a specialty field. All a
preventative dentist would need to know is how to check for cavities and how to help people
intervene with their diet using the most modern and scientifically proven methods (such as fermented
cod liver oil) and they will cure a large portion of people’s cavities before they even happen. Imagine seeing a DPD, a doctor of preventative dentistry, or a DDH, a doctor of dental health, who
would help you keep your teeth healthy and strong naturally with diet, supplements, herbs and
homeopathy. A large percentage of our population is suffering from poor health, physical stress, and a loss of
vitality from bite disorders. There is a vast and largely untapped market for holistic methods to return
the upper and lower jaw to their harmonious state and bring balance to the facial structures while
healing head, neck and jaw pain. This will make people happier, more relaxed, and more resistant to
disease. The problem with modern dentistry is that to become a licensed dentist, you must spend most of your
schooling learning how to perform dental surgery. Yet what really matters in this new school of trulyholistic dentistry that I propose in this book is preventing tooth decay and repairing the bite with non-
surgical and holistic methods. Yet these methods are not currently being taught to dentists in dental
school. The training in dental school does not give dentists the foundation needed to be effective
nutrition counselors and efficient bite repairers. Furthermore there needs to be more of an integrative
care model which emphasizes the health of the entire body so that the art and science of dentistry can
complement and work synergistically with all the other health professions. There is no longer any reason for the population at large to be afflicted with tooth decay (dental
caries). Join me now in voicing an urgent call to change the way we administer oral health in our
country. “Dentistry, we need you to change!”
Chapter 8 References
1
 Huggins, Hal A.. It's All in Your Head: The Link Between Mercury Amalgams and Illness
. 1 ed. New York: Avery Publishing,
1993:64. Print. 2
 "ATSDR - 2007 CERCLA Priority List of Hazardous Substances." ATSDR Home
. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/cercla/07list.html>
3
 G Null, M Feldman. “Mercury Dental Amalgams: The Controversy Continues.” 
Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine
, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2nd Quarter 2002
4
 Food and Drug Administration, “Questions and Answers on Amalgam Fillings.” www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html. Statement and website was then changed,
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/DentalAmalgam/ucm171120.htm 
5
 Principles of Ethics and Code Of Professional Conduct, 2010 American Dental Association <
http://www.ada.org/sections/about/pdfs/ada_code.pdf>
6
 Breiner, Mark A.. 
Whole-Body Dentistry: Discover The Missing Piece To Better Health
. 1 ed. Fairfield: Quantum Health Press,
1999:70. Print. 7
 Ibid. 8
 Brown, E.H & Hansen, R.T The Key to Ultimate Health. Fullerton: Advanced Health Research Publishing; 1998:62-63. 9
 Huggins, Hal A.. It's All in Your Head: The Link Between Mercury Amalgams and Illness
. 1 ed. New York: Avery Publishing,
1993:76. Print. 10
 Cook, Douglas DDS 
Rescued by My Dentist
: 141. 11
 Brown, E.H & Hansen, R.T The Key to Ultimate Health. Fullerton: Advanced Health Research Publishing; 1998:89. 12
 Huggins, Hal A.. It's All in Your Head: The Link Between Mercury Amalgams and Illness
. 1 ed. New York: Avery Publishing,
1993:80. Print. 13
 Brown, E.H & Hansen, R.T The Key to Ultimate Health. Fullerton: Advanced Health Research Publishing; 1998:78-79. 14
 Ibid. 15
 Huggins, Hal A.. It's All in Your Head: The Link Between Mercury Amalgams and Illness
. 1 ed. New York: Avery Publishing,
1993:81. Print. 16
 Brown, E.H & Hansen, R.T The Key to Ultimate Health. Fullerton: Advanced Health Research Publishing; 1998:78. 17
 Cook, Douglas DDS 
Rescued by My Dentist
: 108. 18
 Sources were: prlabs.com and nutrimost.net
19
 Jones, M. An Interview with George Meinig. Reprinted in 
PPNF Journal
, Volume 31, Number 1. 20
 Cook, Douglas DDS “Rescued by My Dentist.”: 62. 21
 Breiner, M. DDS 
