Foods That Can Help You Stop and Reverse Tooth Cavity

Tooth cavity, tooth decay, or dental caries are all names that describe a soft, decayed area in a tooth. There are misconceptions out there that once your tooth starts to decay, you cannot reverse the situation. Some foods, though, can stop and reverse the decay process.

Causes of Dental Caries

A popular theory is that tooth decay occurs due to bacteria and food. The proponents of this theory claim that bacteria feed on high-sugar foods, and, when this happens, they produce acids that eat away the teeth.

Eating diets that lack essential minerals and fat-soluble vitamins is another probable cause of tooth decay. This can lead to malnutrition and, when your body is malnourished, it promotes the process of demineralization. Demineralization is the removal of minerals and salts from the hard tissues of the teeth, including the dentine and enamel, a process that facilitates tooth decay.  

Food You Can Eat to Remineralize Your Teeth

The opposite of demineralizing is remineralizing, which involves adding back minerals and salts to the tissue. The remineralization process is only effective when the saliva is rich in fluoride, calcium and phosphate minerals. For this to happen, you need to eat healthy foods. These minerals help in rebuilding and maintaining the integrity of the tooth's hard tissues like the dentine and the enamel.

If you have malnourished teeth, scraping plaque (the hard deposit that forms on teeth) does not help to stop tooth decay. It is only eating the right foods that will stop and reverse the process. Here are some foods you can consider:

• Foods containing fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, and K. Cod liver oil is an excellent source of Vitamin D. Additional sources of this nutrient include eggs from free-range ducks, beef fat, animal blood, and oil fish (sardines, mackerel, salmon). Vitamin A is present in liver from land animals, eggs, goat cheese,
• Foods high in calcium. Calcium is readily available in milk and milk products like buttermilk, cheese, and yogurt. It is also high in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, collards, and broccoli. Also, eat salmon and sardines. You can get calcium from nuts and seeds as well.
• Foods high in phosphorous. Vegetables, fruits, grain products, cereals, nuts, seeds, dairy, free-range eggs and meat all contain phosphorous.
• Bone broth. Bone broth is nourishing and is loaded with the essential minerals that help in rebuilding your enamel.

For more information about how to prevent dental caries, talk to a dental clinic near you.