Tooth decay is one of the most common health concerns in the western world.
You would be in the top 0.1% of people if you got through your life without experiencing some kind of tooth decay.
Despite our best efforts to floss, brush and clean our teeth on a daily basis, we still get cavities, some of us more than others.
While some cavities get to a point where they might need restoration, more evidence is coming to light that early stage cavities do not need the drill and can be reversed with lifestyle changes.
Tooth Decay is Not Caused By A Lack of Dental Hygiene
While dental hygiene is an important part of the puzzle it only plays a very small part.
Tooth decay is caused by demineralization of the tooth which is the result of an acidic environment.
When you consume sugar or processed foods, the bacteria in your mouth feed on this food and release acids which increase the pH in your mouth.
This acid overtime demineralises the teeth and sucks out the nutrients which make teeth strong and robust.
The good news is that teeth can recover and regenerate under the right circumstances.
The Teeth Have The Ability To Repair Decay
Teeth are not dead but contain their own immune systems which interacts with the environment.
Within the dentin the tooth has something called odontoblasts.
Odontoblasts maintain the dentin and protect it in the earlier stages of tooth decay. They do this by depositing more dentin in response to bacterial infection (e.g. decay).
However, in order for these odontoblasts to do their job and repair tooth decay, they rely on 3 main fat soluble vitamins which are K2, Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
K2, Vitamin A and D3 Protect Against Decay
According functional dentist like Dr Steven Lin, these 3 fat soluble vitamins work in a dynamic interplay.
Vitamin D3 and A works to recruit more odontoblasts within the tooth while Vitamin K2 helps activate osteocalcin, which is a type of protein released by odontoblasts which helps carry calcium into the tooth (e.g. to remineralise).
Without these fat soluble vitamins, the tooth becomes susceptible to decay.
Given our diet and lifestyle is devoid of these nutrients, it makes sense that our teeth start to fall apart.
Luckily, there are some great solutions to making our teeth become immune from decay or even reversing cavities in the early stages.
Organ Meats Were The Secret To Our Ancestors Perfect Teeth
Organ meats are great for the teeth because they are one of the richest sources of these 3 fat soluble vitamins.
Beef liver for example contains large amounts of Vitamin A along with being one of the only food sources of specific types of K2 and Vitamin D3.
In fact, according to Western Price, he believed that liver was one of the main reasons people of the West Nile Tribes were immune to dental caries (1).
Research also suggests that primitive dental health was so good because of its high consumption of vitamin K2, which is largely lacking in western diets (2).
In Summary
If you are looking to protect your teeth then consuming organ meats is your best option.
Beef liver is a great place to start given it contains these 3 nutrients in decent amounts.
If you are not keen on eating organ meats then taking a beef liver powder supplement is going to be your next best option.
Freeze drying preserves the nutrients in the liver while turning the liver into a more neutral powder which can be added to smoothies, pasta sauces and other dishes.
Our beef liver powder is organic, grass fed and finished and sourced from rich grazing pastures in Central Queensland.
You can learn more about it here if you’re interested.
References
- Price, Weston A, DDS, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, The Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, San Diego, CA.
- Gordeladze, J., Landin, M., Johnsen, G., Haugen, H., and Osmundsen, H. (2017) Vitamin K2 and its Impact on Tooth Epigenetics. DOI: 10.5772/66383