Whole-Body Dentistry. Fairfield: Quantum Health Press; 1999:96. 22
 Brown, E.H & Hansen, R.T The Key to Ultimate Health. Fullerton: Advanced Health Research Publishing; 1998:105. 23
 Gammal, Robert. "Focal Infection in dentistry." Robert Gammal's Home Page
. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. <http://
www.robertgammal.com/RCTDocs2/FocalInfection.html>. 24
 Brown, E.H & Hansen, R.T The Key to Ultimate Health. Fullerton: Advanced Health Research Publishing; 1998:74. 25
 Ibid., 76. 26
 Cook, Douglas DDS “Rescued by My Dentist.”: 125. 27
 M.N. Rasool, S. Govender. THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY
, VOL. 71-B, No. 5, NOVEMBER I989
28
 Ibid., 293. 29
 H. Wada, H. Tarumi, S. Imazato, M. Narimatsu, and S. Ebisu, "In vitro Estrogenicity of Resin Composites" 
J Dent Res
 83(3):222-226,
2004. Available at: http://jdr.iadrjournals.org/cgi/reprint/83/3/222.pdf 30
 Addy, Martin, W Michael Edgar, Graham Embery, and Robin Orchardson. Tooth Wear and Sensitivity: Clinical Advances in
Restorative Dentistry
. 1 ed. Stockholm: Informa Healthcare, 2000:323. Print. 31
 Ibid. Ch. 14. 32
 "Titanium Dioxide Classified as Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans." CCOHS: Canada's National Centre for Occupational Health and
Safety information. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. <http://www.ccohs.ca/headlines/text186.html>. 33
 Kumazawa, R. "Effects of Titanium ions and particles on neutrophil function and morphology." Biomaterials
 Volume 23, Issue 17,
September 2002, Pages 3757-3764
34
 Dr J. Yiamouyiannus Water Fluoridation & Tooth Decay Study, Fluoride 23:pp55-67, 1990. 35
 Kennedy, D. “How To Save Your Teeth,” Health Action Press. 1993: 141-142. 36
 Kumar & Iida. "The Association Between Enamel Fluorosis and Dental Caries in U.S. Schoolchildren," 
Journal of the American
Dental Association
, July 2009 (Table 1). 37
 Connett, Michael. "The Phosphate Fertilizer Industry: An Environmental Overview." Fluoride Action Network
. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
Sept. 2010 < http://www.fluoridealert.org/phosphate/overview.htm#4>. 38
 "NTEU 280 Fluoride." NTEU 280 Home Page - EPA Headquarters
. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. <http://www.nteu280.org/Issues/Fluoride/NTEU280-Fluoride.htm>. 39
 McLellan, Helen. "Consumer Health Articles: FLUORIDATION ." CONSUMER HEALTH
. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. <http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990817225011>. 40
 Sibbison, J.b., “More About Fluoride,” Lancet, Volume 336, No. 8717, p. 737 (1990). * * *Chapter 9
Your Bite: A Hidden Cause of Cavities and 
A Fresh Look at Orthodontics and TMJ
I want to introduce you to an extraordinary world that is literally right under your nose: your bite. Your bite has a substantial relationship to your overall health, your strength, your vitality, your level
of attractiveness as well as your susceptibility to tooth decay. Super athletes know these facts and
regularly wear mouth guards such as the Pure Power Mouthguard™ which slides the jaw into a more
correct muscular and skeletal position. These adjustments increase overall muscle strength and
endurance. In this chapter you will discover the reasons for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, a
deeper understanding of the mechanics of orthodontics and braces, and the important connections
between the position of your bite to tooth decay and your overall health. Best of all, you will discover
how to improve your health through correcting the position of your bite. Theories about the treatment
and alignment of the bite are often obscured by contention, closed-mindednc9ess and limited vision. Therefore be prepared to be met with that attitude from many practitioners in the field if you bring
them information that is beyond the realm of their belief systems, such as what I will present here.Your Ideal Jaw Position and Enjoyment of Life
To understand how our jaw and skull are supposed to be aligned, let us look at examples of ideal
physical development as our template. Native peoples across the globe who displayed immunity to
tooth decay also possessed what Weston Price called “splendidly formed dental arches.”
