Simple Solutions for Natural Dental Care

I recently had an experience with the dental industry that blew me away. I received a letter from the dentist only a few days since both of my kids last had appointments. The dentist they had been seeing for regular check-ups and cleanings for the past 2-3 years had decided to drop them as patients. In the letter she accused me of “dental neglect.” Since when did making informed choices for your kids’ healthcare become “neglect?” I believe that, as a parent, I get to make choices based on what I know to be in their best interest. A dentist that sees my kids once or twice a year and knows nothing else about them, isn’t qualified to get the final say on what’s best. She doesn’t know what kind of care and research I put into my parenting choices, and that I’m looking at a much bigger picture that she can even see. And at the heart of it, I don’t trust modern dentistry.

The Isolated Fix

I respect the amount of education and dedication that doctors and dentists have in their field. That said, here’s where the conflicts tend to show up. In general, in Western medicine a person’s “issue” becomes an isolated problem to “fix”. Not only does the allopathic (Western medicine) view not look at the “whole” before diagnosing (as in a holistic approach), but the body seems to be looked at as a completely separate “thing” that is incapable of healing itself without the outside help of modern medicine.

Let’s use the dental industry for example. It has become an accepted mainstream concept that when a person gets a cavity, the decayed part of the tooth needs to be drilled away and filled with a foreign substance in order to prevent the decay from taking over the tooth which would lead to pain and possibly the loss of the tooth by extraction. It’s also become an completely accepted idea that people need to religiously brush their teeth with a particular product which contains many toxic ingredients in order to protect his/her teeth from decay and infection. I understand that even as you’re reading this, it’s quite possible that I’m challenging YOUR beliefs here, but please stay with me.

Is Fear Your Healer?

Our bodies are made for healing, for maintaining homeostasis, and for thriving. The difference between the allopathic and holistic views of the body are so vastly different, but it can be broken down very simply…one is fear-based and is on the look-out for what’s wrong and what might be a potential predator against one’s health. The other is based on a positive, self-sustaining world view that all things are working for the good of the whole.
To be fair, I grew up with the allopathic model of care, and I have survived, but now…I thrive! Over the years I began making subtle choices that were “different” based on what I felt intuitively, which led to educate myself on true “health”, which led to my path as a Wellness Professional, which led to me making VASTLY “different” choices than the mainstream for myself and my children.

Food Corruption

One of the topics that I’ve researched and feel very confident in at this point is dental care. Several years ago, I first learned about Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist from the early 1900s who was a pioneer in the dental field. He traveled the world to study people in other cultures — and not just their teeth, but their whole health. He found that people who weren’t yet corrupted by refined sugar and bread, were healthier and had little to no cavities. He also found that this affected bone structure.

The people who were the healthiest ate off the land. There were no pesticides and no preservatives in their food. Some were vegetarian, and some weren’t, but most were eating raw dairy, fermented foods, and preparing their grains, beans, and nuts in ways that made their nutrients more bioavailable by reducing their natural anti-nutrients.

Cultures who ate a more “traditional” diet consumed more fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, & K), calcium, and phosphorous and they had fewer cavities, better bone structure, and were very “healthy”.

At the heart of his studies is the conclusion that good teeth come from good diet. When a person is truly healthy, then the teeth can defend themselves, and they don’t need chemicals (like in the average toothpaste) to do it.

What’s In There?

You might be surprised to know that several ingredients in the average toothpaste tube (even the natural ones) are toxic and can have very harmful effects. Even something as simple as “glycerin” found in almost every toothpaste on the market isn’t great for your teeth, because it prohibits them from being able to defend themselves.

For these reasons, I started making my own products a few years ago. Mommypotamus has a great tooth powder recipe that I love!

I have one more amazing resource for you. Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel breaks it all down for the reader — why and how. His book is based on Dr. Price’s research and he shares vital information that is mostly absent in our modern culture — including how to heal a tooth infection, remineralize teeth, and there’s even a chapter devoted to children’s dental care. In fact, Nagel’s daughter’s dental issues were the impetus behind him writing the book.
While there are things about our modern lives that I am grateful for, post-industrial food practices are not one of them. I am so grateful for the good information that’s out there to teach us about the old ways and true, whole health.

Your Body Can Heal Itself

In the “whole-istic” perspective, everything is in relationship to everything. What you think, eat, say, do, and take in matters. Your body can heal itself. EVERYTHING is connected — your bodily systems, your thoughts, the trees, the planet, the whole universe. All of life is meant to support you.

Breathing is a perfect example. With each breath you take, you are nourishing your body/mind/spirit and also the plant kingdom (and therefore the planet). There is an intelligence within each and every one of us, and that intelligence is meant to be listened to for the purpose of healing, and for the purpose of living an optimal life.
If you share this holistic view of health and life, I’m here to say this — whatever the struggles and frustrations you might have to deal with as a “natural” parent, IT’S WORTH IT!!! Listen to that intelligence that is within YOU and you will know what’s right for you and your family. All of my experiences, thus far, have reinforced my commitment to caring for my children holistically and standing up for what I believe is best for them.

Share Your Stories

Have you had an experience where you have listened to your gut and contradicted that “standard protocol”? I’d love to hear! Please leave a comment below so we can support one another in doing what we know is best!