Children are most susceptible to the environment around them – good or bad. And environment plays a huge role in the susceptibility to cavities.
Dr. Westin A. Price was the first dentist to travel the world in the 1920s in the hopes of understanding the cause of cavities. What he discovered was that people in tribes untouched by western civilization had perfectly straight teeth, open airways, and no cavities. How was this possible?
The reason, he discovered, was their whole food diet. These tribes did not have access to or eat any processed foods. Everything they consumed was whole, natural food. Compared to western civilizations where cavities are rampant, white flour and sugar are consumed daily. Dr. Price was the first dentist to correlate diet and cavities.
Today, it is a well-known fact that sugar causes cavities. Everyone should know to brush their teeth after eating a pack of sour patch kids. However, only a select few understand that there are foods that can actually prevent cavities! Teeth are very similar to bone, and like bone, they require similar nutrients. Children need three things in order to build healthy bones and teeth:
First, children need hydration. Water intake is very crucial in the formation of bones. Refraining from sugary drinks and milk is best. As a simplistic measure, think about how much you or your child weigh and divide that number by half. That is how many ounces of water you or your child should drink every day. For example, a 40 lb. child should drink 20 ounces of water/day.
Secondly, protein is very important in building strong bones and teeth. Children do not need to eat large quantities of protein. Instead, it is important to eat small amounts of protein throughout the day. This will not only help promote bone and teeth development but stabilize blood sugar levels preventing bursts of energy followed by a “sugar crash”. As an easy rule, Dr. Keith and his family use the 70-20-10 rule. 70% of their meal portion are vegetables, 20% is protein, and 10% is good fat (avocado, olive oil, nuts).
Thirdly, children need minerals. Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin D are just some of the minerals needed for proper bone and tooth development. We get these minerals through our vegetables and meat.
It can be difficult to influence children to eat enough “healthy food”. This is why the staff and many families at One Loose Tooth supplement to get that boost of nutrients.
Every tooth has its own blood supply in its center where nutrients are continuously being transferred from the inner part of the tooth to the outer. If your child has these minerals readily available in the body, they can deposit down calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, etc. in order to prevent or reverse the beginning stages of a cavity.
Not all supplements are the same. One company Dr. Keith trusts is Standard Process.
It is the only whole food supplement company. This means instead of supplements made synthetically in a lab, these supplements are made from organic vegetables and naturally fed animals from an organic farm in Wisconsin. If you’re interested in how whole food supplements can benefit your child’s overall health, please call our office to set up an appointment.
After a thorough exam, we will decide if supplements are right for you child and prescribe as needed.