1
 The dental
arch is comprised of the maxilla, the upper palate of the mouth, and the mandible, the jaw bone. In
general, the better the nutrition of the individual throughout life, beginning from before conception, the
wider the dental arches (the upper and lower jaws) will be. Wider arches mean wider, rounder faces
that we subconsciously associate with both robust health and natural attractiveness. These qualities
can influence how one chooses a partner who will likely be a successful mother with excellent
reproductive capacities, since generally a wide dental arch indicates the pelvic brim will also be
spacious enough to ensure easier births. I describe this in more detail in my book about
preconception, pregnancy, parenting, and children’s health called 
Healing Our Children. You can
learn more about it as well as obtain the book at 
www.healingourchildren.org
Ancient Skulls Reveal Perfect Occlusion
When you look at this photo of two human skulls, you may assume that they are simply ordinary human
skulls and you do not see anything of interest. What I want you to look at carefully in these skulls is
how the teeth of the maxilla and mandible line up. The top front teeth and the bottom front teeth are
flush with each other and line up “tip to tip.” There is no overbite and there is no underbite. All of the
teeth appear to be in contact with one another. Although not visible in the pictures, in an ideal bite
there ought to be a paper-thin gap in the front teeth so they do not put pressure upon each other in the
relaxed jaw position. These skulls show us our therapeutic model for natural human development.Most of us do not have bites that fit in this position when our mouths are closed. This is not so
because of a genetic predisposition, but because a poor diet and other nutritional or environmental
toxins have prevented a majority of the population from having fully formed maxillas (upper palates)
and mandibles (lower jaws).
CureToothDecay.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Placing metal directly
into the jaw bone poses a high risk of triggering a negative immune system reaction in the patient. 26
The body reacts poorly to any implanted metal. Studies at the Karlinska Institute in Sweden, show that
most humans become rapidly allergic to virtually any metal placed inside the human body including
mercury, titanium and gold. One not commonly considered problem with titanium implants is the
battery effect of combining titanium with other metals from dental restorations in your mouth. Zirconium is a non metal material that is used for implants in other modern parts of the world. It has
been recently approved for use in the United States. If you decide you want an implant, for the same
cost as having a titanium implant here, you can fly to another country such as New Zealand and get a
zirconium implant there. As with any dental procedure, you must weigh the benefits and the costs to determine if this is right
for you. Clearly we want to place our efforts into keeping our existing teeth because none of the
alternatives are fully satisfactory, and they are costly. Dental Abuse
With a few exceptions, modern dentistry is an inhumane system. Many dentists coerce patients into
treatments that they do not need. Part of this system of coercion is to first condemn patients as failures
in life because they did not prevent their tooth decay due to poor oral hygiene. These accusations can
weaken patients’ sense of self and get them to succumb to unneeded dental procedures. You know a
dentist has abused you if you feel sick or awful in their presence, or if they try to coerce you into
treatments that you feel unsure about. A majority of dentists are in business to make money. And the
business aspect has corrupted most dentists so surely and thoroughly, it causes them to behave in
irresponsible ways. Dental abuse is also physical abuse because dental treatments when not absolutely needed damage
and harm your physical body. Dental treatments that use toxic metals cause disease, pain, and
suffering. This is also a form of physical abuse, and it is unethical. Suggestions for Healing Dental Abuse
 
1. Acknowledge the past trauma
 that has been inflicted on your teeth when you did not know any
better. Feel it as fully as you can. Feel how upset, disoriented, taken advantage of, unfairly
treated or numbed you feel. Let those feelings have a space or a voice. Feel the profound
suffering that dentistry is causing people. Look it squarely in the eye. 2. Forgive. Once the problem is acknowledged then ask for healing and forgiveness. Is there any
way you can find that tiny spark in yourself that is capable of forgiving yourself for being a
victim, and forgiving the dentist for his extreme ignorance and arrogance. By the way,
forgiveness does not mean you do not hold the dentist or dentistry in general responsible for
their negligent behavior. 3. Get educated. Once you are able to let go of some of the past attachments towards dentistry,
then it is time to learn about good dentistry that can repair toxic dentistry. Seek out dentists who
practice less toxic and minimally invasive dentistry. 4. Educate your friends and family. Healing the abuse of dentistry means your community needs
to be educated about the severe problems with conventional dentistry. Part of your own healing
from dental abuse will come by educating your friends and family about the dangers and hazards
prevalent in dentistry. On the practical side, if you do not feel good at your dentist’s, then speak up. If you still feel confused
and unsure, leave the dental office immediately. Get a second opinion. Do I Have a Cavity. Understanding Tooth Decay
A cavity is an impairment in the tooth structure that creates sensitivity to the environmental forces in
the mouth such as saliva, foods, and chewing. A cavity is any structural weakness in a tooth that
causes the tooth to function improperly. Feeling pain, discomfort, finding white spots and sometimes
black spots on your tooth, having hot or cold sensitivity, and not wanting to chew on a tooth are the
results of tooth decay. For a majority of people the simplest way to know if you have a cavity is to go
to a good dentist for a check-up. For the minority of people, you can do it at home. Most people are
better off working with a dentist because dentists have the experience needed to clearly diagnose
cavities. This is where a dentist can be your ally. The guidelines below will give you a general idea of the type of tooth problems you are facing. These
suggestions are not guaranteed to accurately diagnose your problems, but they can aid you in
understanding your experience. If you need a more accurate diagnosis then please seek
professional dental help. Tooth Pain:
Temporary sensitivity to hot or cold foods, without recent dental work. Meaning:
 Tooth decay is active. The tooth enamel is weak and sensations travel more rapidly to the
nerve. This may also be the beginning signs of gum disease. Tooth Pain: 
Lasting sensitivity and more constant awareness of hot or cold foods, without recent
dental work. Meaning:
 The tooth pulp could be infected, the tooth may be cracked or chipped, or this is the
beginning of gum disease. Tooth Pain:
 Temporary sensitivity to hot or cold foods after a recent dental treatment. Meaning:
 Dental work can cause tooth pulp inflammation, which would be an intense but very brief
pain. The tooth pulp should heal within 2-4 weeks of a dental treatment. Tooth Pain:
 Lasting or prolonged sensitivity and constant awareness of hot or cold foods after a
recent dental treatment. Meaning:
 The cavity may have been too close to the tooth pulp so the dental treatment did not protect
the pulp sufficiently. This is a common and unfortunate problem from imprecise dental work or too
much drilling. Tooth Pain:
 Sharp pain from biting down on food. Possible Meanings
: Loose filling, tooth decay, cracked or fractured tooth, infected tooth. Tooth Pain:
 Constant and severe pain with pressure, swelling of the gum, and sensitivity to touch. Meaning: 
Tooth or gum abscess (tooth infection). Pain: 
The tooth hurts when you tap it with your finger from the side. Meaning: 
The periodontal ligament is degenerating or inflamed. Tooth Pain
: Dull ache, headaches, tooth experiences lingering hot-cold sensitivity that lasts much
longer than a few seconds. Meaning
: The tooth nerve is damaged or dying. There may be a hidden infection. Tooth decay
 that occurs on the top of teeth, or dental tartar. Meaning:
 Too much free calcium in your blood, the calcium is not being used efficiently. The form of
calcium may be unabsorbable. Tooth decay
 that is near or below the gum line, or red, tender or inflamed gums. Meaning
: Too much free phosphorous in your blood; your body is not using phosphorous efficiently. This could also be from excess biting forces causing stress on the roots of the tooth. Monitoring Tooth Decay and Tooth Remineralization
I encourage readers to monitor tooth decay with their dentist. While it is not necessary to work with a
dentist if you would rather not, I do find that bringing the awareness and skills of a trusted dentist into
the picture can greatly help you. When you monitor the progress of tooth decay carefully you can
determine whether or not the dietary changes you have implemented are helping your teeth. If the
dietary changes are not helping, you need to make more changes or consider dental surgery. Examining your teeth frequently helps you stay aware of the reality of your dental health. The
programs in this book are not about just eating healthy food while remaining oblivious to the
effectiveness of the protocol. This is about being mindful of your dental health and paying attention to
any changes that might occur. Clear digital x-rays can show convincing documentation when tooth
dentin is remineralizing. Dentists check for tooth decay by examining x-rays and by using a tool called an explorer. With the
explorer, the dentist probes for soft or sticky spots in the teeth. He also will check around the neck of
the tooth for hidden root cavities. There are various methods for you to monitor your tooth
remineralization, and people have employed different strategies. One way to monitor your tooth decay
is to eat a small amount of certain foods, or drink hot or cold water, that typically cause tooth pain. Another is to press your teeth in various spots with your fingernail. If you want to be more precise,
you can purchase a dental explorer at the local drug store and use it carefully in the same way. If you
feel a soft spot or experience tooth pain while using the dental explorer, then you have tooth decay. Decayed spots are usually slightly sticky or feel like rotten wood. Some dentists offer a saliva test to
determine if tooth decay is active. Using these tests, you can check and monitor the progress of your
dietary changes, watching to see whether or not your tooth is getting harder. I also encourage you to do a visual inspection of your teeth. You can accomplish this by using an
efficient light and the bathroom mirror. A small dental mirror can also be useful for inspecting your
teeth from different angles. A visual inspection can help you determine if your teeth are healthy. Take
a digital photograph of your teeth if possible, and label them for comparison. You are to be responsible for monitoring your dental health. I support active participation in your
dental recovery program. I do not encourage excessive x-rays because of the dangers of radiation
exposure. Digital x-rays emit less radiation than conventional ones, but they still emit some. By
checking your progress, you will be able to determine whether or not the diet you are following is
working and you will be able to catch a problem before it becomes worse. Understanding Tooth Remineralization
Your body is always trying to heal and repair your teeth to find and maintain balance. I described this
previously as 
vis medicatrix naturae. Your goal is to align yourself and your actions with this natural
function. Any tooth has the potential to remineralize. If healing teeth seems confusing, just think of
bones healing. Healing teeth is similar to healing bones. When your diet reaches a certain threshold of
minerals and fat-soluble vitamins, your soft teeth will turn hard and even glassy. Cracks can seal
together, and your tooth ligaments will strengthen. Inside the tooth your body will build new
secondary dentin to protect the inner tooth pulp. As with a bone, if there is a hole in your tooth, the
hole will not usually fill in. The areas all around the hole will get strong and extremely hard. The lost
tooth structure is not usually replaceable. Holes in your teeth usually cannot be completely filled in
and restored to their original condition, even with special nutrition. However, the holes can be
sealed, and the enamel will become hard and protect your tooth pulp from infection. How to Treat Your Decayed Tooth
I frequently am asked about what to do in specific instances of decayed teeth. My answer is very
simple. Do the best you can with nutrition. And then evaluate with your dentist if your tooth needs
further cosmetic or surgical treatments. It never hurts to improve your diet in any case. What to do about your tooth decay depends on how severe it is. The severity is determined by how
much pain you experience, if there is a large visible cavity in the tooth, and if the tooth has been
drilled or traumatized in the past. Understanding the past condition of the tooth will guide you to what
type of treatments your tooth needs under a diet that promotes tooth remineralization such as
described in this book. The advice here is meaningless for those who neglect to carefully ensure that
they have enough fat-soluble vitamins in their diet while avoiding many of the tooth-decay-promoting
foods. Dental problems in teeth that have been drilled by dentists usually need to be repaired in some way
by a good dentist. The model of drilling large holes guided by the “extension for prevention” premise
traumatizes teeth. The tooth with a moderate to large mercury filling has lost its structural strength
from the large hole drilled in it. Some older composite fillings may also exhibit this loss of structural
integrity if they are weakly bonded to the tooth. An analogy for these sorts of teeth is a house without
a roof. Without a sound roof, any kind of foul weather will be able to enter the house. The house will
be hard to clean, and likely will be damaged from the weather. Likewise, your tooth that has been
drilled is like a house without a roof. Your body has to work tremendously hard to clean, repair, and
maintain the damaged tooth because it has little protection from the environment of your mouth. If your
house did not have a roof, would it make sense to continue to try to clean it up after every rain or
snow. No. It would make sense to fix the roof to prevent the problem in the first place. Likewise, bad
dentistry needs to be fixed with good dentistry. Teeth that have mercury fillings, toxic crowns, or
conventional root canals are like houses without roofs. With teeth that have already been subject to the dentist’s drill, no matter what the condition of the
tooth, be it painful, temperature sensitive, cracked, or infected your treatment path will require the
work of the tooth handyman, the dentist. Great dentists can bond teeth, save inflamed nerves, and
restore the structural integrity of your tooth with carefully bonded ceramics or composites. Once the
tooth is safe and not being traumatized it can heal faster. The tricky part is that if you go to a dentist
with a large amount of tooth decay, then he usually will want to remove all of the decayed part of the
tooth, even part of the tooth that can remineralize. How long you wait to remineralize the tooth, how
much the dentist needs to drill, if at all, and if you should have a temporary or permanent filling
placed while the tooth heals is all entirely up to you to decide along with, one hopes, the supportive
advice from your dentist. Teeth that have never been drilled usually respond very well to dietary intervention. You should
notice significant improvement in tooth pain or sensitivity within a few days. Once the tooth has
hardened then you can decide with your dentist if the tooth needs extra structural support from a
filling. In this case you could do a no-drill filling if there was a large hole that needed to be sealed
up. I do not recommend leaving large holes untreated, although some people make this choice for
personal reasons. Tiny cavities, the kind most people have, do not really need any type of drilling orfilling once they remineralize. All that is there will usually be a tiny but very hard discolored or black
spot on the tooth. Sometimes even the discoloration of a cavity disappears completely on an excellent
diet. With your excellent diet your tooth will now be constantly trying to heal itself. If your dental
condition has been going on for years and years, it could take many weeks or even many months to
fully remineralize the damaged tooth. If your tooth is constantly getting aggravated such as from night
time tooth clenching, tooth grinding, a poor bite, or dental work that is falling apart then the healing
process is going to be very slow if it progresses at all. Meanwhile if your tooth is in a lot of pain, it
may be difficult or impossible to wait for weeks and months for your body to heal the tooth
nutritionally to the point where it stops hurting. The only way to know is to implement as much as you
can of the tooth infection program explained earlier in this chapter. If your painful, inflamed tooth
does not radically improve in 24-48 hours, then this tooth likely needs a dental treatment. Specific Examples of How to Treat Tooth Decay
Assuming you have changed your diet for the better, your teeth will be getting hard and strong. There
may still be holes and these will become covered over with hard new enamel, but will not usually fill
in. The general treatment theory on teeth is that less is more. You want to do the least traumatizing and
least invasive treatment as is reasonable for your tooth. The best holistically oriented dentists will be
able to support this process. What the least invasive treatment looks like exactly in your case you will
need to decide for yourself. When people ask me what they should do with their tooth condition, I
always simply ask them what they want to do. Beyond the structure of health I provide in this book, I
cannot tell you or advise you what to do with your teeth. I cannot replace your own wisdom and inner
knowing of what is right for you. Here I will try to give you some guidelines to help you make a good
decision. Soft leathery decay probably cannot be remineralized, but all of the other types of tooth decay can be
remineralized. Your dentist will advise a specific filling or treatment for your tooth based upon his
observation of how damaged the tooth is. If the decay is very hard, then the dentist should not need to
drill much or at all. All cavity treatments and outcomes will be enhanced when you make steps to
correct your bite and to relieve pressure on the central cranial nerve in your jaw, the trigeminal
nerve. This will be discussed in the next chapter. Healing teeth nutritionally is enhanced by topical
treatments including herbs, homeopathy, sea salt rinses, gum cleaning and oil pulling (see the gum
disease chapter). Side Cavities and Regular Cavities. These respond well to nutritional adjustments. After the small
cavity has healed, you will need to decide if you want or need any additional drill-free dental
treatments to restore the structure or look of the particular tooth. Large cavity. Make dietary changes and then get the cavity filled with a no-drill filling, or a filling
that requires only a small amount of drilling. This can only be done when the cavity is remineralized. Alternatively, the cavity can be scraped carefully without using a drill and then a temporary or
permanent filling can be placed while you improve your diet. Teeth can remineralize under the
fillings. Parts of the teeth that are drilled are a far larger obstacle to tooth remineralization than a
filling sitting in a tooth. Cavities under fillings. Sometimes these respond well to nutrition, and other times they do not. It
depends on how stressed the tooth is, and how severe the decay. First you need to determine if your
current filling is allowing food and saliva to enter deeply into the tooth. If so, you want to get the
filling cleaned, and then sealed with either a temporary or a permanent filling. If the filling on the
tooth is already sound, then the first thing to consider is if this is a misdiagnosis. If it is not a
misdiagnosis, many of these teeth will respond well to nutritional treatments. Make sure to avoid
biting on the tooth as best as you can for 1-14 days depending on your desires, and perhaps even wear
a night guard to relieve the nighttime stress on the tooth. Expect significant improvement in these deep
cavities in 1-2 weeks. If the filling is damaged, once the interior of the tooth heals, then consider
getting a new non-toxic filling to strengthen the structure of your tooth. Cracked or chipped teeth. Cracking teeth is almost always a sign of a significant dietary sin or
health imbalance. Teeth are not supposed to crack, even in the elderly. Whole grains and high
intensity sweeteners top the list of dietary mistakes that cause cracking or chipping. Cracked teeth can
usually be bonded by a good dentist. You will need to reduce the biting stress on the tooth and give it
ample time to heal. To reduce biting stress a night guard, chewing on the opposite side, and
alternative body work treatments on your jaw or head will help. Just as a reminder, a cracked or
chipped tooth does not usually need a root canal. Teeth with temporary fillings. You will want to find a permanent safe filling solution and not keep
temporary fillings in your mouth very long. Leaving big cavities without fillings. A few daring people want to have no filling materials in their
mouths even if their teeth have large holes. I do not recommend this option if you are doing it to save
money. A mouth full of cavities, or you do not know what to do about your cavities. What I always say to
people who feel unsure is to make your best effort to improve your diet. No matter what dental
treatment course you pursue, you will always be benefited by improving your diet. It does not hurt to
try. Sensitivity on sides of teeth with gum line ridges. This is called abfraction and is due to biting
forces. An improved diet will strengthen the tooth against the loss or damage to the tooth caused by
biting forces. The complete healing of this condition may require additional treatments to adjust how
you bite. Still not Sure. Talk to Your Tooth
While this suggestion may sound ridiculous, I assure you that I have not gone off the deep end. I want
you to know that I am sharing this suggestion with you because many people truly have difficulty in
deciding how to take care of a painful tooth, and this process really can bring clarity. Even after considering all of this information, you still might feel clueless about what to do for your
painful tooth. You may wonder if there is any hope. Many times in these situations you have a variety
of choices. And it requires relaxing the judgmental mind to know which choice is best for you. Consider beginning an inner dialog with your tooth. This is very similar to talking with a child. Here
are some examples. “How are you, tooth. ” “What will make you feel better. ” “Do you want to visit a
dentist. ” “Do you want a root canal. ” “Do you want to try herbs. ” “Do you want a special food. ”
“Do you want to be pulled. ” You will be amazed at how your body can actually communicate what it
needs to you. People will receive some kind of response to these questions, as a feeling, an inner
knowing or voice, or as a desire to do something. If you get no response, do not worry. A response
will appear in some way when your mind is relaxed. Keep asking clearly. A treatment option can also
elicit a feeling of stress or tension (implying it is a bad choice), and a feeling of lightness and ease in
response to another treatment (implying this is a good choice). If this exercise is too abstract, place an
object near you to represent your hurting tooth. Then talk to the object as if it is your tooth. This can
be therapeutic and help you to discern what is best to do. For example, you could express some anger,
sadness, disappointment or frustration at your tooth, or at yourself, for hurting. If you can let yourself
have some fun here, then you might get an insight on how to proceed. Dental Mystery – Missing Adult Teeth
About 3% of the population exhibits a condition in which some of the primary or permanent teeth are
missing. This condition is called hypodontia, and is associated with genetic or environmental factors. Problems with primary and adult teeth not erupting have been shown in cases of rickets, syphilis, and
in laboratory animal experiments with a very high sugar diet. Congenital syphilis is linked to missing
teeth. Its symptoms on the skeletal system are very similar to that of scurvy and rickets. 27
 Scurvy in
children was treated with raw minced beef, fresh cow's milk, and orange juice. Perhaps missing teeth
is related to a lack of vitamin C or a lack of fat-soluble vitamin D in the diet during important times of
growth including in the womb. The exact cause of missing teeth still remains a mystery. The Vicious Cycle and Tooth Decay
One school of thought proposes that emotions are the primary cause of physical disease. Another
school of thought declares the opposite, citing that disease has little to do with emotions. Let us try to
clear up this mess so you can take care of your teeth in the healthiest way possible. Emotions and stress can absolutely affect your health. The way your emotions affect your health is
primarily through poor food choices when you feel bad, or unhappy, and good food choices when you
feel well. Emotions such as sadness, anger, and grief can also interfere with your body’s ability to
digest food. Emotions do affect your internal body chemistry which can alter your calcium and phosphorous
balance. Strong emotions can engage the fight or flight response within your glands (adrenal, pituitary,
thyroid and so on). The fight or flight response will cause poisonous substances to be secreted into
your blood stream readying you for attack or to run for your life. While many situations in our modern
lives feel like fight or flight events, the reality for most people is that 
we do not live in truly life or
death situations in our modern world. Many people behave as if they do, but this is an artificially
created reality that is in part exaggerated by the mass media. If you behave as if every news event,
traffic jam, or bad look from a stranger is the end of your life, then your body is going to use up
tremendous amounts of resources for nothing. I have noticed that some people who experience severe tooth decay are severely stressed. They are in
a hurry, always rushing, putting their needs off until the last minute. When someone comes to me and
they cannot slow down, take a breath, and just take a look at themselves for a moment, then I know
they most likely will fail in remineralizing tooth decay. This is what is known as the vicious cycle. Difficult events challenge us in life, and rather than getting easier, life sends us more difficult events. The cycle also works constructively for certain people in certain parts of their lives, such as the
person who always gets one good job or economic fortune after the next. Your job is to transform the negative cycle of dental health into a positive cycle. The way this
happens is by inviting in the positive feelings and experiences, while at the same time searching for
and acknowledging the negative experiences. Stress is primarily caused by unacknowledged feelings. In modern society, we face life situations that our bodies are physically and emotionally unequipped
for, such as eating a sandwich while driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time. As a result,
we experience this specific kind of uncomfortable tension we call stress. To help deal with stress,
one must slow down, breathe, and acknowledge the feelings present in this moment. The simple
question of, “What is here now. ” helps bring one’s focus into the moment. One could also ask, “How
am I feeling now. ” These are some tools that help enhance awareness. Yoga, meditation, tai chi, chi
gong, and many other forms of meditation, movement, or therapy, will help you reduce stress, clear
your mind, and make you a healthier person. Just relax and trust the healing process for your teeth. This means trusting you will be fine, whether
you get a dental treatment on the tooth or not. Feel, or imagine a positive feeling of support that you
can overcome tooth decay. If you have a negative doubting voice, just notice it and smile at it. Through dedicated yoga practice, I began noticing how my body was being negatively affected by thefood I ate. (I was eating foods on the “avoid” list before I knew any better, particularly “health food
bars” and tofu. ) This encouraged me to improve my diet. I became keenly aware of the physical
consequences of poor food choices. Even today, I closely monitor my diet and stay disciplined so I
do not succumb to negative food habits from the past. I also encourage you to review the beginning of
chapter about healing children’s cavities for more pointers on dealing with feelings. The Hidden Need to Be Sick
You may find this section difficult to believe. I bring it up here because I want to challenge you to be
at your best to heal your teeth. As much as people want healthy teeth, very few people actually have a
100% whole-hearted desire or intention to be healthy. An experienced health practitioner opened my
book to this page and exclaimed how so many of her patients actually wanted to be sick. Most of us have a mixed bag of emotions in relation to our intention to be healthy. Just like the moon,
we have our own light side and our own dark side. Yet when we just focus on our light side, and
ignore the dark side, we are missing out on what makes life beautiful and balanced. The light part of
us wants to be healthy and the dark side wants to be unhealthy. The classic result of this inner conflict
is wishing our tooth decay to be fixed, without wanting to do any of the work to fix it. This is a key
belief that has given rise and power to modern dentistry. Dentistry helps us not face our dark side that
wants to be sick. Conventional dentistry allows us to be sick by telling us that we have nothing to do
with tooth decay, that it is all the action of the bacteria and what the bacteria eat. The result of the missing dark side of yourself that only pops up here and there when nobody is
looking, is that we might subconsciously equate being healthy with suffering. The suffering associated
with the effort needed to become healthy can manifest in many forms: complaining about exercise,
believing in disempowering information, or not wanting to pay extra for healthy foods or a better
dentist. These behaviors are a result of the interplay between your light side that wants to get healthy,
and your dark side that does not care or that does not want health. Putting more commitment and energy behind your goal of health requires positive feelings, beliefs and
good will. If you are not fully committed to this positive result, then there must be some hidden
negativity. This hidden dark side feels as though it has to suffer. It does not want the best. The dark
side can make it hard for you to take care of yourself. To help transform the dark side you cannot
simply ignore it and push it away. That would merely create more darkness. Just as there is nothing
wrong with the dark side of the moon, your own dark side is not bad; it is simply a part of life that
needs to be accepted. The way to cause a transformation is to bring light (awareness) to the darkness
(unconsciousness). To help heal this hidden internal dilemma, I suggest three things:
 
1. Acknowledge and look for the unconscious wish to not live, or to not be healthy.
High risk of triggering a negative immune system reaction in the patient.
What is the risk of placing metal directly into the jaw bone?
The author is not explicitly stated, but the text appears to be focused on holistic and natural approaches to dental health, emphasizing the importance of diet and nutrition in preventing tooth decay.
What is the main focus of the book?
The author suggests acknowledging and forgiving past trauma, getting educated, educating others, and seeking a holistic dentist.
What is the recommended approach to treat tooth decay?
The author does not explicitly state a single cause of tooth decay, but emphasizes the importance of diet and nutrition in preventing it.
What is the primary cause of tooth decay, according to the author?
The author suggests using natural methods such as sea salt, herbs, and essential oils, and advises against using conventional toothpaste and flossing, as these can be harmful.
What is the recommended approach to tooth cleaning?